Ugandan Military Launches Patrols in Capital Kampala Ahead of Polls

Uganda’s military has begun patrols in the capital, Kampala, as security agencies heighten vigilance ahead of the polls on 15 January 2025, a senior army official said on Friday.

Chris Magezi, the Military Assistant to the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, said the Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces (UPDF) had deployed alongside police to deter threats of violence and reassure the public.

“UPDF patrols in Kampala have commenced today. No cause for alarm. However, we do not take threats of violence during the election period by some political actors and their supporters lightly,” Magezi wrote in a post on X.

He added that the army was working jointly with police to ensure public safety and the protection of property.

“Working alongside the police, our objective is to make sure everyone is safe and assured. Public and private property will be kept safe and secure. Cases of criminality or threats to public order will be dealt with promptly and in compliance with the laws of Uganda,” Magezi said.

Uganda’s President, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, a key contender in the presidential race, has severally assured the country of peace and security during and after elections.

Museveni is credited for presiding over uninterrupted stability in Uganda for close to forty (40) years. The freedom fighter who took charge of a ruined country in 1986 is highly billed as the anchor of peace and stability in the East African region, the Great Lakes Region and the Horn of Africa.

Ugandan troops are currently operating in jointness with DR Congo’s Army, FARDC, to eliminate negative forces and militia, including terrorist ADF and CODECO, from the Eastern part of the country led by Felix Antoine Tshisekedi.