President Yoweri Museveni has commended Members of Parliament for passing the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) Amendment Bill, 2025.
On Tuesday, Parliament passed the bill, which seeks to revise military laws in response to a Supreme Court ruling from January 2025 that prohibited the trial of civilians in military courts. The legislation also introduces major reforms to the UPDF, including the establishment of new service branches and improvements to military welfare.
In her ruling, Justice Catherine Bamugemereire declared that the military tribunal lacked the constitutional mandate to try civilians, arguing that its structure and procedures violated the principles of fairness and impartiality enshrined in Uganda’s Constitution.
The bill’s passage followed intense debate, culminating in a walkout by opposition MPs led by Leader of the Opposition Joel Ssenyonyi who claimed that the legislation had not followed proper parliamentary procedures.
Key reforms in the bill include: Improved healthcare services for military personnel;Transferring the Pension Authority from the Ministry of Public Service to the Ministry of Defence and Veteran Affairs and Enhanced disability compensation for both officers and enlisted personnel.
Judicial reforms, including renaming the Unit Disciplinary Committee to the Unit Court Martial and disbanding the Court Martial Appeals Court. The military justice system will now be organized into three tiers: the Unit Court Martial, the Division Court Martial, and the General Court Martial.
“I want to congratulate MPs for passing the UPDF Amendment Bill. There was going to be a serious problem because some people were saying that if a soldier commits a crime such as murder, theft, or rape they should be tried in civilian courts instead of the court martial. Those involved must repent. Parliament has saved us from a potential collision between the army, Parliament, and the courts of law,” President Museveni said.
He added, “When we came from the bush, we decided that even a civilian who uses a gun to commit a crime would be charged in military courts. It is because of this strong resolve and practicing what I call clean politics since 1986 that Uganda has remained peaceful and is now focused on wealth creation.”
