Manipulated: The Ministry of Defence and Veteran Affairs and UPDF Did Not Term NUP A Rebel Outfit
The letter, purportedly from the Ministry of Defence and Veteran Affairs and the Uganda People’s Defence Force, was shared on various social media platforms, claiming that the National Platform has been designated as a rebel outfit and is closed.
On TikTok, the post got over 4,257 likes, 920 shares, 400 bookmarks, and 480 comments. And on X, the claim registered 53 reposts, 257 likes, and 21 bookmarks.
UPDATE: I have seen this document from UPDF circulating online regarding the abduction of NUP leaders.@ChrisOMagezi is this true😳 pic.twitter.com/kMxFbPPuIm
— Human Rights Platform (@Humanrights256) January 25, 2026
Facts
The letter appears to be true, because of the features of the headed paper, but there are giveaway components that we identified; the word “free Uganda now” raises questions because it appears to be part of the letter, but official letters from the ministry do not contain such words.
We checked the UPDF’s official X accounts and found no posts related to the subject of the letter or the letter itself.
However, when we checked the UPDF website, we landed on a press statement dated December 14, 2025, with identical reference numbers: UPDF/DDPI/83A titled “Ongoing Criminal Investigations Against Rev. Fr. Deusdedit Ssekabira.”
We analysed by comparing the two letters, the original letter (right) and the one in the claim (left). Everything up until the reference number looks the same.
The subject and date changes, from a press statement on the subject of an investigation into Rev. Fr. Deusdedit Ssekabira’s situation in Masaka, to an interpretation of NUP being labelled a rebel group.
Whereas the original letter’s title and body are aligned, we notice that the claims’ body is detached from the title, with very many other unrelated issues arising, from NUP being labelled a rebel group to orders of arrest of leaders of the NUP and party closure.
The letter extending to the extreme borders of the page and lastly the red, red mark (Free Uganda now) coming from the Ministry of Defence offices is rather unlikely.
This structure is all over the palace and is not indicative of a professionally drafted letter, as seen in the original.
Verdict
The letter is a manipulation of an original document by the fabrication of the body; the Ministry of Defence and Veteran Affairs, as well as the UPDF, did not designate the NUP as a rebel organisation. The original letter dealt with criminal investigations against Rev Fr Deusdedit Ssekabira, and there was no mention of the NUP or any arrests of NUP members.
This fact-check was produced by AHIMBISIBWE AMON with support from the Debunk Media Initiative and BBC Media Action.