Barely 48 hours before Uganda’s presidential election, the country’s National NGO Bureau has suspended the operating licences of at least eight non-governmental organisations, including media-oriented groups.

Letters from the Bureau, which circulated online on Tuesday, stated thatvthe suspension was based on ongoing investigations into the organisations’ activities, which intelligence report suggested were harmful to Uganda’s national security.

Some of the affected organisations include African Centre for Media Excellence, Chapter Four Uganda, Alliance for Election Finance Monitoring (ACFIM), Human Rights Network for Journalists-Uganda (HRNJ-U), National NGO Forum, Centre for Constitutional Governance, African Centre for Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture Victims and the National Coalition of Human Rights Defenders, among others.

Ordering an immediate stop to their operational activities, the bureau alleged that the organisations engaged in actions that violated Section 42(d) of Uganda’s NGO Act.

The bureau directed the country’s Inspector-General of Police to enforce the suspension, urging banks to freeze the organisations’ accounts pending the conclusion of investigations.

A copy of the letter addressed to one of the groups, Chapter Four Uganda, instructed the organisation to cease operations with immediate effect, while assuring of fair hearing.

The letter stated, “The investigation will be concluded within a reasonable time, and you will be given an opportunity to be heard during the said investigations.

“The purpose of this letter, therefore, is to suspend the NGO permit of Chapter Four Uganda and direct you to cease all operations of the organisation with immediate effect.”

Expressing concern over the development and its timing, the Executive Director of the Human Rights Network for Journalists-Uganda (HRNJ-U), Robert Ssempala, said the affected organisations would cooperate with the investigation.

“We don’t know what they have against us, but we are ready to fully cooperate with the investigators. As far as I know, we have never violated our licence,” Mr Ssempala said.

Faulting the decision, the co-founder of African Centre for Media Excellence, Peter Mwesigwe, in a post on stated that the suspension of non-governmental organisations by the Yoweri Museveni-led administration was aimed at silencing public scrutiny.

“The organisation that I co-founded 15 years to champion media excellence, has joined the growing list of Ugandan NGOs suspended by the National Bureau for NGOs over engaging in “activities which are prejudicial to the security and the laws of Uganda,” Mr Mwesigwe tweeted.

“Clearly, this is part of a broader effort to silence scrutiny of public affairs as Uganda heads into general elections.”

“Now more than ever before the independent media must rise to the occasion and provide accurate and credible information about the elections, monitor official power, and the activities of other actors, and facilitate vibrant public debate. That’s what ACME has always stood for,” he added.

The latest suspension of the NGOs came ahead of the presidential and parliamentary elections scheduled for Thursday, featuring the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) and the main opposition party; National Unity Platform (NUP).