BY F MALE: A newly commissioned report by the Human Rights and Peace Center (HURIPEC) at the School of Law in Makerere University has revealed that this practice undermines human development in those sectors.
The study, conducted together with the Center for Resolution of International Conflicts (CRIC) in the Department of Political Science at the University of Copenhagen, intended to explore the nature and extent of militarization in selected sectors and institutions in Uganda and how the process impacts government development agendas, possibilities for oversight, institutional capacities and independence, and the country’s political and human rights dynamics.
According to the report, though the militarization agenda is partly driven by the ambition for economic growth to propel the country to middle-income status and has been credited for some sector growth, it has also affected human development.
“The study’s findings indicate that while the UPDF’s intervention has been credited for growth in some development sectors, central tenets of human development have also been greatly undermined in the same sectors. The militarization agenda in Uganda is partly driven by an ambition for economic growth to propel the country to middle-income status,” reads part of the report.
The effects on human development, the report says, have been caused due to the top-down approach, which is modeled on military practices where decision-making is based on hierarchies of command, control, and order. This has disrupted the civic approaches, which are the fundamentals of the country’s constitution and necessary for inclusive and sustainable development.
At the launch of the report, Dr. Zahara Nampewo, the deputy principal of the Makerere School of Law, who was one of the researchers, pointed out that the study was prompted by the fact of under exploration of militarization of sectors across the world.
“We were prompted to undertake this study because militarization, although globally growing and not a new phenomenon, is under-explored especially in Uganda, and exactly for its impact on peace, human rights, and institutional capacity,” she said.
She adds that the study that took three years and covered the entire country employed a multidisciplinary approach. The research conceptualized militarization as the enlargement of the military establishment within society through increased military spending, bigger budgets, higher numbers of armed forces, as well as enhanced processes of fostering military values in civilian affairs, and this is done under different models, in the sectors of land, Fisheries, natural resources, and Industries.
“Gradually we see military priorities and influences slowly becoming accepted, normalized, and even prioritized in civilian affairs, and this has resulted in the use of firearms and physical force over other forms of human interaction as a means to resolve differences,” she explained.
According to the report, Communities interviewed during the study reported significant losses in livelihoods, individual liberties, and welfare upon military intervention in local economies. Moreover, the militarization agenda prioritizes “big capital” growth over sustainable development, often neglecting the needs of indigenous minorities and local communities. The report offers a series of recommendations, including re-evaluating the military’s role in agricultural development, conducting socio-economic impact assessments before military deployments, and ensuring fair revenue distribution from mineral extraction projects to benefit local communities. Additionally, it calls for legal challenges to presidential directives granting construction awards to the military, as well as a national dialogue to regulate the relationship between the military and civilian sectors for better outcomes in policing, democracy, and sustainable development.
In conclusion, the report underscores the urgent need for a comprehensive regulatory framework to govern the military’s involvement in civilian activities, safeguarding human rights, democratic principles, and sustainable development in Uganda. Civil society, policymakers, and stakeholders are urged to collaborate in addressing the pervasive impact of militarization across all sectors of Ugandan society.