U.S. imposes sanctions on top Ugandan officials over corruption, rights abuses

ZIMSPHERE

THE United States has imposed sanctions on five senior Ugandan officials, including the speaker of parliament, over accusations of involvement in corruption and human rights abuses, the State Department said on Thursday.

Uganda's Speaker Anita Annet Among in Kampala, Uganda, May 2, 2023 [Image: VOA]

The sanctions target parliament speaker Anita Among, former Karamoja Affairs ministers Mary Goretti Kitutu and Agnes Nandutu, and former state minister for finance Amos Lugolobi, the department said in a statement.

The officials are accused of "significant corruption" and misusing public resources at the expense of Uganda's "neediest communities," according to State Department spokesman Matthew Miller.

Additionally, former Deputy Chief of the Ugandan Peoples' Defence Forces Peter Elwelu was designated due to his involvement in extrajudicial killings committed by UPDF members under his command.

The U.S. is also taking steps to impose visa restrictions on multiple other Ugandan officials for undermining the democratic process and repressing members of marginalized or vulnerable populations, the statement said.

"The United States stands with Ugandans advocating for democratic principles, a government that delivers for all its citizens, and accountability for actions committed by those who abuse their position through corruption and gross violations of human rights," Miller said.

The designations are made under the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2024, and the Immigration and Nationality Act.

The sanctioned individuals and their spouses are generally ineligible for entry into the United States.