Government spokesperson Ofwono Opondo and outgoing UPDF MP Brig Felix Kulaigye say some elements in the US were pushing for regime change in Uganda, but should tell their ‘surrogate’ to accept defeat, and that Washington had no moral authority to lecture Kampala on human rights and democracy.
On April 16 US secretary of state Antony Blinken announced visa restrictions against Ugandans he didn’t name for reportedly interfering in the 2021 elections and undermining democracy.
But according to both Kulaigye and Opondo, the US is upset that their surrogate lost to Museveni.
Although they didn’t mention names, it is understood that Bobi Wine has allies in the US Senate and Congress, as well as several lobbyists pushing for regime change in Kampala.
“We know who we are, and we know that when we error, we are punished but we are also aware that certain elements have wanted to cause regime change in this country,” said Kulaigye during an April 19 morning show
In a media interview a day earlier, Opondo had advised the US to admit that their opposition ‘surro lost and he should move on.
He went on to tell off the US as being on record for holding “worse elections than Uganda” and, therefore, having no moral authority to lecture Uganda on electoral democracy.
In the 2020 US election, President Donald Trump complained that his votes had been rigged, using tallying software, in favour of Joe Biden.
Trump also faced gagging from the main stream and social media, with posts on his accounts subjected to biased fact checks and suspended at some point.
For Kulaigye, the US has a lot to sort out at home regarding human rights and should not be poking their noses in human rights issues of other sovereign states.
“Does the US have the moral authority to talk about human rights? Just last week, they voted no to a resolution that was seeking to declare racism a violation of human rights,” he said.
“They voted no, not even abstaining, yet we all know how many blacks have been killed there on the streets.”
He added that Kampala was still able to handle her issues.
“If certain individuals violate the rights of Ugandans, it is our responsibility as concerned institutions to take action,” Kulaigye continued.
“We have not lost cognizance of the fact that there were human rights violations.”
