PACK & LEAVE US ALONE: Fearless Museveni Orders Closure of UN Human Rights Office

Ugandan President Gen Yoweri Kaguta Tibuhaburwa Museveni’s directive to the UN to close its human rights Office in the East African nation is being implemented today.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk has announced that the Kampala office’s operations will end on Sunday, August 06.

Türk said his office would remain committed to working within in Uganda to fulfill its global mandate. The closure of the Kampala office came after the closure of the sub-offices in Gulu and Moroto.

This after President Museveni and his government took a decision to terminate the mandate of the High Commissioner’s Office (OHCHR) in Uganda in February 2023.

Despite condemnation from Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and human rights defenders, Museveni refused to change his mind, giving the human rights office of the UN six months to prepare their exit after nearly two decades.

“I regret that our office in Uganda had to close after 18 years, during which we were able to work closely with civil society, people from various walks of life in Uganda, as well as engaging with State institutions for the promotion and protection of the human rights of all Ugandans,” said High Commissioner Türk.

“On our part, the UN human rights office remains committed to working on human rights in Uganda, in line with my global mandate,” he added.

Established in July 2005, OHCHR’s Uganda office had offices in Gulu, Kitgum, Kotido, Lira, Pader, Soroti, with its head office in the capital Kampala.

Its initial mandate focused on the human rights situation in the conflict-affected areas of Northern and Northeastern Uganda. In 2009, the mandate was extended to cover the entire country and all human rights issues.  

The OHCHR office in Uganda was among the largest stand-alone UN human rights presences in Africa.

High Commissioner Türk was thankful for the engagement with the Government and partners, including integration of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in national planning, and the adoption of a national action plan on business and human rights.

Despite this progress, Türk was concerned about the state of human rights ahead of 2026 elections, especially in light of “an increasingly hostile environment in which human rights defenders, civil society actors and journalists are operating.”

The office was also concerned about the “chronic’ underfunding of national rights body, with Türk calling on the Government to ensure the Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC) can function effectively and independently, as the main body tasked with human rights oversight in the country.

“[The Commission], our long-standing partner in the protection and promotion of human rights in the country, is chronically under-funded and under-staffed, and reports of political interference in its mandate undermine its legitimacy, independence and impartiality,” he said.

“I urge the Ugandan government to provide the Commission with adequate human, technical and financial resources so that it may more effectively execute its important mandate.”

It should be remembered that there has been a lot of chaos at UHRC, with a well-connected commissioner threatening the boss (UHRC Chairperson) and coming to meetings with pistols.(See Details Here).

The other issue of concern to the UN Human Rights Office and other UN human rights mechanisms like the Committee against Torture and the Human Rights Committee was the enactment of the Anti-Homosexuality Act in May 2023.

President Museveni has said he was ready for war with the whites and other Western powers who wanted to force homosexuality on Ugandans. Museveni even revealed what he would do if the US government stopped buying ARVs for Ugandan HIV/AIDS patients and cuts other forms of aid. (See Details Here, There and Over There).

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