By The Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) party has directed its MPs to oppose the contentious UPDF amendment bill 2025 which is set to be passed on Tuesday 20 May
Read Also
Police Impound Overloaded Bus After Viral Video Sparks Safety Concerns
Wife And Mother-in-Law Kill Husband After DNA Test Reveals Baby Isn’t His
ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan Steps Aside Amid Sexual Mi, conduct Probe
Controversial UPDF Amendment Bill Set for Passage Tuesday, May 20
Lawyer Migisha Remanded Over 444M Fraud Scheme Targeting Nurses’ Council
Multiparty Youth Forum Challenges Government Over Youth Corruption Claims
PFF Moves Closer To Registration, EC Issues Gazette Notice
Ssebudde Kassim Who Was Abducted With Eddie Mutwe Dumped After Severe Torture – Bobi Wine
Following a closed-door meeting by the party’s top members chaired by interim president Hassan Kaps Fungaroo, FDC reaffirmed its position calling the bill “unconstitutional” and criticized the government for rushing the legislative process without proper public consultation.
Addressing journalists at the party’s headquarters in Najjanankumbi, FDC interim president Hassan Kaps Fungaroo said the party’s top leadership had convened a special meeting to deliberate on two controversial bills: the UPDF Amendment Bill and the Political Parties and Organisations (Amendment) Bill, both expected to be debated and passed in Parliament on Tuesday.
“The UPDF Amendment Bill is unconstitutional, and we reject it in its entirety,” Fungaroo declared. He accused the government of sidestepping parliamentary procedures and ignoring one of the cardinal principles of legislation public participation.
The UPDF amendment bill 2025 was introduced to parliament on May 13, however given barely a week for review, it is already scheduled for passage on May 20. Fungaroo possess a series of questions wondering whether public views were considered
“Where has the public participated? Civil society? Academia? Even MPs haven’t had time to consult their constituencies,” he asked, expressing concern that the bill affects not just the military but also police, prisons, and the broader justice system.
He further argued that such a wide-reaching bill requires extensive consultation, including visits to prisons and dialogue with affected individuals, especially those tried in military courts.
FDC Deputy President for Central Region and the party’s whip in parliament Yusuf Nsibambi elaborated on the legal flaws of the bill, asserting that Parliament is attempting to create legislation from a Supreme Court observation that has no binding authority.
“The Supreme Court did not rule that Parliament must legalize military trials of civilians. It simply noted, in passing, that some civilian cases could be moved to civil courts,” Nsibambi said. “This cannot be used as a legal foundation to draft new legislation.”
He warned that enacting the bill would directly violate the constitutional rights of Ugandans by legitimizing what the courts had already declared unlawful, (the trial of civilians in military courts).
Read Also
Former CID Spokesperson Twiine Charles Missing Since Wednesday
Another NUP Bodyguard Abducted, Bobi Wine Condemns Escalating Crackdown
Muhoozi Threatens Sanctions And Expulsion Of EU Diplomats Over NUP Visit
Frank Gashumba Sheds Bachelor Status in Private “Umuvandimwe” Introduction Ceremony
“Parliament has no authority to make a law out of unconstitutional practices or administrative guidelines,” Nsibambi added. “We cannot make law just because we have power. That power must be guided by the rule of law and the rights enshrined in the Constitution.”
The FDC leadership urged Parliament to halt the process and allow space for public engagement and a more transparent review.
The UPDF Amendment Bill, 2025, is scheduled for both its second and third readings in Parliament on Tuesday.
