As Uganda approaches the 2026 general elections, the political landscape has been marked by a significant increase in human rights violations and threats to freedoms of association, expression, and assembly. Current events exemplify this, including attacks on opposition actors and activists, abductions of opposition figures, torture, and assaults on journalists during the Kawempe by-elections, where the military abused the electoral process.

Furthermore, amendments to the Uganda People’s Defence Forces Act are likely to adversely affect human rights and curtail freedoms. Consequently, civic actors face significant risks in their responses, impacting the work of civil society.

Further complicating the work of civil society is the withdrawal of USAID, which was offering funding to civil society. The funding pause comes at a particularly challenging time, as the civil society sector is still grappling with the aftermath of the closure of the Democracy Governance Facility (DGF), a multi-donor fund that had sustained operations in the sector for nearly 12 years. The loss of DGF funding disrupted many programmes aimed at strengthening democratic institutions, promoting civic engagement, and enhancing government accountability.