Three months after Uganda’s general elections on 15 January 2026, no security officer has been held accountable for documented abuses, Amnesty International reported. Between 15 and 18 January, the Ugandan People’s Defence Forces and Uganda Police Force likely killed at least 16 people across the country using unlawful force, according to Amnesty, which interviewed 48 people across 12 districts and regions between 5 January and 21 March. Postmortem reports confirmed gunshot injuries in at least six documented cases.

Among the most serious incidents, army officers stormed the home of opposition MP Mwanga Kivumbi in Butambala on election night and killed at least seven people gathered there to process results forms. Authorities attributed the deaths to an alleged attack on a nearby police station; witnesses told Amnesty that none of those killed was armed. In Rubaga, Victoria Ndagire, 33, was shot in the back of the head while walking home after voting.

Amnesty documented 17 cases of arbitrary arrest and received testimony about a further 12. Seven individuals were held incommunicado for between three days and three weeks. At least three were held at an unknown facility believed to be run by the military. Senior National Unity Platform officials, including Jolly Jacklyn Tukamushaba, Lina Zedriga and Bright Muhumuza, were arrested between 12 and 15 January and held without legal representation until charged in various courts on 6 February. Twelve people reported being beaten with wires, sticks and batons, or subjected to other forms of torture. The elections were preceded by a nationwide internet shutdown imposed two days beforehand.

Source: Amnesty International, 29 April 2026