{UAH} US ‘denies’ SFC boss visa, blacklists Kagingo, army chiefs

The US embassy in Kampala has not yet approved a visa for Special Forces Command [SFC] deputy commander, Col Muzeeyi Sabiti.

Sabiti is expected to travel to Fort Leavenworth military academy [the US Army Command and General Staff College] in Kansas for further training.

While Sabiti was replaced by Col Don Nabasa so he could go for further studies a month ago, the latest indicates that the elite President Yoweri Museveni's guard is still in the country "idling about".

There are reports that Sabiti was actually denied a visa following the elite guards involvement in harassing opposition leaders during and after 2016 general elections.

Speaking on the visa saga, the US embassy in Kampala said "visa records are confidential, so we cannot discuss details of any one particular case".

By the time of posting this story, SFC spokesperson Maj Chris Magezi was also still unavailable for a clarification.

However, over the weekend, Magezi told us Sabiti was due to leave the country anytime, without specifying when.

Sour ties  

Since the February elections which were described by many as flawed, the relationship between Uganda and one of her donors US has not been the best per se.

In April, the US Mission withheld Prime Minister Ruhakana Rugunda's visa who was due to attend a UN conference.

A week later, Rugunda was forced to go direct to the Embassy to find out why his passport was held.

The visa impasse resulted from government's treatment of former presidential candidate Kizza Besigye.

At the close of last week, government banned defiance campaign activities attracting condemnation from the US embassy in Kampala.

US ambassador to Uganda Deborah Malac castigated Museveni's government for trampling upon the rights and freedoms of Ugandans.

Touched, Museveni quickly summoned Malac to State House Entebbe for closed-door talks.

According to Uganda's former ambassador to the United States, Edith Sempala, the ties between Museveni and Washington are hanging on a thread and will worsen by and by.

Sarah Kagingo blacklisted

The strained relations between the two governments are stretching further to individuals within the ruling regime.

As we gathered, Sarah Kagingo, Museveni's former Special Presidential Assistant for Communications, has also been blacklisted by US.

Kagingo was blacklisted after it emerged that she had participated in December 2015 Ntungamo election violence.

The ugly episodes saw former Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi's supporters beat up supporters of President Yoweri Museveni.

Kagingo was reportedly seen in the area that weekend distributing money to supporters, a charge she denied and threatened to sue a leading daily newspaper for running a story in that direction.

Kagingo who runs a communications consultancy firm still does Museveni PR and digital diplomacy.

Brig Kyanda blacklisted

Meanwhile, the US also reportedly blacklisted Lt Gen Henry Tumukunde, Inspector General of Police Gen Kale Kayihura and UPDF chief of staff Brig Leopold Kyanda.

In April 2015, the American government banned Kyanda from travelling to US to participate in American military activities over alleged human rights abuses.

Brig Kyanda was last sent to America as a military attaché after a two-year stint as Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence [CMI] in 2008.

In April last year, Kyanda was scheduled to attend a military workshop in Nairobi sponsored by American government only to be blocked on account of a poor human rights record.

While serving CMI boss between 2005 and 2008, Kyanda reportedly run safe houses aka torture chambers in Kololo and Muyenga, Kampala suburbs.

Other soldiers accused of the same crimes include; Col. Herbert Mbonye, the current deputy CMI boss, Lt .Col. Sande, former Joint Anti-Terrorism Task Force (JAT) boss, Maj. Asiimwe and Maj. Mugarura.

Kyanda also allegedly commanded operations that saw UPDF soldiers actively engage in partisan politics during the 2016 elections.

Led by the elite Special Forces commanded by first son Brig Muhoozi Kainerugaba, UPDF was involved in the shooting and arresting of opposition members across the country.

The soldiers shot 10 opposition supporters in Masindi and Wakiso districts during local council elections.

SFC soldiers also shot two opposition supporters in the leg and lower abdomen at Katabi Polling Station in Entebbe Municipality.

In Mid-February 2016, SFC soldiers arrested and beat up Democratic Party youth in Entebbe municipality.

Still during parliamentary elections, regular UPDF and the police raided and placed former Western Youth Member of Parliament Gerald Karuhanga's home under military siege.

Generals Tumukunde, Kayihura blacklisted

General Tumukunde appeared in several incidents connected to election violence and fraud.

He landed a chopper at Boma grounds in Fort Portal where candidate Mbabazi had a rally and reportedly tried to bribe supporters.

The General was accused of doing the same in several other towns on top of allegedly staging youth to attack the home of Mbabazi in Kololo, Kampala.

Tumukunde was cited in most electoral offences that Mbabazi highlighted in his election petition challenging Museveni's victory.

Kale Kayihura, on the other hand, commands the police force that has been severally accused of going partisan and harassing opposition to the benefit of the ruling party.

Election observers all pointed to high handedness of the police force before, during and after general elections, saying the curtailing of opposition gave Museveni an upper hand over his rivals.

Kayihura is also accused of ordering the house arrest of Kizza Besigye [twice] and preventing him from challenging Museveni in courts of law.

Last month, a section of Ugandans living in diaspora petitioned European Union (EU) to impose sanctions against Museveni saying his government is 'dictatorial' and violates of human rights of Ugandans.

According to the letter written to the Vice President of the European Commission Ms Federica Mogherini, the petitioners want President Museveni with his entire cabinet, top Electoral Commission (EC) officials and key army officers to be banned from travelling to Europe.

The petitioners accuse EC and army officers of rigging for Museveni to extend his 30-year-old rule for another five-year term of office.

The called for seizure of bank accounts of the accused in Europe and blockage of sale, supply, transfer or export of arms and related material of all types, including weapons and ammunition, military vehicles and equipment, paramilitary equipment as well as equipment which might be used for internal repression in Uganda.

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