Otafiire: Police, not military, needed in our elections

Kampala, Uganda: Uganda’s Minister for Internal Affairs, Gen Kahinda Otafiire, has sparked public debate after declaring that the deployment of soldiers during elections is unnecessary, since maintaining internal law and order is the exclusive mandate of the Uganda Police Force, not the military.

Speaking on Tuesday, June 17, at the sidelines of a multi-stakeholder dialogue on elections held in Kampala, the outspoken Otafiire, whose docket ministry supervises the police force, aimed dig at the security agencies, saying, the army is instead supposed to be focused on protecting the border that involving in internal work of the police.

“The work of the military is not to ensure internal law and order. That work is left for the police, and I think they are enough to do the job. We don’t need the military to be deployed. The army is supposed to protect our borders,” Gen Otafiire said.

The minister’s remarks came in response to the growing public concern over the militarisation of electoral processes, especially after the recent Kawempe North by-election, where soldiers were visibly deployed at several polling stations, a move heavily criticised by civil society groups and opposition actors.

Gen Otafiire noted that the involvement of the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) in elections is neither influenced nor directed by his ministry. “The military is usually called upon as a backup when the situation becomes more tense, and whether the UPDF is involved or not depends on the Inspector General of Police (IGP), not the ministry,” he explained.

At the same event, Dr Sarah Bireete, Executive Director of the Centre for Constitutional Governance (CCG), decried what she termed as deliberate efforts to frustrate civil society from playing its constitutional role in voter education and election observation.

“This is an intentional move to keep us away from our mandated duties. Some NGOs applied for accreditation eight months ago to support voter education and long-term observation. But to date, the Electoral Commission hasn’t responded,” Bireete told the gathering.

Civil Society Organisations also raised red flags over unheeded electoral reform proposals, arbitrary arrests of opposition politicians and supporters, and restrictions placed on election observers and media actors.

In response, Julius Mucunguzi, spokesperson of the Electoral Commission, defended the process, saying that not all applicants met the set requirements for accreditation. “If you don’t make it, it means that you didn’t have the qualifications,” he said.

Adding perspective, Badru Musinguzi, Assistant Commissioner in charge of NGO registration at the NGO Bureau, clarified that the Ministry of Internal Affairs merely recommends NGOs to the Electoral Commission. “Some NGOs have already been accredited. Others are still under review,” he stated.

But Dr Bireete insisted that proper civic education was still lacking. “No one is educating the public about their role, the duties of leaders or the responsibilities of institutions like police and political parties,” she said. “If government is serious about democratic elections, they must guarantee that the military will be out of the elections and all groups, including NGOs and the media, are free to operate.”

In his rejoinder, Gen Otafiire stressed that all players must stay within their constitutional bounds. “NGOs should not interfere with the responsibilities of the ministry. And we too shall not interfere with yours,” he said. “Elections are about competition for ideas. Let the population make their own political choices.”

“Whether you like us or not, don’t tempt us just because you’re exercising your voting right, expecting us to just look on. For my ministry, we shall avoid conflict if we all stick to our constitutional roles and promise a free and fair election process,” he concluded.

According to Section 41 (2) and (3) of the Parliamentary Elections Act, 2005, only the Returning Officer is legally mandated to appoint at least two constables to maintain law and order at polling stations during an election, reinforcing the view that police, not the military, is the lawfully assigned authority for electoral security.