Matembe Says Museveni Government Has ‘Silently Overthrown’ Uganda Constitution

What the report says

Former Ethics and Integrity minister Miria Matembe has accused President Yoweri Museveni’s government of eroding Uganda’s constitutional order through human rights abuses, political arrests and what she described as the misuse of state institutions. Speaking publicly for the first time since her arrest and detention in June, Matembe made the remarks on Wednesday, according to Nile Post, in a speech that focused on constitutionalism, judicial independence and opposition rights.

Matembe, who helped in the process that produced the 1995 Constitution, said her own arrest strengthened her belief that the system was being undermined. She said opposition figures and activists, including Dr Kizza Besigye, Erias Lukwago, Muwanga Kivumbi, Olivia Lutaaya, Waiswa Mufumbiro and Sam Mugumya, were examples of what she called government excesses. She also said the courts had been turned into instruments of oppression, while questioning the independence of the Judiciary.

The former minister said she was arrested after an alleged security raid on her home in Luzira on June 24, followed by detention on June 28. Nile Post reported that the allegations about her treatment have not been independently verified. She said the experience left her unwilling to stay silent and called for broader public resistance to injustice.

Matembe urged political parties to pursue national dialogue to address political tensions, arrests and human rights concerns. Her comments come amid ongoing friction between the government and opposition-aligned figures in Uganda, making her criticism notable given her past service in Museveni’s administration and her role in the constitutional process.