The Uganda Law Society (ULS) has accused the government of conducting a deeply flawed election under conditions of excessive militarization, releasing a detailed report documenting widespread human rights violations during the recent polling period.
These remarks were made on 5th February 2026, as the society’s Radical New Bar leadership staged an alternative ‘Opening of the New Law Year’ event after its president was banned from attending the official judiciary ceremony.
Speaking to media and ULS stakeholders, ULS Vice President Anthony Asiimwe said that legal profession is functioning under the heavy shadow of militarization.
“Our lawyers are working in an environment dominated by excessive military presence, which undermines the independence and safety of the profession,” Asiimwe said.
During the event, ULS presented an Election Observation and Rapid Response Report highlighting multiple irregularities, including arbitrary arrests, voter intimidation, internet shutdowns, failures of biometric voting machines, and low voter turnout.
Violent incidents documented in the report include the assault on opposition leader Bobi Wine’s wife, alleged extrajudicial killings, and the destruction of electoral materials by frustrated citizens.
The report also recorded over 250 calls to the ULS toll-free line, with pro bono lawyers assisting more than 300 citizens during and after the polls.
Alexander Lule, Acting Central Region Representative, alleged that the army brought in stuffed ballot boxes during the election, prompting public outrage that led to the destruction of electoral materials in broad daylight, and criticized the lack of follow-up investigations into the incident.
“We saw the army bring in stuffed ballot boxes in broad daylight, people said ‘enough is enough’ and destroyed the electoral materials. Yet no proper investigations or postmortems were conducted,” Lule stated.
Nina Kankunda, also known as Nina Roz and former NUP flag-bearer for Sembabule, said her agents were beaten, some arrested, and others unaccounted for, describing Ugandan politics as a dirty game and urging the lawyers handling their case to act.
“My agents were beaten, some arrested, and others are still missing. I wouldn’t advise any youth to get involved in Ugandan politics because it is a dirty game,’’ Kankunda revealed.
“We now call on the lawyers handling our case to ensure justice is done,” she added.
ULS condemned the judiciary’s role, citing routine denial of bail, prolonged detention without trial, and mishandling of habeas corpus applications.
It criticized the pre-election suspension of multiple civil society organizations, which it said hindered essential monitoring and accountability.
The ULS issued several recommendations urging the government to acknowledge and condemn electoral violations, while the government directed the judiciary to resolve disputes promptly and instructed security agencies to act within the law and maintain proportionality.
The situation shows the ongoing importance of monitoring, legal oversight, and adherence to established electoral procedures.
