The President commends MPs for averting potential conflict among state institutions and emphasizes military discipline, peace, and national unity as foundations for Uganda’s development.
President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has praised Members of Parliament for passing the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) Amendment Bill, 2025. The new legislation expands the jurisdiction of military courts, allowing them to try civilians involved in serious offences under specific circumstances.
The law now permits military tribunals to prosecute civilians found in possession of military equipment or those who collaborate with army personnel in crimes such as treason and murder.
Addressing a leaders’ meeting at Timnah Nursery and Primary School in Mabaale village, Luwero District, Museveni said the amendment was necessary to prevent institutional clashes between the military, Parliament, and the civilian judiciary.
“There was going to be a serious problem. Some people said that if a soldier commits a crime such as murder, theft, or rape, they should be tried in sub-county courts instead of the court martial. Those people must repent. But Parliament has saved us the embarrassment,” Museveni stated.
The President emphasized that maintaining peace has been central to Uganda’s development journey since 1986, noting that many neighboring countries—despite having abundant mineral and oil resources—remain unstable.
“When we came from the bush, we decided that even civilians who use guns to commit crimes would be charged in military courts. That’s why Uganda has peace while many of our neighbors don’t. Today, we are hosting over 1.8 million refugees,” Museveni said
Reaffirming the ideology of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM), Museveni highlighted the movement’s unwavering commitment to national unity, in contrast to the sectarianism that has plagued other political approaches.
He outlined the four principles that guide the NRM:
- Patriotism
- Pan-Africanism
- Socio-Economic Transformation
- Democracy
These values, he emphasized, are the pillars upon which Uganda’s peace, prosperity, and long-term development are built.
