The State Department on Thursday announced sanctions Ugandan Parliament Speaker Anita Among and other officials for “significant corruption or gross violations of human rights.”

State Department spokesperson Matt Miller in a press release notes Among “is designated due to involvement in significant corruption tied to her leadership of Uganda’s Parliament.” The press release further indicates the U.S. has sanctioned former Karamoja Affairs Minister Mary Goretti Kitutu, former Karamoja State Affairs Minister Agnes Nandutu, and former State Finance Minister Amos Lugolobi “due to their involvement in significant corruption related to conduct that misused public resources and diverted materials from Uganda’s neediest communities.”  

“All four officials abused their public positions for their personal benefit at the expense of Ugandans,” said Miller.

The press release also notes the U.S. has sanctioned Peter Elwelu, the former deputy chief of the Ugandan Peoples’ Defense Forces, because of “his involvement in gross violations of human rights” that include extrajudicial killings.

“As a result of these actions, the designated Ugandan officials are generally ineligible for entry into the United States,” said Miller.

Miller said the State Department is “also taking steps to impose visa restrictions on multiple other Ugandan officials for undermining the democratic process and repressing members of marginalized or vulnerable populations in Uganda.” 

“These individuals are responsible for, or complicit in, the repression of Ugandan members of political opposition groups, civil society organizers, and vulnerable communities in Uganda,” he said.

Wednesday marked a year since Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni signed the country’s Anti-Homosexuality Act that, among other things, contains a death penalty provision for “aggravated homosexuality.”

The U.S. has previously sanctioned Ugandan officials and removed the country from a duty-free trade program. A group of Ugandan LGBTQ activists have appealed April’s Constitutional Court ruling that refused to “nullify the Anti-Homosexuality Act in its totality.”

The State Department press release does not specifically mention the Anti-Homosexuality Act, and the Washington Blade has reached out for additional comment. The press release does, however, say the U.S. “stands with Ugandans advocating for democratic principles, a government that delivers for all its citizens, and accountability for actions committed by those who abuse their position through corruption and gross violations of human rights.” 

“Impunity allows corrupt officials to stay in power, slows the pace of development, facilitates crime, and causes unequal distribution of resources, which can affect underrepresented and underserved populations disproportionally,” reads the press release. “Today’s actions reaffirm the U.S. commitment to support transparency in Uganda’s democratic processes, counter corruption globally, and address the broader culture of impunity that prevents all Ugandans from enjoying their human rights and fundamental freedoms.”

The British government in April sanctioned Among, Kitutu, and Nandutu.

Ugandan media reports note Among has described the sanctions as “politically motivated” because she supports the Anti-Homosexuality Act.