PLU Announces Mass Protest at Turkish Embassy in Kampala

The Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU) has announced a mass demonstration at the Turkish Embassy in Kampala this Friday, June 19.

The planned protest follows demands made by the Chief of Defence Forces, Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba. Gen. Kainerugaba has demanded $1 billion from Ankara as a "security dividend" for Uganda’s two-decade military role in fighting Al-Shabaab militants in Somalia under African Union peacekeeping missions.

It is believed that Turkey is unfairly reaping economic benefits from regional stabilization efforts paid for with Ugandan blood.

For nearly two decades, the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) have borne the heaviest burden, sustaining casualties while fighting Al-Shabaab militants under African Union peacekeeping missions.

Observers say that while Uganda carries the security weight, Turkey has quietly moved in to sign lucrative, billion-dollar commercial, port, and infrastructure deals in Mogadishu without recognizing or compensating Uganda’s foundational role.

Additionally, Turkey continues to harbor Fred Lumbuye, an anti-government Ugandan blogger who has used his platform to broadcast criticisms of President Yoweri Museveni’s administration. The Ugandan security establishment has repeatedly pushed for his extradition, but Turkish authorities have persistently refused to hand him over to Kampala for trial.


In fact, Gen. Kainerugaba has publicly labeled the Turkish Ambassador in Kampala "extremely useless" for failing to produce the dissident.

PLU Directive

In an internal directive, outgoing PLU Secretary-General Daudi Kabanda informed all appointed leaders and Central Committee members to attend the demonstration.

Kabanda had previously warned that any official who fails to show up will be treated as having resigned from their position.

Initially, the demonstration was briefly thrown into uncertainty following a temporary suspension by the PLU Chairman. 

However, organizers confirm the march is back on after security services received clear instructions to allow the event to proceed safely.

Security is expected to be tightly deployed around Prince Charles Drive in Kololo, where the Turkish Embassy is located.

Relatedly, Gen. Kainerugaba also announced that the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) project—which was set to be constructed by a Turkish company—will be built by another firm instead.
“We have cancelled the contract with the Turkish company to build the SGR. We will get another one that is more worthy of our country!” Gen. Kainerugaba posted on X.