Published on 12/03/2025
Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa on Tuesday blocked an attempt by opposition legislator Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda to initiate a parliamentary debate on the Uganda People’s Defense Forces (UPDF) deployment to South Sudan without parliamentary approval.
Ssemujju, Kira Municipality MP, sought to invoke Rule 64 of the 11th Parliament’s Rules of Procedure to table a motion on the matter. He argued that the deployment of UPDF commandos to Juba, South Sudan’s capital, was a constitutional violation since it lacked prior parliamentary approval, as required by law.
He requested the Speaker to adjourn the ongoing debate on the House Committee on Information, Communications Technology, and National Guidance’s report on the Uganda Communications Universal Service and Access Fund to allow discussion on the UPDF deployment.
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“I have a motion under Rule 64. The motion I have is that we adjourn consideration of this matter and discuss an issue of definite public importance. The Chief of Defense Forces (CDF), Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, has just announced that he has deployed our military to South Sudan to protect the capital. Mr. Speaker, you know such a deployment requires parliamentary approval,” Ssemujju argued.
He emphasized that the presence of the Defense Minister and UPDF representatives in the House provided an opportunity to seek an explanation for what he termed an unconstitutional deployment.
UPDF Commandos in Juba
Ssemujju cited Gen. Muhoozi’s post on X (formerly Twitter), where the CDF shared a video of UPDF commandos disembarking from an aircraft and boarding military trucks in Juba.
“UPDF Commandos arriving in Juba to support the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF) in the current crisis. Operation ‘Mlinzi wa Kimya’ has begun. God bless UPDF,” Gen. Muhoozi posted.
However, Deputy Speaker Tayebwa rejected Ssemujju’s motion, stating that it neither met the required two-hour notice before plenary nor was urgent enough to warrant immediate discussion.
“Well, interesting motion, but I don’t know whether you received this news while in the House or earlier. Rule 64(2) requires that you notify the Speaker at least two hours before plenary begins. If it is extremely urgent, the Speaker must be satisfied of its necessity. While this is indeed a critical matter, it can be discussed on another day,” Tayebwa ruled.
Ssemujju insisted that Parliament could not ignore what he described as an illegal deployment, particularly since it had financial implications that required parliamentary approval.
“I agree that I need to satisfy you, Mr. Speaker, because this is a security matter. The deployment of a national army cannot be done casually. That is why the Constitution mandates full parliamentary approval, even if the deployment is for just one hour. If you may please, at least allow the Defense Minister to provide a five-minute update, and we can discuss it further tomorrow. International media are already reporting that Uganda has deployed troops in Juba; we cannot postpone this matter indefinitely,” he added.
Defense Minister Unaware of Deployment
Defense Minister Jacob Oboth-Oboth appeared unaware of the deployment, despite the law requiring him to seek Parliament’s approval for any military engagement beyond Uganda’s borders.
“I was attentively listening to the debate when Hon. Ssemujju raised this issue. As a journalist, he may have access to certain information that I, as a lawyer, do not. Unlike journalists, I rely on formal sources of information, not social media. However, I am not aware of any official communication regarding this deployment,” Oboth said.
Erute South MP Jonathan Odur weighed in, arguing that if the UPDF had indeed been deployed without the Defense Minister’s knowledge, then the government had failed in its duty.
Quoting Section 39 of the UPDF Act, 2005, Odur questioned why troops had been deployed outside Uganda without Parliament’s approval. He challenged the minister to explain why the government had not intervened to prevent what he described as an illegality.
“If this deployment is true, it is a serious matter. The government must prove that it is in control. Under Section 39 of the UPDF Act, deployment outside the country for a peacekeeping mission requires parliamentary approval. If the CDF can deploy troops without the government’s knowledge, then the government has lost control. The minister must verify this information and report to the House because such a deployment has financial implications,” Odur said.
In response, Minister Oboth reiterated that he was not aware of the deployment but promised to verify the information.
“Unless this deployment happened while I was here, I have no knowledge of it. I will have to verify and report back to Parliament. That should provide some reassurance to my good friend from Kira Municipality,” he said.
Despite the minister’s uncertainty, Deputy Speaker Tayebwa did not set a date for his return to Parliament with a briefing on the matter. With Parliament set to go on a two-week recess after Thursday’s plenary sitting, it remains unclear when the issue will be revisited.
“Now that the minister has said he was not involved in authorizing or confirming this deployment, the matter becomes even more complicated. Hon. Minister, as Hon. Odur has stated, if you have indeed deployed troops or are planning to do so, please follow the law. Come to Parliament, update us, and seek the necessary support,” Tayebwa advised.
Crisis in Juba
Since gaining independence from Sudan in 2011, South Sudan has experienced recurring conflicts, including ethnic violence and clashes between forces loyal to President Salva Kiir and his former deputy, Dr. Riek Machar.
If the UPDF has indeed been deployed in Juba, it would not be the first time Uganda has intervened militarily to stabilize the country. Between 2013 and 2015, the UPDF was deployed in South Sudan to quell deadly clashes between government forces and rebels loyal to Machar. In 2016, Uganda again sent troops to Juba when violence flared up before a peace accord was signed.
The ongoing instability in South Sudan has contributed to a rising refugee population in Uganda, as thousands flee the persistent conflict, unsure of when lasting peace will be achieved.
