The US has put sanctions on four Ugandan police chiefs over claims they violated people’s rights

On Wednesday, the US Department of State said that four officers of the Uganda Police Force (UPF) would not be able to travel because they were accused of serious violations of human rights, such as abuse and cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment.

Matthew Miller, a spokesman for the Department of State, said that the people who were named were Bob Kagarura, who used to be the commander of the Wamala Regional Police Force, and Alex Mwine, who used to be the commander of the Mitanya District Police Force. Other people on the list are Elly Womanya, who was Senior Commissioner and Deputy Director of UPF’s Criminal Investigations Division and in charge of the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) at the time of the alleged human rights violation, and Hamdani Twesigye, who used to be Deputy Inspector of Police and worked for the SIU.

The announcement said that Kagarura, Mwine, Womanya, Twesigye, and their close family members would not be able to enter the United States after today’s move.

Documents from the Ugandan civil court, civil society groups, and independent media show that Kagarura, Mwine, Twesigye, and Womanya were involved in “serious and credible” gross violations of human rights.

It’s possible that some of the cops who were named have since retired or been moved and given new jobs. It wasn’t said in the statement when the claimed human rights violations took place.

This round of sanctions adds to the growing list of people in the Ugandan government who have been hit with visa bans and financial sanctions for allegedly breaking human rights laws. These people include senior officers of the Uganda People’s Defense Forces (UPDF) and the Uganda Prisons Service.

On the list are Gen. Kale Kayihura, who used to be Inspector General of Police, Maj. Gen. Abel Kanduho, who used to be head of the Chieftaincy of Military Police, and Johnson Byabashaija, who is currently the Commissioner-General of Uganda Prisons Service.

The UK and US put Anita Among, Speaker of the Uganda Parliament, on their lists of people to watch in April and May of this year. They did this because they said they were involved in major corruption, violating human rights, and stealing from vulnerable communities.

The US says that by names these people in public, it reaffirms its resolve to protecting all Ugandans’ human rights and holding those responsible for violating those rights accountable.

Section 7031(c) of the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2024, says that these actions are legal.