A heated exchange erupted in Parliament after Leader of the Opposition Joel Ssenyonyi criticized security forces for allegedly violating electoral laws by destroying campaign materials of opposition presidential candidates and openly campaigning for the ruling NRM.
Ssenyonyi said it was not enough for Police and the Army to simply acknowledge the misconduct of a few officers but demanded visible and punitive action.
“Members of security forces have been captured tearing posters of nominated presidential candidates, while some have been seen campaigning for NRM candidates and decampaigning opposition candidates. It isn’t enough for the Army and Police to just say they will take action—we need to see action taken,” Ssenyonyi stated.
However, Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs Norbert Mao dismissed Ssenyonyi’s concerns, accusing him of turning Parliament into a campaign platform.
“The right honorable Leader of Opposition will never miss an opportunity to campaign, and he has used this platform to campaign. So we will first of all take his statement in the spirit of a campaign,” Mao said.
The comment sparked a strong reaction from Ssenyonyi, who demanded that Mao take the issue seriously given the legal implications of electoral interference.
“I am appalled that the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, whose docket is critical regarding the issues raised matters of law, matters of the breakage of the law chooses to trivialize them. His insinuation is that we are campaigning here. Campaigns are happening out there at rallies, not here on the floor of Parliament,” Ssenyonyi fired back.
He further condemned Mao’s remarks, insisting that Parliament was the right platform to raise such concerns officially.
“Is he in order to dismiss these serious issues by labeling them as campaign talk instead of addressing the lawlessness by men and women in uniform? He should be taking action instead of defending these acts,” he added.
Mao tasked the National Unity Platform(NUP) to bring hard evidence implication pinning the UPDF and Police officers campaigning for NRM candidates before action is taken against the culprits arguing that the Army has thousands of officers, so actions taken by the few individuals is an exception not the rule.
Ssenyonyi also called on the government to act against the Chief Administrative Officer of Adjumani District, accusing him of ordering schools to close and transporting students to attend President Museveni’s rally.
He described the move as unfair and skewed in favor of the incumbent, creating an uneven playing field for other presidential candidates.
