Uganda Hits Back at U.S. Sanctions Threats, Accuses Washington of Oil-Driven Interference

Uganda’s ruling establishment has dismissed calls by the United States to sanction General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, branding Washington’s response to the 2026 General Elections as hypocritical, self-interested, and a direct assault on Uganda’s sovereignty.

Uganda’s ruling establishment has dismissed calls by the United States to sanction General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, branding Washington’s response to the 2026 General Elections as hypocritical, self-interested, and a direct assault on Uganda’s sovereignty.

The rebuke follows a statement by U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Jim Risch, who urged President Donald Trump to impose sanctions on Gen. Muhoozi over alleged human rights abuses during the just-concluded elections.

Risch also called for a reassessment of U.S.–Uganda security cooperation, citing what he described as “state-sponsored political violence.”

But, in response, Daudi Kabanda, the Secretary General of the Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU), the political pressure group led by Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, accused the United States of selectively invoking democracy while actively undermining it elsewhere.

“What’s more undermining democracy than kidnapping a democratically elected President of a sovereign country like Venezuela with impunity to steal that country’s oil resources?” Kabanda said.

“You sponsored Kyagulanyi and he has lost now twice. We know your interest in Uganda is nothing else but oil. President Museveni is supported by Ugandans to defend them and their resources. Calm down, Chief.”

Kabanda’s remarks communicate a growing view within Uganda’s political elite that Washington’s outrage is less about democracy and more about strategic and economic interests, particularly Uganda’s emerging oil sector.

The U.S. criticism came amid claims by opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi, popularly known as Bobi Wine, that armed men had attacked his home shortly after the Electoral Commission declared President Yoweri Museveni the winner.

Museveni garnered 7.9 million votes (71.65%) of the total valid votes cast securing a seventh term in office while Wine trailed with about 24%.

What’s more undermining democracy than kidnapping a democratically elected President of a sovereign country like Venezuela with impunity to steal that country’s oil resources?

Washington has pointed to election-period arrests, an internet shutdown, and reported failures of Biometric Voter Verification Kits as evidence of a flawed process. However, Ugandan authorities insist the measures were necessary to safeguard national security and public order during a tense electoral period.

Within ruling circles, Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, who is also President Yoweri Museveni’s son and Chief of Defence Forces, has emerged as the regime’s most powerful and unapologetic enforcer, widely regarded as the President’s “blue-eyed boy” and a central pillar of state power.

His combative posture, particularly online, has made him a lightning rod for international criticism but a symbol of defiance for regime loyalists.

Government insiders argue that threats of sanctions ignore Uganda’s role as a regional security anchor and amount to external pressure aimed at reshaping domestic politics.

“As partners, the U.S. cannot claim to defend democracy while attempting to dictate leadership choices to Ugandans,” a senior official said.

Uganda is increasingly willing to confront Western criticism head-on, framing it as neo-imperial interference rather than principled diplomacy especially when it comes from a country accused of bending democratic rules to protect its own global interests.