By Spy Uganda
The U.S. Department of State announced on Wednesday that it has imposed travel sanctions on four officers of the Uganda Police Force (UPF) due to allegations of gross human rights violations, including torture and cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment.
State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller named the individuals as Bob Kagarura, the former Wamala Regional Police Commander; Alex Mwine, the former District Police Commander of Mitanya District; Elly Womanya, who was a Senior Commissioner and Deputy Director of UPF’s Criminal Investigations Division (CID) overseeing the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) at the time of the violations; and Hamdani Twesigye, who previously served as Deputy Inspector of Police assigned to the SIU.
“As a result of this action, Kagarura, Mwine, Womanya, Twesigye, and their immediate family members are now generally barred from entering the United States,” the statement said.
The four officers are accused of being involved in serious and credible human rights abuses, as documented by Ugandan civil court records, civil society organizations, and independent journalists. Some of the officers have since retired or been reassigned to new roles. The statement did not specify when the alleged violations took place.
These sanctions are part of a broader trend of actions taken against Ugandan officials, including members of the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) and Uganda Prisons Service, who have been hit with visa bans and financial sanctions for alleged human rights violations and economic crimes.
The list includes former Inspector General of Police Gen Kale Kayihura, Maj-Gen Abel Kanduho, former head of the Chieftaincy of Military Police, and Johnson Byabashaija, the current Commissioner-General of Uganda Prisons Service.
The U.S. emphasized that by publicly naming these individuals, it reaffirms its commitment to upholding the human rights of all Ugandans and promoting accountability for those responsible for abuses.
These sanctions are made under Section 7031(c) of the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2024.
