Abstract:
Oversight of the security sector cannot remain the exclusive preserve of the government
alone without inviting potential abuse. In post-independence Uganda, the security sector
has been at the center of political instability and human rights violations. The military has
been used by various political groups to overthrow elected governments. From 1962 to 2021,
Uganda has never witnessed a peaceful handover of power from one leader to another. This
has largely been due to the intransigence of the security sector.
Consequently, the framers of the 1995 Uganda constitution provided that the security
sector shall be subordinate to civilian authority and shall observe and respect fundamental
human rights. This article articulates the various legal mechanisms at the disposal of the
Parliament of Uganda to hold the security sector players accountable. While there are many
oversight mechanisms, the human rights record of security sector institutions remains poor.
Parliament faces many obstacles in overseeing the security sector such as the securitization
of social service delivery, the privatization of security services, and the entrenched military
traditions of secrecy and loyalty to the commander-in-chief. Until democratic notions such
as executive accountability to Parliament, security sector political neutrality, and security
sector human rights observance, are enforced politically, the dividends of parliamentary
oversight of the security sector will remain low.