The United States Department of State has sanctioned five active and former Ugandan officials for their involvement in significant corruption and gross violations of human rights.
The officials include Speaker of Parliament Anita Annet Among, two former Ministers for Karamoja Affairs, Mary Goretti Kitutu and Agnes Nandutu, Minister of State for Finance Amos Lugolobi, and former Deputy CDF Lt. Gen. Peter Elwelu.
Matthew Miller, the spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State, said Speaker Among is designated due to her involvement in significant corruption tied to her leadership of Uganda’s Parliament.
He noted that former Ministers Kitutu, Nandutu, and Lugolobi are being designated due to their involvement in significant corruption where they misused public resources and diverted materials from Uganda’s neediest communities.
“All four officials abused their public positions for their personal benefit at the expense of Ugandans,” Miller said.
He added that Gen. Elwelu is designated due to his involvement in gross human rights violations.
“Specifically, Peter Elwelu was involved, while commanding UPDF forces, in extrajudicial killings that were committed by members of the UPDF. As a result of these actions, the designated Ugandan officials are generally ineligible for entry into the United States,” reads the statement.
The Department of State also said that the spouses of the sanctioned officials are generally ineligible for entry into the United States. They added that additional steps to impose visa restrictions on multiple Ugandan individuals are being taken under Section 212(a)(3)(C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act under the policy Secretary Blinken expanded in December 2023.
The Department 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 in Uganda.
These public sanctions are made under Section 7031(c) of the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2024 (Div. F, P.L. 118-47).
In April 2024, the United Kingdom sanctioned Speaker Among and two former ministers, Kitutu and Nandutu.
