Gen Muhoozi noted that a significant number of security personnel implicated in rights abuses often battle mental health challenges, stressing the need to urgently address the psychological welfare of officers deployed to enforce the law.
Kampala, Uganda: The Minister of State for Internal Affairs, General David Muhoozi, has appealed to Ugandans, civil society organisations, and all stakeholders to join forces with the government to guarantee the successful organisation of peaceful and credible general elections in 2026.
Speaking during a high-level dialogue convened in Kampala to mark the United Nations International Day in Support of Torture Survivors, Gen Muhoozi addressed growing concerns over a shrinking civic space and escalating reports of human rights violations in the pre-election period.
He emphasised the importance of collective responsibility in defending democracy and safeguarding rights.
“Many times, whenever they talk about the perpetrators of torture, it is taken to be the government. In most cases, such incidents are not planned; they are done by individuals who come from our communities,” Gen Muhoozi said.
He further noted that a significant number of security personnel implicated in rights abuses often battle mental health challenges, stressing the need to urgently address the psychological welfare of officers deployed to enforce the law.
“Someone brings his frustrations from somewhere else and shifts them to other people he comes across in the line of duty. In security services, we need to look into the mental health of our men in uniform and their ability to perform their tasks,” he observed.
During the same dialogue, Dr Kabumba Busingye, the Director of the Human Rights and Peace Centre (HURIPEC), delivered a keynote address in which he decried what he described as a disturbing normalisation of rights violations by some government officials.
“Considering our country’s history and what is happening currently, having elections without violence in Uganda is an illusion,” Dr Kabumba said.
He cited the findings of a previous commission of inquiry into human rights violations from 1962 to 1986, which documented harrowing experiences of torture and abuse. These revelations informed the adoption of Article 24 of the 1995 Constitution, which prohibits torture in all forms.
Dr Kabumba emphasized that while Uganda has progressive laws, including the Human Rights Act and the Prevention and Prohibition of Torture Act, implementation remains inadequate.
In a message delivered by Lamex Omara Apitta, the Chairperson of the Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC), Mariam Wangadya pledged the Commission’s commitment to working with all actors to ensure the forthcoming elections uphold the rights and dignity of every Ugandan.
“The media and CSOs have the mandate to spotlight where the dirt is; the security agencies have the tool of coercion, so use them to defend the powerless, not to instill fear among the population,” she said.
She called upon the Electoral Commission to exercise robust leadership to deliver violence-free polls, noting that the future of Uganda’s democracy depends on their vigilance.
Electoral Commission spokesperson Julius Mucunguzi reiterated the need for mutual respect and a shared sense of responsibility among all Ugandans ahead of the 2026 elections.
“A free, transparent, and fair electoral process is a responsibility of every Ugandan. Elections are not a do-or-die affair; elections are not a war period, as some may take it to be,” Mucunguzi said, appealing to political leaders to prioritise messages of unity and peace rather than division and conflict.
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