National • 26 January 2026

Gen Muhoozi Warns of Reciprocal Sanctions as U.S. Lawmakers Question Uganda Polls

Uganda’s Chief of Defence Forces Muhoozi Kainerugaba has warned that Uganda could retaliate against any U.S. sanctions imposed on him or the country, escalating diplomatic tensions after senior American lawmakers questioned the credibility of Uganda’s recent elections.

In a series of posts on X late Sunday, Muhoozi said that if “spoilers in the USA” sanctioned him or Uganda, the country would “respond by sanctioning them too,” adding that while Uganda seeks peace, it retains the capacity to “defeat any invader.”

The comments followed growing scrutiny in Washington over Kampala’s electoral process and human rights record.

The warning came days after Jim Risch, chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued a sharply worded statement describing Uganda’s elections as a “hollow exercise” and urging the U.S. administration to reassess its security relationship with Kampala.

Risch said Washington should review whether sanctions are warranted against specific actors, explicitly naming Muhoozi.

Risch argued that while Uganda remains a key regional security partner, its leadership prioritizes domestic control through political violence, intimidation of opponents and the misuse of state resources, and accused Kampala of contributing to instability in neighboring South Sudan.

He warned that Uganda and Tanzania were moving along “similar paths,” raising concerns for other countries with upcoming elections in the region.

Muhoozi’s remarks marked his most direct response yet to the threat of targeted sanctions, framing the issue as one of sovereignty and reciprocity rather than compliance with Western pressure.

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His comments also underscored a growing willingness among senior Ugandan officials to publicly push back against U.S. criticism.

Uganda’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Adonia Ayebare sought to strike a more conciliatory tone, saying no external actor could impose sanctions on Muhoozi and stressing that relations between Kampala and Washington remain “strong and mutually beneficial.”

Ayebare said the two countries share long-standing cooperation on regional security and commercial interests.

The exchange highlights a widening rift between Uganda and parts of the U.S. political establishment at a time when Washington is recalibrating its Africa policy under renewed scrutiny of governance and democratic standards.

While no sanctions have yet been announced, analysts say the public back-and-forth raises the stakes and could complicate military and diplomatic engagement if the rhetoric hardens into policy.

The United States has previously imposed targeted sanctions on Ugandan officials over alleged human rights abuses, using tools such as the Global Magnitsky Act to penalize individuals accused of serious violations.

In 2021, the U.S. Treasury sanctioned Abel Kandiho, the former head of military intelligence, accusing him of involvement in grave abuses including torture, while visa restrictions and other punitive measures have at different times affected senior security and police figures linked to election-related violence and repression

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