By Aggrey Baba
In Uganda, when the elders disagree, the community watches closely to see whether the advice offered will mend or break relationships.
The ongoing debate over the proposed amendment to the UPDF Act is quickly becoming a key point of contention, with politicians from the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) fiercely defending the move to retain the Court Martial’s role in Uganda’s justice system.
Hon. Daudi Kabanda, the Member of Parliament for Kasambya County and General Secretary of the Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU), weighed in on the controversy during a recent appearance on television.
Kabanda addressed the proposed amendment to the UPDF Act, which seeks to formalize the Court Martial as a division of the judiciary. This move follows the recent Supreme Court’s ruling military courts.
“It’s not us, the MPs, who want to amend the UPDF Act,” Kabanda asserted. “It’s the Supreme Court that ruled Parliament should amend the Act to make the Court Martial a division of the judiciary.”
Kabanda’s comments are in response to growing opposition to the Court Martial, especially from political figures, legal experts, and human rights defenders who argue that trying civilians in military courts undermines democracy and the right to fair trial.
The Supreme Court’s recent decision ruled the trial of civilians by the Court Martial as unconstitutional, but rather than abolishing it, the Court suggested it be placed under the judiciary.
Kabanda, however, suggested that the Supreme Court’s ruling was based on an overzealous interpretation. “The Supreme Court should have just abolished the Court Martial, but they didn’t. Their decision was out of excitement,” Kabanda claimed.
He also pointed to the broader issue of how the judiciary should operate in the current political climate, where the NRM’s stance is to maintain control over sensitive matters related to national security and governance.
Opponents of the amendment believe this push to formalize the Court Martial within the judiciary is an attempt to shield President Museveni’s gov’t from legal accountability and to continue using military courts to suppress political opposition.
But Kabanda, along with others in the NRM, insists that the amendment is necessary to prevent legal chaos. He emphasized that the military courts have been vital in maintaining national security, particularly in a country that has experienced various security challenges over the years.
While Kabanda and the NRM continue to push for the Court Martial’s role to be institutionalized, many are questioning whether such a move will further erode the country’s democratic foundations. As the NRM prepares to move forward with the proposed amendments, the public remains divided, unsure whether this will be a step toward greater stability or a deeper entrenchment of authoritarianism. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
