By A cocktail of armed security forces has gained notoriety for their recent violence against the National Unity Platform (NUP) party supporters ahead of the Kawempe North parliamentary by-election.
The rerun polls set for March 13 follow the death of former Kawempe North MP Muhammad Ssegirinya at Rubaga Hospital in Kampala on January 9.
Ten candidates are running to replace Ssegirinya, including Mr Erias Luyimbazi Nalukoola (NUP), Ms Faridah Nambi (National Resistance Movement-NRM), Mr Henry Kasacca (Democratic Party-DP), Mr Sadat Mukiibi (Forum for Democratic Chance-FDC), and Ismail Musiitwa (People’s Progressive Party-PPP). Others are independent candidates Ms Hanifah Karadi, Mr Muhamood Mutazindwa, Mr Muhammed Lusswa Luwemba, Mr Moses Nsereko, and Mr Henry Stanley Maitum.
The campaigns, which kicked off with relative calm on March 1 and will run until March 11, have seen a joint but dissimilar military outfit step up violence against NUP supporters by indiscriminately beating up, arresting, and disappearing with scores found wearing red berets, among other insignia associated with the largest Opposition party.
At the forefront of the grim violence is a group of security operatives – the Joint Anti-Terrorist Taskforce (JATT) – known for wearing distinctive all-black uniforms and matching tactical gloves, face masks and sunglasses to conceal their identity.
The US-based Human Rights Watch cites JATT as a government security agency created on May 13, 1999, and drew its armed personnel from the UPDF, the police, and both internal and external security organisations. It reportedly operated with no codified mandate and only reporting to the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (CMI), now renamed the Defence, Intelligence and Security (DIS).
But the outfit has since drawn international criticism, with claims of torture and illegal detention of suspects, charges which have been denied by the government.
Its operatives run a tight-knit code of clandestine manoeuvres that have made it difficult for the Opposition and sections of Ugandans to penetrate its secretive world.
Prior to the chaotic event that played out in Kawempe, on the northern outskirts of Kampala, on Monday, the police, army and operatives from JATT had earlier raided and ransacked the NUP party headquarters at Makerere-Kavule on February 21 over reports of unauthorised military-like drills.
With the 2026 General Election looming large, activists and political parties have weighed in on JATT’s identity, mandate, modus operandi, and how the prevailing circumstances may set the pace to undermine the electoral process.
Rights activists react
Mr Nicholas Opiyo, a human rights lawyer and former executive director of Chapter Four Uganda, a civil rights organisation, says JATT is a unit of the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence, now DIS.
“Structurally, they are controlled out of CMI in Mbuya, but in practice or operation, CMI is a unit of the army that is, like all units, controlled by the Commander of the Defence Forces (CDF). Efforts to corroborate these claims with the UPDF Defence Public Information Officer (DPIO), Maj Gen (Ag) Felix Kulayigye, and police spokesperson Kituuma Rusoke were all futile as our repeated calls and messages to their known contacts were not picked up or replied to by press time last night.
Mr Opiyo added: “They cover their faces because they do not want to be identified. They know they are sent out to do criminal acts and when the public identifies them, the system throws them to the wolves.”
Mr Opiyo also claimed that Uganda’s military establishment doesn’t view or treat elections as a democratic process, but as an insurrection with the possibility of dislodging a long-serving patrimonial system.
“They conduct elections to clothe themselves with the veneer of democratic credentials but do not conduct the affairs of the State as a liberal democratic system,” Mr Opiyo said.
He further described the Kawempe North by-election as “a rehearsal for what is to come in the next General Election.” He also said the next General Election will be more brutal than the last because Ugandans allowed the ruling elite and military system to get away with it the last time round without accountability.
“If we are to mitigate the situation, we must establish a robust method of accountability for these violations. The authorities cannot sit and watch on as crimes are being committed. The citizens must resort to a robust social accountability to expose those involved in these unlawful actions.
“We also need to de-escalate the political temperature and rhetoric on both sides of the isle, which can only be done if the election referee is seen to be an honest, competent and an independent actor capable of holding a fair process,” Mr Opiyo further explained.
The Electoral Commission, Mr Opiyo says, has to be dismantled and reconstituted because the current lot reportedly enjoys no public confidence and has shown itself to be a toothless lot.
Mr Chrispin Kaheru, an Independent Election Analyst and member of the Uganda Human Rights Commission, described the chaotic scenes that unfolded in Kawempe North on Monday as “troubling”, warning that they could signal a bigger issue for the 2026 General Election.
“The use of excessive force, particularly by security personnel, during an election campaign is a serious violation of human rights as it violates the right to peacefully assemble. If security forces act in a similar manner, it could create a tense environment.”
Like Mr Opiyo, Mr Kaheru, says accountability is crucial. “Security operatives who engage in brazen violence and acts of impunity must be held responsible just like the civilians, but there are also systemic problems like inadequate training and unclear protocols,” he warned.
“Sometimes, when the rules of engagement are not clearly defined or communicated, it may lead to confusion and inconsistent actions by security forces; so, all or any of these factors sometimes enable such abuses.
“At the Uganda Human Rights Commission, we are committed to addressing these within our mandate and are working to ensure that all elections are conducted peacefully, and human rights are respected,” Mr Kaheru said.
He added: “We are closely monitoring the conduct of duty-bearers and rights-holders, security forces, politicians, and providing human rights training to ensure swift action against violations. We are already working with all stakeholders to prevent future abuses. Our goal is to ensure that elections are free, fair, and secure for every Ugandan.”
A cocktail of security forces beat up National Unity Platform supporters near the party headquarters at Makerere-Kavule in Kampala yesterday. The supporters had gathered for a procession to a campaign rally for Erias Luyimbazi Nalukoola, the party’s flag bearer in the Kawempe North by-election set for March 13. PHOTO/MICHAEL KAKUMIRIZI
On the JATT operations, Mr Kaheru says its selective concealment of identities could raise questions about whether their mandate is to enforce order or to instill fear.
“The public has a right to transparency. Security personnel must be identifiable in non-covert operations and accountable for their actions. If the UPDF have disowned JATT, then who do they answer to?
“Accountability in security operations is critical. Any force operating in the shadows, without clear command and oversight, presents a serious challenge to the rule of law, human rights, and democratic governance,” said Mr Kaheru.
NRM party blames spoilers
Mr Emmanuel Lumala Dombo, the Director of Communication at the NRM Secretariat, echoed the concerns of the rights activists. He described the scenes in Kawempe on Monday as “ugly and repulsive.”
But he quickly added that someone may be against the NRM candidate and had chosen to do ruin her candidature.
“I just don’t understand the person who deployed JATT personnel in Kawempe and what they were trying to achieve. We shall need a joint meeting in order to agree on the way forward,” Mr Dombo said.
Opposition groups respond
Uganda Peoples Congress (UPC) Secretary General, Mr Fred Ebil, described JATT’s activities as “unfortunate and unacceptable” under a multiparty dispensation.
“We need to allow political parties to compete in free and fair elections; free from violence and manipulation by State agencies in order to elect the leaders the people of Uganda want and deserve,” Mr Ebil told this publication.
The national coordinator for the Alliance for National Transformation (ANT), Ms Alice Alaso, said the actions depict the character of the NRM government.
“The regime is terrified of its own citizens; the regime is desperate and nothing can be done. Ugandans should continue pushing, hoping that the voters will stay in the village and vote,” Ms Alaso said.
“The events that unfolded in Kawempe on Monday tell how security agencies are likely to behave on polling day next year. But that is what we go through in Serere,” she added.
Ms Alaso is the former Woman MP for Serere District. She said Kawempe was “lucky” because it had media coverage, unlike Serere which never has media coverage of such magnitude in its backyard.
The NUP Secretary General, Mr David Lewis Rubongoya, on Tuesday said they were following up on those who were arrested yesterday or violently assaulted, including four women, and ten men, some of whom include MPs Derick Nyeko (Makindye East) and Muwada Nkunyingi (Kyadondo East).
“Every time NUP comes out, they say we are doing processions; so, we are asking why it is illegal for NUP to have processions and fine for NRM and those aligned to them to carry out processions and do whatever they please.
“It is unfortunate that the security forces are being used to mete out injustice to our people,” Mr Rubongoya said.
