Uganda: Politics and Government

(asked on 19th January 2021) - View Source

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when he last had discussions with his Ugandan counterpart.


Answered by
James Duddridge Portrait
James Duddridge
This question was answered on 27th January 2021

Following the arrest of Robert Kyagulanyi on 18 November 2020 which sparked violent protests in Uganda, I [Minister Duddridge] spoke to the Ugandan Foreign Minister, Sam Kutesa, on 26 November 2020 and raised the UK's concerns about the violence that took place. I sought reassurances that Ugandan security forces would show restraint and I raised the importance of the rights of Ugandans to freely express their views. Ahead of the elections, I [Minister Duddridge] spoke to Foreign Minister Sam Kutesa again on 12 January and expressed the importance of British officials being accredited to observe the elections. Following the elections on 14 January, the UK remains concerned about the restriction of political freedoms, particularly towards opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi. UK officials lobbied on this issue with Ugandan authorities and I [Minister Duddridge] welcome the High Court of Uganda's decision of 25 January that the detention of Robert Kyagulanyi was unconstitutional and unlawful and that these restrictions are now lifted. This is a positive step towards removing the restrictions on political freedoms of Kyagulanyi and the UK will continue to raise these issues with the Government of Uganda.

Reticulating Splines