NUP Blasts Police over Party HQs Blockade Ahead of Youth Campaign Launch

The National Unity Platform (NUP) has strongly condemned the security forces for blocking access to its headquarters in Makerere on Monday, thereby halting the planned launch of its youth mobilization campaign on Monday.

The campaign, dubbed the Youth Protest Vote Campaign, was intended to encourage youth participation in upcoming elections. NUP officials described the initiative as a peaceful effort to mobilize young Ugandans for political engagement.

However, police released a statement early Monday warning that the event would not be allowed to proceed. “The police have taken note of an announcement regarding the planned launch of the Youth Protest Vote, scheduled for Monday, April 28, 2025, at NUP headquarters. The police hereby notify the organizers and all concerned parties that the proposed launch and any associated activities will not be permitted,” the statement read.

Police spokesperson Kituuma Rusoke cited concerns over public order as the basis for their decision. “The police disagree with the NUP’s Youth Protest Vote Campaign, and due to this disagreement, we have decided not to allow it to happen in the interest of public order. That’s our position as the police. There are always avenues for engagement between parties and security agencies,” Kituuma said.

But the Leader of Opposition in Parliament, Joel Ssenyonyi, criticized the move, accusing the police of acting unlawfully to curtail the activities of a registered political party. He noted that the campaign was in line with the Electoral Commission’s recently released roadmap for youth elections.

“This was just a mobilization campaign for the upcoming youth elections, nothing more,” Ssenyonyi said. 

“We’re puzzled why the police are feigning ignorance, citing the Public Order Management Act, when these are internal party meetings that don’t require police notification.” Kawempe Division Mayor Emmanuel Sserunjogi, who was among those blocked from attending the launch, called on the Electoral Commission to explain why a political party was being hindered from executing its legal functions.

Sserunjogi and other NUP leaders accused the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) of using state security organs to frustrate opposition efforts and suppress dissent.

This incident adds to a growing list of clashes between police and the NUP, with previous events—rallies, meetings, and processions—blocked under the pretext of maintaining public order.