KAMPALA .
The Ugandan security agencies Friday said they are closely monitoring the activities of the main Opposition political party , National Unity Platform(NUP) and steps of the Germany Ambassador to Uganda Mathias Schauer.
In a statement dated May 23,2025 , Col. Chris Magezi, the acting Director Defence Public Information claims intelligence gathered by the Inter-Agency Security Committee chaired by the UPDF Chief of Defence Forces and composed of the Uganda Police Force, Prisons Services link both NUP and His Excellence Schauer to rebels activities which are emerging in districts of Buganda Region .
According to Col. Magezi , the security and intelligence services have over the past few months arrested and interrogated several suspects with links to organised armed rebellion, plot to bomb populated public places, and economic sabotage through the vandalism of electricity infrastructure power lines in some parts of the country especially in central Uganda.
He cites the case of extensive vandalisation of electricity infrastructure, some of the most affected districts are Wakiso, Mukono, Kayunga, Luweero, Nakaseke, Kiboga, Nakasongola, Mityana, Mubende, Mpigi, and the greater Masaka region.
“Some of the arrested suspects previously passed off as opposition political party activists especially of the National Unity Platform (NUP) party. Many have accordingly been charged in courts of law and remanded in custody pending court hearing of their cases,” the statement reads in part
Col. Magezi goes further to reveal that the security committee in its most recent seating resolved to take firm action against the ring leaders, the organisers and the funders of rebel activities which are in part designed to disrupt next year’s general elections.
“There is strong evidence tracing some of the funding and mobilisation for the negative and traitorous groups opposed to the NRM government to some accredited European diplomatic missions in Kampala.
We are particularly concerned about the illegal and clandestine activities of the German Ambassador in Uganda, His Excellency Mathias Schauer.
The intelligence services are aware about his clearly undiplomatic practices that have been taking place in different parts of the country for some time now, and which go against the spirit of the 1961 Vienna Diplomatic Conventions that regulate cordial relations between states,”the statements adds
He said the government of Uganda is following up the matter with the concerned foreign mission through the relevant diplomatic channels to address the disturbing development.
“The Uganda People’s Defence Forces and the Inter-Agency Security Committee strongly condemns foreign influence meddling in Uganda’s internal affairs and will take decisive action against those who seek to destabilise the country,” he said
By press time both NUP and the Royal Germany Embassy in Uganda had not responded to the allegations . His Excellency Mathias Schauer is apart of the delegation of European ambassadors accredited to Uganda .
On Wednesday ,these ambassadors led by the EU ambassador to Uganda, Mr Jan Sadek met Gen Caleb Akandwanaho, aka Salim Saleh, the younger brother to President Museveni in the northern city of Gulu and expressed their disappointment with the conduct of the Chief of Defense Forces and First Son ,Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba .
The ambassadors said Kainerugaba’s social media comments about Western diplomats were undermining Uganda’s international standing and bilateral relations.
According to Daily Monitor Thursday lead article , the envoys made reference to posts on Gen. Muhoozi’s social media handle in which he threatened to arrest them after they held a routine consultative meeting with top officials of NUP political party last week.
“He threatened to take us to his base,” Ambassador Sadek said.
“I think it has created also some security issues because [while] we do not expect actually the UPDF to come and kick us out of the country, we don’t know what his followers may take into their own hands, there are many aspects of this.”
added: “There is also the aspect of brutality against the Opposition, then it is the threats against us.”
The army chief has been roundly criticised for social media posts that appeared to suggest Edward ‘Eddie Mutwe’ Ssebuufu, an NUP official and aide to party leader Robert ‘Bobi Wine’ Kyagulanyi had been tortured in the army chief’s basement.
While the officials spoke at length about the political economy of the country, the diplomats also raised concerns about social media comments attributed to the army chief which they warned could undermine diplomatic relations.
In response, Gen Saleh acknowledged the social media comments by Gen Kainerugaba ,but ,according to the Daily Monitor article , he fell short of condemning them. “The CDF, that guy is a funny man because he is the only CDF who didn’t come from Uganda Army, [Uganda National Liberation Army], [National Resistance Army], so for him he is a product of UPDF, an army which was created after 1995,” Gen Saleh said.
“So those guys are crazy they have got their own (ways of doing things), because they are educated, they are very well trained, and so I don’t know what he is…”
After the EU envoys warned that the social media posts could radicalise opposition-leaning youths ahead of the Gen Saleh promised to intervene and pointed out that Gen Muhoozi had also attacked other government institutions like the Uganda Human Rights Commission for questioning him over illegal arrests, detention and torture of opposition supporters.
Gen Saleh, who is Gen Muhoozi’s uncle, and a former army commander himself, did not specify what action he would take against the CDF.
“He is a new type of…..he is a Gen-Z I think, that one we have already tried, he even attacked the Human Rights Commission, but it is not a big issue really because for him he is outside us, you know there was the Kings African Rifle, then Uganda Army then UNLA then NRA and now UPDF,” he said.