Event Summary
On 12 January 2026, the National Bureau for Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO Bureau) in Uganda announced the suspension of Chapter Four Uganda’s operating permit, a prominent human rights organization. The suspension is with immediate effect, and the organization has been directed to cease all operations pending investigations. The stated reason is intelligence indicating that Chapter Four Uganda is engaged in activities prejudicial to national security. The National Coalition for Human Rights Defenders and the Uganda National NGO Forum have received similar letters from the NGO Bureau suspending their operating permits.
The suspension occurs just three days before the 15 January 2026, general elections, in a highly charged pre-poll atmosphere featuring a shrinking civic space, opposition intimidation, arbitrary arrests, heavy security presence, and concerns over potential restrictions on media and internet access. Chapter Four, Uganda, has long advocated for civil liberties, legal aid, and monitoring of abuses, often facing government scrutiny. Beneficiaries, including detainees relying on legal aid, marginalized communities advocating for rights, and opposition figures seeking protection from state excesses, are left vulnerable without immediate support, potentially leading to unaddressed human rights violations during the election cycle.
The move echoes a prior pattern: in August 2021, shortly after the previous elections, the NGO Bureau indefinitely suspended Chapter Four along with 53 other organizations for alleged non-compliance issues like expired permits and failure to file returns. Similar actions over the past year include the November suspension of the German-funded Strengthening Governance and Civil Society Programme (GCSP) amid allegations of subversive activities and violations of foreign funding directives, which disrupted numerous CSOs reliant on its support.
The current action, coming amid heightened electoral tensions and historical precedents of targeting critical civil society voices, has sparked shock across Uganda’s civil society community and raised questions about its implications for independent monitoring and freedoms during this pivotal period.