How Opposition MPs are Planning to Fight the Controversial UPDF Law

Opposition Members of Parliament (MPs) in Uganda have vowed to go to court to stop two new laws that were passed by Parliament on May 20, 2025. These are the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) Amendment Bill, 2025, and the Political Parties and Organizations Amendment Bill, 2025.

The opposition MPs did not take part in the voting, saying the process was unfair and rushed.

Mr. Joel Ssenyonyi, the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament, told journalists that they are taking legal action mainly for two reasons.

First, he said the new UPDF law goes against a decision made by the Supreme Court, which had earlier ruled that civilians should not be tried in military courts.

The new law allows civilians to be taken to military courts if they are accused of crimes like illegal possession of guns.

Second, Mr. Ssenyonyi said the Bills were rushed and passed without proper consultation from the public or key groups. He said it is important for laws to be discussed openly and not just pushed through by the government alone.

Even though he admitted that some judges in Uganda are not truly independent, Mr. Ssenyonyi believes there are still a few who care about justice. That’s why he said they will first go to the High Court and, if needed, take the case to the Supreme Court.

"There are still some judges who care about this country," he said. "We want the Supreme Court to protect its own ruling and stop this bad law."

The Opposition caucus includes members from the National Unity Platform (NUP), Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), Democratic Party (DP), and others. They say both laws weaken democracy and hurt the rule of law in Uganda.

An official from the Leader of Opposition’s office said that 58 out of 109 opposition MPs met to plan the next steps.

They are now working with legal experts to build a strong case before heading to court. However, they have not yet said when they will file the case.

Mr. Ssenyonyi also explained why opposition MPs walked out of Parliament. He said staying in the chamber would not have changed anything, since the government had already made up its mind to pass the Bills quickly without hearing from others.

The battle is now likely to move to the courts, where the opposition hopes to stop the law from being used against civilians.