Two lawyers have petitioned the High Court in Kampala seeking orders to restrain the Simon Byabakama-led Electoral Commission (EC) from continuing to organise the 2026 General Election, citing what they term as persistent security forces’ brutality.
Mr Leonard Otee and Mr Joseph Odongo said they filed the suit in the public interest, arguing that the EC has failed in its constitutional and statutory mandate to ensure free and fair elections. They have also sued the Attorney General in his capacity as the government’s chief legal adviser.
The lawyers contend that the EC has ‘failed, neglected and/or refused’ to execute its obligations, or has done so ‘in a cursory, negligent and off-handed fashion,’ thereby allowing widespread violence and intimidation to flourish during election-related activities.
They accuse security agencies, including the Uganda Police Force and the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF), of threatening, intimidating, torturing, harassing, beating and, in some instances, killing members of the public participating in campaigns. The petitioners argue that the EC is vicariously liable for the actions of security forces deployed during the electoral process.
‘As a result, the public remains afraid and fearful of participating freely in the electoral process,’ the lawyers state, adding that this violates the constitutional and human rights of Ugandans.
The lawsuit follows a series of violent incidents involving supporters of the National Unity Platform (NUP) and security forces in recent weeks.
Brutality
Earlier this month, at least five NUP supporters were injured when groups of armed individuals attacked party leader Robert Kyagulanyi’s campaign team in Gulu City.
Video footage captured by NTV, Daily Monitor’s sister television station, shows security personnel beating NUP supporters who were surrounding Mr Kyagulanyi, apparently to shield him from danger. The footage also shows that some police officers assigned by the EC to provide security to the NUP presidential candidate were assaulted.
Other clips show stick-wielding, plain-clothed individuals with covered faces attacking NUP supporters.
The incidents came days after police used water cannons and teargas to block Mr Kyagulanyi’s rallies in Kayunga and Buikwe districts. Similar disruptions occurred during his November 24 campaign activities in Kampala’s Kawempe and Nakawa divisions, as well as in parts of the Teso Sub-region.
The lawyers are asking court to declare that the Byabakama-led EC has failed to fulfil its constitutional mandate and to order a fresh campaign period free from intimidation, torture and harassment, conducted within the confines of the law.
Ugandans are scheduled to go to the polls on January 15, 2026, to elect the President and Members of Parliament.
By press time last evening, neither the EC nor the Attorney General had filed a response to the suit.