The chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Jim Risch, is calling on President Donald Trump to impose sanctions on General Muhoozi Kainerugaba following reports of extreme violence during Uganda’s just-concluded 2026 General Elections.
Risch, in a statement released on Friday, demanded a total reassessment of security ties due to the regime’s deteriorating human rights. The calls came hours before Bobi Wine revealed that a group of masked, armed soldiers had broken into our house and beaten up his family members.
"A group of masked, armed soldiers has just broken into our house and beaten up my family members. They have currently isolated my wife, Barbie Kyagulanyi, alone. Their intentions are unclear," Bobi Wine said at around 12am on Saturday morning.
This high-level diplomatic pressure comes as the Electoral Commission of Uganda declared President Yoweri Museveni the winner with 7.9 million votes, securing a controversial seventh term in the January 15 general elections.
While Museveni officially garnered 71.65 per cent of the vote, his main challenger, Bobi Wine, trailed with 2.7 million votes amid claims of massive electoral fraud.
The U.S. remains concerned that Uganda’s instability could spill over into Kenya and Ethiopia, threatening the fragile peace within the larger East African Community bloc.
General Muhoozi sparked international outrage by claiming responsibility for killing 22 National Unity Platform (NUP) supporters, describing the opposition members as terrorists in a chilling statement.
“We will kill on sight all the NUP so-called foot soldiers. Until Mzee says otherwise,” wrote Muhoozi. Adding, "We have killed 22 NUP terrorists since last week. I'm praying the 23rd is Kabobi." Muhoozi posted, specifically targeting opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi.
Senator Risch described the election as a hollow exercise staged to legitimise Museveni’s four decades in power, mirroring recent democratic backsliding seen in neighbouring Tanzania, inasmuch as both nations are key partners of the US in the region.
“Uganda’s elections – like the recent elections in Tanzania – were a hollow exercise, staged to legitimise President Yoweri Museveni’s seventh term and four decades in power.
“But even more so than Tanzania, Uganda is a key regional security partner to the United States. Yet, its ruling regime prioritizes domestic control through political violence, abductions, imprisonment, intimidation of opponents, and the misuse of state resources to maintain its grip on power,” stated Senator Risch.
The election was marred by the arrest of 2,000 people and a nationwide internet shutdown by the Uganda Communication Commission (UCC) on January 13 that prevented independent observers from verifying the final results accurately.
Technological failures were widespread as Biometric Voter Verification Kits malfunctioned, forcing a manual process that critics argue allowed for unchecked and massive ballot stuffing.
Regional observers fear that if the U.S. withdraws security funding, the vacuum might empower extremist groups, directly impacting Kenya’s national safety and cross-border commerce.
The National Bureau for NGOs in Uganda further stifled transparency by suspending six major human rights groups and arresting prominent election monitors like Dr Sarah Bireete.
As the international community weighs its next move, the Ugandan government maintains that the measures were necessary to protect national security during the voting period. By Maxwell Amunga, Kenyans.co.ke
