U.S. Imposes Sanctions on 4 Ugandan Police Officers for Human Rights Violations

The United States announced on Wednesday the imposition of sanctions on four senior officers of the Uganda Police Force, citing their involvement in gross human rights abuses. The US Department of State named the officers as Bob Kagarura, Alex Mwine, Elly Womanya, and Hamdani Twesigye, all of whom are accused of perpetrating human rights violations.

Bob Kagarura, who served as Regional Police Commander (RPC) for the Wamala region, and Alex Mwine, District Police Commander (DPC) in Mityana during the 2021 presidential elections, were linked to the torture of opposition figures like Francis Zaake and others. Senior Commissioner of Police (SCP) Elly Womanya, who was the Commandant of the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) in Kireka, and Inspector of Police (IP) Hamdani Twesigye, an investigator at the SIU, are also implicated. The SIU was reportedly used by intelligence agencies such as the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (CMI) as an illegal detention and interrogation facility during the politically charged period surrounding the 2021 elections.

The US State Department issued a statement saying, “The reports that Kagarura, Mwine, Twesigye, and Womanya were involved in gross violations of human rights, as documented by Ugandan civil court documents, civil society organizations, and independent journalists, are serious and credible.”

As a result of these sanctions, the four officers, along with their immediate family members, have been rendered ineligible for entry into the United States. The sanctions were imposed under Section 7031(c) of the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2024. This provision allows the US government to penalize individuals involved in significant corruption or gross human rights abuses.

The statement emphasized that this move reaffirms the United States’ commitment to promoting accountability and advancing human rights in Uganda. “By publicly designating these individuals, the United States reaffirms its commitment to advancing the human rights of all Ugandans and promoting accountability for those responsible for human rights violations,” it said.

Although the statement did not detail the specific violations, it is widely known that these officers were implicated in the 2020 arrest and torture of Mityana Municipality Member of Parliament, Francis Zaake Butebi. Zaake was arrested while distributing food to his constituents during the COVID-19 lockdown, in defiance of a presidential directive banning public gatherings. He later accused police and military personnel of holding him incommunicado for 10 days, moving him between unauthorized detention facilities, and denying him access to medical care.

Following a legal challenge, the High Court in Kampala ordered the Ugandan government to compensate Zaake with 75 million Ugandan shillings for violating his rights and illegally detaining him.

This is not the first time Ugandan security officials have been sanctioned by the US for human rights abuses. In December 2021, Major Abel Kandiho, then head of the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (CMI), faced sanctions for similar abuses, including allegations of torture and sexual abuse. The US Treasury Department stated that Kandiho and other CMI officers had targeted individuals based on their political views, nationality, or criticism of the Ugandan government.

More recently, in May 2024, the US imposed sanctions on Uganda’s Speaker of Parliament, Anita Among, as well as former ministers Mary Goretti Kitutu and Agnes Nandutu, for their alleged involvement in corruption and human rights abuses. Additionally, former Deputy Chief of the Ugandan People’s Defense Forces (UPDF), Peter Elwelu, was sanctioned for his role in extrajudicial killings committed by UPDF forces under his command