By Adam Bukenya | Tuesday, April 29, 2025

Tensions boiled over on Monday morning as the Uganda Police Force sealed off the National Unity Platform (NUP) headquarters in Makerere Kavule, blocking the launch of the party’s highly anticipated “Youth Protest Vote” campaign and preventing media and supporters from accessing the venue—a move condemned by NUP Secretary General David Lewis Rubongoya, who claimed the police had misunderstood the meaning of a ‘protest vote’, which the party had endorsed in the Kawempe North MP by-election as a rejection of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party.

Rubongoya strongly criticized the police action, alleging double standards in how opposition activities are treated compared to those of the ruling NRM. “We had called the media and our supporters to the offices by morning, but the police blocked them from accessing the headquarters. The deployment started the night before,” he said.

He further accused the Uganda Police of favoring the NRM, pointing to recent events where party mobilizers carried out political activities without interference. “We’ve seen NRM leaders and mobilizers holding processions under police protection. But when we try to do the same, we’re blocked,” Rubongoya added.

He cited the example of Hajjat Hadijah Namyalo, a prominent NRM mobilizer, who recently organized a public procession urging youth to support President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni’s 2026 re-election bid. Namyalo’s “Settle for Museveni, Say No to Protest Vote” campaign, held over the weekend, proceeded without incident—fueling claims from the NUP that their peaceful mobilization efforts are being unfairly targeted.

The NUP had framed the Youth Protest Vote campaign as a non-violent initiative aimed at increasing political participation among the youth ahead of the 2026 general elections. However, by midday Monday, the party had yet to release an official response to the police’s actions.

Meanwhile, the Uganda Police Force issued a statement confirming their awareness of the planned launch, asserting that the event “will not be permitted.” The statement cited the need to “maintain public order” and urged all parties to comply with the directive.