Police summon NUP over school of leadership activities

The party confirmed its team would attend the meeting but said it hoped that this is not an attempt by police to block and frustrate its activities.

The Police has invited the National Unity Platform (NUP) leadership for a meeting to unravel the activities of the opposition-run leadership school.

This comes days after NUP opened the school at its old headquarters in Kamwokya.

In a letter dated June 28 addressed to the NUP secretary general, Police asked the party leadership to meet with its Director of Human Resource Development and Training on Thursday morning at the police headquarters to ascertain the status of the school, content taught and facilitators.

"It is in the best interest of the Uganda Police to ascertain the status of the school, content taught and facilitators. You should not exceed three persons in the meeting," the letter by SCP Moses Kafeero on behalf of the IGP reads in part.

NUP responds

On Wednesday, the main opposition party confirmed its team would attend the meeting but said it hoped that this is not an attempt by police to block and frustrate its activities.

The party accused police of double standards, questioning why the force has not previously picked interest in the trainings of other political parties.

"All political parties in Uganda have always undertaken training of their leaders and members and we have not seen the police pick similar interest in their activities," NUP said on Wednesday.

"The NRM has been having what they call ideology clinics. The FDC recently launched a Leadership academy

"Other parties have always undertaken training including ourselves. We have been training our leaders ever since we started- except that now, our School of Leadership has centralised these trainings," the party added.

Meanwhile, NUP said its training courses focus on the party's values, principles and goals, further clarifying that it does not offer a certificate programme leading to a degree as purported.

According to NUP secretary general, David Rubongoya, it should not be the business of Uganda Police to regulate lawful, internal activities of political parties, such as its school of leadership.

"Hopefully, before long, they won't say NUP is training rebels or involved in subversive activities! One wonders what the director for training in Police has to do with a leadership school of a political party! We've not seen them pick interest in the trainings of other parties," he stated on his X platform.

Worth noting is that the orientation for the first cohort of the party's learners at the leadership school started Tuesday last week.

According to the party, participants undergoing orientation include those in the informal sector, professionals and elected leaders.

The party further says that under its Level 1 classification, the participants will be introduced to foundational modules which include the Philosophy of NUP (Values, Principles and Gender Mainstreaming); the Constitutional and Political History of Uganda (1894 to Present).