President Museveni presiding over the passing of SFC soldiers
All presidential candidates in the forthcoming 2026 elections will be guarded by the Special Forces Command (SFC), the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) has reiterated.
According to Electoral Commission (EC) spokesperson Julius Mucunguzi, the nomination of candidates will take place on Tuesday and Wednesday next week. He explained that once successfully nominated, each presidential candidate will immediately be assigned a police patrol vehicle with armed personnel to provide security throughout the campaign period.
“As soon as an aspirant is nominated as a candidate, they are handed a vehicle with a security detail. They leave the venue with security,” Mucunguzi said.
However, the UPDF maintains that presidential candidates, as Very Important Persons (VIPs), fall under the direct protection of the SFC.
“The Electoral Commission is mandated to provide police security. The SFC is mandated to provide security to VIPs. Every presidential candidate is a VIP,” said Maj Gen Felix Kulayigye, the Defence Public Information Officer.
The debate over security arrangements follows comments by Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, who declared earlier in July this year that only the SFC would guard presidential candidates.
“I have said it once and for all, ALL Presidential Candidates will be guarded ONLY by SFC! Any personal arrangements that do not concur with our standard operating procedures (SOPs) will be smashed immediately,” Gen Muhoozi posted on X, formerly Twitter.
However, not all aspirants are comfortable with the arrangement. Elton Joseph Mabirizi, scheduled for nomination on Tuesday at 10 a.m., rejected the SFC’s involvement.
“The law permits us to be in charge of our own security. We have the liberty to reject those we think are not suitable. We can also hire our own security. I will only accept police protection,” Mabirizi said.
In previous elections, presidential candidates were guarded by the Very Important Persons Protection Unit (VVIPU) of the police’s Counter-Terrorism Directorate, currently led by AIGP David Wasswa.
It remains unclear whether the EC and the UPDF will reconcile their positions on which force takes the lead. So far, prominent candidates who have returned nomination forms include President Yoweri Museveni (NRM), Nathan Nandala Mafabi (FDC), Robert Kyagulanyi (NUP), Nobert Mao (DP), and Gregory Mugisha Muntu (ANT).
Attempts to reach Kyagulanyi for comment were unsuccessful. When pressed on the apparent contradiction, Mucunguzi insisted there is no conflict.
“The EC doesn’t have to resolve it. The law already does. Article 212 mandates the police to provide security at all times, including during elections,” he explained, adding that the EC is ready to cover all expenses related to candidate security.
The SFC has in the past faced criticism from opposition groups, who accuse it of involvement in abductions of their supporters. Gen Muhoozi has also drawn controversy for social media posts boasting about opposition members, such as Edward Ssebuwufu (Eddy Mutwe), allegedly being held by SFC operatives.
