The Uganda Law Society (ULS) has strongly condemned the Uganda Police Force (UPF) following the deployment of police dogs and heightened security at the National Unity Platform (NUP) presidential campaign rally in Kawempe on November 24, 2025.
In a public statement, the ULS expressed “deep concern” over media reports and video footage showing the use of police dogs alongside tear gas, violent dispersals, and forceful arrests of civilians.
“ULS condemns, in the strongest possible terms, the deployment of police dogs at political campaigns. Such actions constitute a grave breach of the citizen's right to peaceful assembly,” the statement said.
The society highlighted the historical implications of using police dogs for crowd control, noting a continuity with oppressive regimes.
The statement cited the apartheid-era South African police, who used dogs to suppress Black populations, and the US Civil Rights Movement, during which police unleashed dogs on peaceful demonstrators, including children.
“Drawing from this history, the deployment of police dogs in political rallies today reflects a continuity with colonial and apartheid-era practices in which animals were weaponized to instill fear and enforce authoritarian control,” the ULS said.
The ULS emphasized that the police Canine Unit is trained for tasks such as crime-scene investigation, explosives and narcotic detection, tracking, and search-and-rescue—not political crowd control.
“Unleashing dogs at a campaign rally is a tool of threat, fear, and force, and this must not be tolerated,” the statement added.
The society also raised concern over reports of arbitrary arrests, noting that “several innocent people, some merely using public roads around Kawempe and not participating in the campaign, were arrested.”
The ULS argued that such actions violate constitutional rights to liberty and due process and erode public trust in law enforcement.
Calls for Immediate Action
Signed by ULS Vice President Asiimwe Anthoriy, the statement concluded with three key demands:
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An immediate and unconditional halt to the use of police dogs in any political rally or campaign.
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The release of all innocent civilians arrested arbitrarily during the Kawempe events.
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Full compliance with constitutional policing standards that respect human dignity and uphold the rights of all Ugandans, regardless of political affiliation.
The ULS questioned the state’s commitment to democratic principles, stating: “If the state permits its law-enforcement agencies to unleash living creatures as instruments of political coercion, and to arrest innocent bystanders, what does it say about the rule of law in our country? Such intimidation tactics are unacceptable in a democratic state.”
The organization affirmed its readiness “to defend the right to freedom of association and peaceful assembly” and its commitment “to upholding the rule of law and protecting the rights of all citizens.”