
The U.S. President Donald Trump gestures on the day he signs the freedom of speech executive order during the inaugural parade inside Capital One Arena on the inauguration day of his second presidential term, in Washington, U.S. January 20, 2025. PHOTO/REUTERS
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Uganda braces for fear of the unknown as Trump second term begins
What you need to know:
- It is not clear if the new Trump administration will sustain the hardline stance the Biden administration took against Uganda.
Uganda is once again bracing for the unknown after Mr Donald Trump was sworn in as the president of the United States of America for the next four years.
President Trump spent his first full day in office signing a flurry of executive orders that have left many nations bracing themselves for potential changes that could impact their economy, politics and daily lives.
For Uganda, the executive orders that have piqued interest include those on the suspension of aid for 90 days, the
withdrawal of the US from the Paris Climate Agreement and the suspension of immigration.
During his first term between 2017 and 2021, his non-interventionist policies meant that Uganda’s top brass was
spared sanctions over human rights violations.
President Trump was, however, not looked upon fondly when he used a pejorative term—shithole—to describe African countries.
Mr Trump’s suspension of aid to Uganda and several other countries also had a negative impact, with several non-governmental organisations (NGOs) being forced to close operations.
In 2017, Mr Trump issued an expanded Mexico City Policy, later renamed the Protecting Life in Global Health Assistance Policy.
The policy required foreign NGOs receiving US global health aid to certify they do not use their American funds to provide abortions except in cases of rape, incest or to save a woman’s life.
The Human Rights Watch later said the policy had gravely affected Uganda and Kenya, which heavily depended on the US funding to provide such services.
It is not clear if the new Trump administration will sustain the hardline stance the Biden administration took against Uganda, particularly after Parliament passed the Anti-Homosexuality Bill which President Museveni swiftly assented to.
Under the Biden administration, Ugandan officials suffered some of the severest sanctions, with corruption and rights
abuses at the centre of those sanctions.
In Kampala, government officials were not available to weigh in on what the second Trump presidency means for the country.
Both Gen Jeje Odongo, the Foreign Affairs minister, and his junior, Mr Henry Okello Oryem, could not be reached because their known mobile phone numbers were switched off.
In New York, Uganda’s Permanent Representative to the UN yesterday referred our reporter to Mr Vincent Bagiire, the permanent secretary of the Foreign Affairs ministry, who did not respond to our repeated calls.
Dr Chris Baryomonsi, the government spokesperson who doubles as the ICT and National Guidance minister, also did not respond to
our calls.
Mr Joe Biden took to punishing the country shortly after being sworn in as the president, with the first sanction hitting the then Chief of Military Intelligence, Maj Gen Abel Kandiho, with the US Treasury Department imposing financial sanctions on him over alleged human rights abuses committed under his watch.
In 2023, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken announced expansion of the visa restriction policy to include current or former Ugandan officials or others who are believed to be responsible for, or complicit in, undermining the democratic process in Uganda or for policies or actions aimed at repressing members of marginalised or vulnerable population.