Army Declares SFC will Guard Presidential Candidates

The Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) has insisted that the Special Forces Command (SFC) will guard presidential candidates. Nomination of candidates will take place on Tuesday and Wednesday. 

The EC Spokesperson, Julius Mucunguzi, said all successfully nominated presidential candidates will leave the venue with a police patrol vehicle loaded with armed police personnel for their security throughout the campaign period.

However, UPDF through Maj Gen Felix Kulayigye, who is the Defence Public Information Officer (DPIO), said presidential candidates are Very Important Persons (VIPs) who will be guarded by the SFC.

In July, the Chief of Defence Forces-CDF Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba said that all presidential candidates will be guarded by the SFC. SFC is an elite force known for guarding President Yoweri Museveni, members of the first family, and other key installations.

“I have said it once and for all, ALL Presidential Candidates will be guarded ONLY by SFC! Any personal arrangements that do not concur with our standard operating procedures (SOPs) will be smashed immediately,” Gen Muhoozi said on his X formerly Twitter account.

Elton Joseph Mabirizi, who will be nominated on Tuesday at 10 am, said he will not accept SFC because their duties are different, and he will only entrust his security to the police. 

“By the way, the law also permits us to be in charge of our security, and we have the liberty to reject those we think are not good for us. We can also hire our own security,” Mabirizi said. 

In all the previous elections, presidential candidates were guarded by the police’s Very Important Persons Protections Unit (VVIPU), which is under the directorate of Counter-Terrorism (CT), currently headed by AIGP David Wasswa.

So far, NRM’s candidate Gen Yoweri Museveni, who has been in power since 1986, FDC’s Nathan Nandala Mafabi, NUP’s Robert Ssentamu Kyagulanyi, DP’s Nobert Mao, ANT’s Gregory Mugisha Muntu are some of the prominent politicians who have returned the presidential nomination forms.

Efforts to speak to other presidential aspirants, including Robert Ssentamu Kyagulanyi alias Bobi Wine, who will be nominated on Tuesday, were futile as they did not pick up or return calls. 

Mucunguzi explained that EC is ready to cater for all the expenses for the security detail that will be provided to presidential candidates. However, the SFC has been severely accused by NUP of participating in the abductions of its supporters.

The CDF Gen Muhoozi has on several occasions posted on his X account, boasting about how some NUP members, such as Edward Ssebuwufu aka Eddy Mutwe, were in his basement being taught Runyankore by SFC.