KAMPALA — Uganda’s government suspended seven prominent human rights organizations six days before the January 15 presidential election, escalating a systematic crackdown on civil society amid heightened political tensions.
The National Bureau for Non-Governmental Organisations revoked the operating permits of the groups on January 9, citing vaguely worded allegations that their activities were “prejudicial to the security and laws of Uganda”—a formulation critics say masks politically motivated repression.
Among those shuttered was Chapter Four Uganda, a non-partisan legal advocacy organization known for defending marginalized communities, including LGBTQ+ Ugandans, as well as its work on criminal justice reform, gender-based violence, labor rights, and freedom of information. Also suspended were the Alliance for Election Finance Monitoring, Human Rights Network for Journalists-Uganda, the National NGO Forum, the Center for Constitutional Governance, the National Coalition of Human Rights Defenders, and the African Centre for Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture Victims.
The move drew swift international condemnation. Ikechukwu Uzoma, Senior Staff Attorney at the U.S.-based Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Center, stated: “The weaponization of vague laws and attacks on the right to freedom of association during electoral periods directly violate the right to vote. Such repressive actions undermine the integrity of elections and weaken democracy at its core.”
The suspensions coincided with other restrictive measures in the electoral period. Days before voting began, authorities imposed a nationwide internet shutdown, severely limiting information flow and digital organizing. Separately, Sarah Bireete, executive director of the now-suspended Center for Constitutional Governance, was arrested—a move that further intensified concerns about shrinking civic space.
Civil society leaders warned the coordinated actions signal a deliberate strategy to neutralize independent oversight during a contentious electoral cycle. Anthony Masake, executive director of Chapter Four Uganda, has previously described such tactics as part of a broader pattern of using administrative harassment to silence dissent.
President Yoweri Museveni was subsequently declared winner with 72 percent of the vote, while opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi (Bobi Wine) received 25 percent. Kyagulanyi rejected the results as fraudulent, alleging widespread ballot stuffing and manipulation. With election monitors, journalists, and rights defenders sidelined just before voting, independent verification of the process became significantly more difficult.
Human rights observers note that the January suspensions represent one of the most sweeping assaults on Uganda’s civil society sector in recent years—occurring at a moment when transparency and accountability were most critical to electoral legitimacy.
