Brig Kulayigye: Some elements in the US gov't wanted regime change in Uganda

Brigardier Felix Kulayigye of the Uganda People’s Defence Force (UPDF) has said that they are aware that some components of the United States of America government wanted regime change in Uganda, during the January 14th election.

Kulayigye said that the recent US visa sanctions on top Ugandan government officials were also uncalled for. He made these remarks while appearing on NBS Morning Breeze, Monday morning.

“We know who we are, and we know that when we error, we are punished but we are also aware that certain elements in the US have wanted regime change in this country,” Kulayigye said.

Brian George, who is the Public Affairs Officer at the U.S Embassy Kampala however told NBS TV in a Zoom conversation that the United States does not support any particular political party or individual, and therefore dismissing Kulayigye’s claim.

George said that is it is important to note that the US was upfront from the beginning of the electoral process in Uganda at two points.

“The United States was very clear from the onset that we support democratic process and that includes the conduct of free, fair and transparent elections that represent the will of the Ugandan people. The second point was that we were going to pay close attention to the conduct of the elections and we wouldn’t hesitate to pass sanctions on individuals who violate human rights,” George said.

George added that the sanctions that were announced on Friday were a result of a ‘very deliberate process’ and the U.S takes very seriously the authorities under which the results were announced.

Kulayigye on his part however said that the United States itself has no moral authority to talk about human rights.

“First and foremost, does the U.S have the moral authority to talk about human rights? Just last week, they voted no to a resolution that was seeking to declare racism a violation of human rights. They voted no, not even abstaining, yet we all know how many blacks have been killed there on the streets,”Kulayigye said.

Kulayigye said that Uganda has its history as a country and the U.S should let the Ugandan government to handle its issues.

“If certain individuals violate the rights of Ugandans, it is our responsibility as concerned institutions to take action. We have not lost cognizance of the fact that there were human rights violations, and they are the ones that pushed us to what we went through 35 years ago,” Kulayigye said.