Edith Ssempala, Uganda’s former ambassador to the United States, has criticized government’s decision to close some of the country’s missions abroad.
Parliament was recently told that government plans to reduce Uganda’s foreign missions from 38 to 15 as a cost cutting measure.
Government to reduce Uganda’s foreign missions from 38 to 15
Ssempala told Bbeg Media on the sidelines of the memorial service for the Ambassador William Matovu at Namirembe Cathedral, that government needs to facilitate the effective running of our missions instead of closing them.
“I think it doesn’t make sense to close our missions abroad due to limited resources to run them. Government needs to invest in training our career diplomats, pay our diplomatic staff well and make sure there is a condusive political environment back home,” she said.
She revealed that since foreign policy is a reflection of internal policy the environment back at home plays a very crucial role in shaping Uganda’s image.
Ssempala is credited for coordinating for lobbying the US to include Uganda under the Africa Growth Opportunity Act (AGOA) initiative, that sought to increase our exports to America.
She said Uganda needs to be very concerned about the lead up to the 2026 general elections\ and appealed to government and other players to avoid violence,voter bribery and militilisation of the election.
“I have never seen a country that doesn’t care about its image. It abuses human rights, tortures some of its journalists, abuses the constitutional law and order,” she said.
