Nairobi — Chairman of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Jim Risch, has called for sanctions to be imposed on Uganda's Chief of Defence Forces, General Muhoozi Kainerugaba.
In a statement following the recently concluded Ugandan general election, which handed President Yoweri Museveni a seventh term in office, Risch urged the Trump administration to reassess the US security relationship with Uganda, "beginning with a review of whether sanctions are warranted against specific actors, including General Muhoozi Kainerugaba."
"Uganda is a key regional security partner to the United States," Risch said. "Yet its ruling regime prioritises domestic control through political violence, abductions, imprisonment, intimidation of opponents, and the misuse of state resources to maintain its grip on power."
The US senator accused the Ugandan government of contributing to instability beyond its borders, including alleged involvement in South Sudan.
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"Uganda is also linked to destabilising regional activities, making the regime an increasingly problematic exporter of instability," he added.
Risch warned that trends being witnessed in Uganda and Tanzania should serve as an alarming indicator for electoral processes in countries preparing for elections, including Kenya and Ethiopia.
"Tanzania and Uganda are moving along similar paths, raising serious concerns about what this portends for other countries with upcoming elections, including Ethiopia and Kenya," he stated.
He cautioned that political repression in Uganda and Tanzania is undermining President Trump's efforts to expand trade and security cooperation in the East African region.
"I applaud how the Trump administration is pursuing commercial and security gains in the region, but I'm concerned this will become increasingly difficult given the current trajectory," Risch said.
