KAMPALA, Uganda — The Uganda Police Force has suspended upcoming regional mobilisation meetings organized by the National Unity Platform (NUP), citing repeated violations of public order and traffic regulations by party supporters.
In a letter dated April 16, 2025, addressed to NUP Secretary General David Lewis Rubongoya, police cited an incident on April 14 in Iganga Town, where NUP supporters allegedly blocked oncoming traffic while returning from a mobilisation event in Mbale.
The letter, signed by police spokesperson Simon Peter Okoshi on behalf of the Inspector General of Police, accuses the party of deliberately disregarding police guidelines previously issued in letters dated May 28 and July 12, 2024.
“Mobilisation must not endanger people’s lives, including other innocent road users,” the police letter reads in part.
As a result, two planned mobilisation events—April 17 at Ankole Resort, Bushenyi, and April 24 at Palm Garden Restaurant and Guest House, Gulu—have been put on hold until further notice.
The suspension has also been communicated to regional police commanders in Greater Bushenyi and Aswa West, with enforcement expected to be immediate.
The police have not specified when or under what conditions the suspended meetings might resume.
This development marks another chapter in the ongoing tension between opposition political parties and law enforcement authorities over the right to mobilise and hold public meetings. NUP has yet to issue an official response to the suspension.
