The Minister in Charge of General Duties Hon. Kasule Lumumba has tasked aggrieved members of the National Unity Platform to take it up with the Electoral Commission, the body mandated to conduct and regulate elections.
Lumumba who was duly authorized to represent the Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja was responding to allegations of double standards, and violence on their supporters made by the leader of opposition in Parliament, Joel Ssenyonyi.
Lumumba reassured Parliament that government does not condone violence, urging all political actors to follow Electoral Commission guidelines.
Lumumba, who questioned the authenticity of videos and images on social media of brutality inflicted upon opposition supporters by Police said the aggrieved parties needed to present their evidence and complaints to the electoral commission that will in turn summon the police. She however expressed concern on whether they are works of Artificial Intelligence.
The Leader of the Opposition in Parliament, Hon. Joel Ssenyonyi, sharply criticized the Uganda Police Force and other security agencies for what he described as “alarming hypocrisy and dangerous double standards” in the ongoing campaigns ahead of the 2026 general elections.
Speaking during plenary on Tuesday, Ssenyonyi noted that day 65 of the presidential campaigns, which started on September 29, had taken an increasingly violent turn, contradicting the peaceful start witnessed in the early weeks.
“The campaigns kicked off fairly well, peacefully. We even gave government credit. But alas, it was as if we were triggering them to do otherwise. The campaigns have now become brutal,” Ssenyonyi said.
He condemned the rising incidents of shootings, injuries, arrests, tear gas, and the use of attack dogs, comparing some scenes to apartheid-era repression.
Ssenyonyi accused the Inspector General of Police, Abbas Byakagaba, of blaming the brutality on the National Unity Platform’s campaign processions while allegedly ignoring similar processions by the ruling NRM.
“Our colleagues in the NRM hold processions regularly, even with brass bands. But when NUP holds processions, people are shot dead, tear gassed, and beaten. Why these double standards?” he asked.
He cited events in Mbarara, where a police truck was allegedly used to ferry NRM supporters to a rally.
“On the one hand, you’re beating our supporters, but you’re helping to ferry supporters of another candidate. How does this work?” he posed.
Ssenyonyi also raised concern over the 6 p.m. campaign cutoff, saying police deliberately diverted NUP convoys, causing delays that later resulted in violent dispersal of rallies.
“A journey of 20 minutes becomes four hours. When we arrive five minutes past six, police fires tear gas and bullets, causing deadly stampedes. How does this make legal sense?” he said.
MPs from Wakiso and other districts backed his claims, reporting incidents involving UPDF trucks with hidden number plates, damaged vehicles, and forceful interference in opposition rallies.
However, some NRM MPs insisted the restrictions were not targeted, noting that they too had been blocked from holding processions.
Ssenyonyi also questioned the government’s preparedness regarding biometric voter verification machines, saying regulations had not been presented to Parliament despite earlier promises.
“We have one month to an election. Candidate Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has said biometric machines will be used mandatorily. If they fail in a polling station, will people be denied voting?” he asked.
He warned that without clear regulations, the machines could be misused to disenfranchise targeted candidates.