Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the political situation in Uganda.

GROUPED WITH PQ 146764.

The UK Government has significant concerns about the treatment of opposition candidates in the run-up to and since the Ugandan elections, as well as the internet shutdown immediately before and during the elections. This does not provide for an open political landscape, within which democracy can flourish. I [Minister Duddridge] set out our concerns in a statement on 17 January about the political climate surrounding the elections and have urged the Government of Uganda to meet its international human rights commitments. Our High Commissioner has met with both President Museveni and leader of the opposition, Robert Kyagulanyi (also known as Bobi Wine), to convey our concerns and discuss democratic process.

The UK Government supports programmes for civil society groups and organisations in Uganda that promote democracy and transparent elections. We have spent more than £30 million since 2014 helping to strengthen institutions in Uganda to uphold democratic freedoms and advocate for the equal treatment of all Ugandans according to the terms of the Ugandan constitution and laws. As a long-standing partner to Uganda, the UK will continue to follow post-election developments closely, and engage with the Ugandan Government and Ugandans to advocate for democracy.