We invest in democratic processes, not political parties - US envoy

The head of Rostec, the Russian consortium that just got the oil refinery deal, has US sanctions on his head. How has this development affected your relationship with Uganda given the earlier issues you had over the anti-homosexuality law?
They have not affected our relationship overall. We recognise that Uganda as a sovereign nation has many dealings with countries around the world. These are choices that every nation has to make. When Uganda makes those choices to partner with country X or country Y, as a sovereign nation they will, off course, be cognisant of the fact that it could have implications with how they work with other nations. We are all always trading off. We deal with a wide range of countries around the world just as Uganda does.

President Obama’s policy has shifted from the traditional development aid programmes to investing in the private sector to spur growth. But how does that development trickle down to the common man in Uganda, where there is rampant corruption?
First, If I may clarify, President Obama has never stepped away from the emphasis on development. Our ultimate goal is for Uganda to be a healthy, prosperous and stable democratic nation. That will be the success for us, it’s good for Uganda, it’s good for the region and it’s good for the United States. To do that we need investment because it is the role of the private sector to create jobs and build the economy, and because of the tremendous number of young people who need to know that there is a path forward and opportunities for them.
But at the same time Usaid remains here and our development programmes are huge. Our programmes in development alone are about $550 million (about Shs1.5 trillion) a year. Our total investment in Uganda is probably close to $750 million (about Shs2.1 trillion) a year; so development goes forward.
The challenges you cite are real but can be managed and that’s through a combination of investment and development.

What are the critical sectors in private investments?
In terms of investments, certainly agriculture is more than anything else. It’s the heart and future of Uganda in many ways. Infrastructure is always important and the President always emphasizes this. Telecommunications, minerals, energy, I mean there is so much we can do on that arena. But we have to recognise that as we move forward we should not forget about the industries, we have to focus on the people, health and education.
All of it has to be done but there has to be a balance. We don’t have all the answers right, but this is the dialogue that all development partners seek to always have with the government and sort this through.

Are there any new initiatives that your government is coming up with in regard to combating HIV?
We are funding up to about $340 million (about Shs984 billion) to the area of the fight against Aids. We have some research that was done at the National Health Institute, with offices here, and a case in point is the safe male circumcision that has a relationship to spread of HIV and there is effective biometrical intervention for the diminishing impact. This initiative is now recognised and is being implemented in countries throughout Africa and around the world. The research for that is done right here in Uganda.
You may know that right now we are doing research in Ebola vaccines and we are working in partnership with Uganda. So we have been able to partner more actively here, on scientifically evaluated and assessed programmes that make sense than we have been able to do in many countries and that is a good thing.
Fighting HIV has been one of the biggest commitments of the United States. We have been funding in a more direct and concerted efforts in the past decade and are now entering the eleventh year of the PEPFAR [US President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief] programme. It is not just the money that we have spent on the PEPFAR programme, which is in billions, it’s the constant efforts to refine the efforts and focus on the impact. Last year we hit a point where we put more people on treatment than there were new infections and this is one of the critical steps as we look forward to control the epidemic.

The Ugandan government at the start of this year signed an agreement with the government of South Sudan to keep the UPDF in that country. How did your government perceive this?
Well, we are delighted the new final peace talks started again, never mind the several peace talks which end as they start.
Our concern at the moment is not as much with whether Uganda is there because they have played quite an important role -- we all know this and we appreciate. The important factor is for the parties to end this conflict, to be serious, to put national interest first and put focus on elections, power sharing and give the people of South Sudan the opportunity to live as Ugandans live.
We appreciate the government of Uganda, much as we do for all the Igad partners. They are all committed to seeing that same goal as the United States wants to see. I know that my government will advise strongly the international community through the UN and Igad leadership as well to reach out to the leaders in South Sudan that enough is enough and impose sanctions and take the steps that are necessary to force them to accept a reasonable compromise.

Your government is also a partner in peace building in Somalia, but there keeps emerging stories of corruption, misuse of supplies and army officers stealing money.
As a partner, we have certainly engaged the government on this. The important thing for us is that when we see something wrong, we take the necessary steps to correct it. Can I guarantee that there can never be any problem? Of course not. Human nature being what it is we know that people make some real bad choices. The question should not be on whether someone might steal some fuel, the question should be about what leaders or government can do to hold people accountable, to have the judicial inquiries and to make it meaningful and that is what sends a powerful signal. Yes, there have been issues but leadership has addressed the issues and we have worked together.

We are entering into the election period and your government funds the Opposition. Do you think they are ready and are you getting value for money?
I don’t see value for money because I don’t put in money. The assumption that we fund the Opposition is wrong. We work with all political parties, we work with all leadership, but rather have programmes on governance and we do such programmes to strengthen electoral processes in Uganda. We do not fund the Opposition nor the NRM.
We invest to get a strong political process in which every ones’ voice can be heard in Uganda. That is what we believe is important.
Is the Opposition ready? When I’m asked that question I usually say, ‘What do you think because it is your country. These are your political parties; these are your people that you are going to vote not me.’ About whether political parties are ready, I will let you answer with your votes.

Every time we get close to an election, we see a lot of inflation due to the monetisation of the electoral process, and we expect this to happen again. Will you look on again?
I know people look back at 2011 and think of the excessive inflation that ensued as a result of excessive monetisation of politics. I have heard this, and when you ask me that are you prepared to ‘look on again’, I will ask what role does the United States government have to play?
Again, these are issues of good governance. I have heard many leaders say, ‘We are not going to do this this year because we understood the cost last time.’ But whether that is what happens or not, in part it will depend upon the citizens of Uganda. The only extent to which we are concerned or even may get engaged , off course if the impact on the economy affects the overall prospect for development and growth or it creates problems, then as a partner that invest significantly in Uganda’s future , the concern comes to us as well.

On the issue of electoral reforms; CSOs and many Ugandan are asking for it, but government seems reluctant. What is your take on the debate and are you concerned?
As I noted earlier, the important thing for us is that there is a good, strong and fair political process. There are some programmes we are undertaking in partnership with all the parties to address the issue of electoral reforms, things that we are doing to support the capability of the Electoral Commission.
We have helped fund the dialogue that has been taking place across the country about electoral reforms, and this debate is going forward. I don’t know what the final outcomes of this process will be, but I know they have agreed on some points and I believe if we are proponents of democracy we have to let the parliamentary process work. I don’t want to prejudge where government is going to end on all this and I think it’s fair to first see how the process goes.

You recently had a travel ban on some officials in the military over human rights concerns. Can you confirm that you have blacklisted any one from travelling?
I’m not confirming that we blacklisted anyone from travelling because we put it clear months ago. We have provisions in US laws, sanctions that go hand in hand with the fundamental issues of human rights and eligibility for visa. The provisions allow us to look at individuals, their record and predetermine the visa eligibility, and as a sovereign nation we have the right to do so. But we are not going to put these people in the newspapers.
We have made those provisions clear, they have existed and were not created specific for Uganda but they reflect our deep-seated commitment to address issues of equality and democracy.

The LRA crisis tracker report released early this week shows that the rebels are still strong, contrary to what is said that the group is weakened. Do you consider sending in more troops to curtail the LRA activities?
First, the American troops are not here to curtail LRA activities. They are here to assist their partners – the African Union Regional Task Force – in which Uganda is a significant partner. We are here to assist them to hunt Joseph Kony and get him and his cohorts to justice. However, I don’t envision an increase in the number of troops, not that they have not been authorised, but I don’t think it’s necessary.

We have seen calculated killings of Muslims recently, which government claims were masterminded by an Australia-based Uganda doctor. The doctor has actually declared his presidential ambitions and says he is being framed. What is your assessment of the political spectrum?
As of right now, I don’t have an assessment. I also, just like everybody, read newspapers to find they are saying this and that; that a good doctor in Australia because he has declared presidential ambitions in now being linked to Muslim killings, he has links to ADF, name it.
May job is not to try to sort through the complexities of all these relationships in Ugandan politics to make sense of it. I think there is a lot of sound and fury that goes on towards the elections. But it is also because we have a lot of journalists looking for stories and things to write about, so they sometimes create stories—the same thing happens back at home as well—speculating, though some speculation may really be founded.
So for me I can’t make sense from a lot of this.

The numbers
Shs1.5 trillion
The money the US government spends on programmes development in Uganda every year.

Shs2.1 trillion
The total investment of the US government on Uganda annually.