The Member of Parliament for Makindye East (NUP), Derrick Nyeko, has vowed to keep mobilizing for the party and continue helping out with massive membership registration of party members amidst intimidation and police raids.
While addressing members of the press at his home in Muyenga Bukasa on May 14, 2024, Nyeko said that the recent raid at his home was meant to intimidate NUP leaders and supporters, especially at this time when they are carrying out a nationwide membership registration exercise.
“The military men and police came into my house looking for me and did a house search, which was intended to incriminate me and have me arrested for having military attire, and this is meant to scare away our supporters from using the red beret and from associating with NUP at this time when we are having nationwide membership registration,” Nyeko said.
The Makindye East MP accused the police of being selective in their operations, where on many occasions they have arrested NUP members for putting on red berets and overalls but ignored the NRM cadres who wear the original military attire.
“We have seen many NRM MPs and ministers putting on complete military attire, and none have been arrested. We have also seen some musicians who support the current regime move around and hold concerts many times in military attire, but none have ever been summoned. But the police draw the line on the red beret for the NUP and our black and red overalls; this is surely selective and so illegal,” Nyeko added.
Nyeko’s call for a press conference came after his home in Muyenga was raided on May 13, 2024, and the police confiscated his jungle boots, red berets for NUP, black overalls, and red overalls, all with NUP logos. From the CCTV footage that Nyeko posted on his X account, it shows security checking his entire house.
In 2019, the police warned all members of the public to desist from wearing military attire, and they also classified the NUP red beret as illegal since it bears a resemblance to the Military Police red beret.
The Uganda Gazette, under General Notice No. 1013 of 2019, issued a notice on September 18, 2019, describing and prohibiting members of the public from donning military wear and decorations or so nearly resembling them.
Section 160 of the Uganda People’s Defence Forces Act, 2005, subsection 2(c), prohibits non-members of the security forces from receiving, possessing, selling, or delivering military attire, including warm suits, jackets, ranger boots, berets, capes, porches, weapon sling belts, and back packs, among others.
