Looming Trouble For Museveni as U.S. Senator Tells Trump To Do This Immediately Against His Son General Muhoozi Hours After Soldiers Raid Bobi Wine’s Home

The chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Senator Jim Risch, has called on President Donald Trump to impose targeted sanctions on Uganda’s Chief of Defence Forces, General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, following reports of extreme violence during Uganda’s recently concluded 2026 general elections.

In a strongly worded statement released on Friday, Risch demanded a comprehensive reassessment of U.S.–Uganda security relations, citing what he described as a sharp deterioration in human rights under President Yoweri Museveni’s government. 

He accused the Ugandan regime of prioritising political control through violence, intimidation, and repression, even as it continues to benefit from close security cooperation with Washington.

The call for sanctions came just hours before opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi, popularly known as Bobi Wine, reported that masked, armed soldiers had raided his home in the dead of night, assaulted his family members, and isolated his wife, Barbie Kyagulanyi. 

In a message shared on social media at around midnight on Saturday, Bobi Wine said the soldiers’ intentions were unclear and accused state forces of escalating a campaign of terror against opposition figures and their families.

“This is yet another shocking reminder of the brutality of the Ugandan security apparatus,” Risch said, arguing that the raid underscored the urgent need for international action. 

“The United States cannot continue business as usual with a regime that uses political violence, abductions, imprisonment, and intimidation to cling to power.”

The diplomatic pressure follows the Electoral Commission of Uganda’s declaration that President Museveni had won the January 15 elections with 7.9 million votes, securing a controversial seventh term in office. 

According to official results, Museveni garnered 71.65 per cent of the vote, while Bobi Wine trailed with 2.7 million votes. 

The opposition, however, has rejected the outcome, citing widespread electoral fraud, voter suppression, and manipulation of results.

General Muhoozi, who is Museveni’s son and a powerful figure in Uganda’s security establishment, further inflamed tensions by claiming responsibility for killing 22 supporters of Bobi Wine’s National Unity Platform (NUP). 

In a chilling statement posted online, Muhoozi described the opposition supporters as “terrorists” and vowed to kill more unless Museveni ordered otherwise. 

He went further to directly threaten Bobi Wine, saying he was “praying” that the next victim would be the opposition leader himself.

These remarks sparked international outrage and renewed scrutiny of Uganda’s security forces, which have long been accused of acting with impunity. 

Human rights groups say the alleged killings, combined with Muhoozi’s public threats, point to a climate of fear and lawlessness at the highest levels of the Ugandan state.

Senator Risch likened Uganda’s election to recent polls in neighbouring Tanzania, which have also been criticised for democratic backsliding. 

He described the vote as a “hollow exercise” designed to legitimise Museveni’s four decades in power. 

“Even more so than Tanzania, Uganda is a key regional security partner to the United States,” Risch said. 

“Yet its ruling regime prioritises domestic control through political violence and the misuse of state resources to maintain its grip on power.”

The elections were marred by a nationwide internet shutdown ordered by the Uganda Communications Commission on January 13, two days before voting. 

The blackout prevented independent observers, journalists, and civil society groups from verifying results in real time, raising further doubts about the credibility of the process.

Technological failures compounded the controversy. Biometric Voter Verification Kits reportedly malfunctioned at numerous polling stations, forcing officials to revert to a manual system. 

Critics argue that this opened the door to unchecked ballot stuffing and other irregularities, undermining the integrity of the vote.

The National Bureau for NGOs in Uganda also suspended six major human rights organisations in the run-up to the elections and arrested prominent election monitors, including Dr Sarah Bireete.