The Uganda People's Defence Force (Amendment) Bill, 2025, proposes to significantly expand the jurisdiction of military courts over civilians a move that threatens to upend constitutional guarantees, defy binding judicial precedent, and violate Uganda’s international human rights commitments. This legal analysis sets out ten compelling reasons why, in its current form, the Bill should not be passed.

Military courts are institutions designed to enforce discipline within the armed forces, not to adjudicate the rights and freedoms of civilian populations. Extending their reach over civilians undermines core principles of the rule of law, including the right to a fair trial before an independent and impartial judiciary, and disrupts the constitutional separation of powers. The Supreme Court of Uganda has already ruled that the blanket trial of civilians in military courts is unconstitutional, ordering the immediate cessation of such practices.

Despite this clear judicial guidance, the Bill attempts to circumvent these protections under the guise of “exceptional circumstances,” while making only superficial reforms to court structures and appeal mechanisms. This approach risks institutionalizing injustice, entrenching discrimination, and opening the door to arbitrary prosecutions.