Kampala, Uganda – The National Resistance Movement (NRM), Uganda’s ruling party, has come out strongly to disown violent individuals seen on video assaulting and robbing civilians on the streets of Kampala over the weekend, while dressed in the party’s signature yellow t-shirts.
In a statement issued Monday, the NRM leadership condemned the actions as criminal and disgraceful, adding that the party had no links to the unruly groups wreaking havoc in the capital during what appeared to be coordinated public mobilisation activities.
“The NRM categorically distances itself from the unlawful behaviour of these individuals. Wearing party colours does not make one a member and certainly not a representative of our values,” the statement read in part.
The party has called for thorough investigations into the disturbing incidents that sparked outrage on social media, with several videos circulating of individuals in yellow shirts violently confronting pedestrians, snatching valuables, and causing panic in parts of downtown Kampala.
The NRM’s statement follows heavy public backlash and rising accusations from opposition leaders, most notably Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine, who claimed the regime is using state-backed gangs to intimidate opposition supporters and suppress political freedoms.
“This is not mobilisation. It’s terror in party colours. if these actions are not sanctioned, the party must go beyond distancing and ensure arrests are made.”
What remains unclear and hotly contested is who mobilised these individuals. While the NRM insists it had no official event in those areas at the time, critics argue that the incident reflects a pattern of militia-style street politics, often seen during tense electoral periods.
Security agencies have yet to issue a formal statement, but sources within Kampala Metropolitan Police confirm that preliminary investigations are underway to identify and apprehend the suspects seen in the viral footage.
As Uganda barrels toward the 2026 general elections, incidents like these raise concerns over the safety of political spaces, especially for opposition groups, youth movements, and the media.
Civil society organisations have called on the Electoral Commission and the Uganda Human Rights Commission to monitor political violence more closely and hold parties accountable for the behaviour of their mobilisers and supporters.
“No political colour yellow, red, or blue should be a cover for criminality,” tweeted one activist from Chapter Four Uganda.
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