The government of Uganda declined to renew an agreement that had allowed it to function there for over 20 years, prompting the UN to announce Friday that its office will shut down this coming weekend.

The United Nations rights office in Kampala will officially close on Saturday after the Ugandan government refused to renew the Host Country Agreement, according to a UN statement.

Sub-offices in Moroto and Gulu have already recently shuttered, it continued.

"I regret that our office in Uganda had to close after 18 years, during which we were able to work closely with civil society, people from various walks of life in Uganda, as well as engaging with State institutions for the promotion and protection of the human rights of all Ugandans," UN rights chief Volker Turk stated.

He claimed that the office has worked on a variety of rights issues since it was initially created in 2005, including assisting Uganda in bringing its domestic legislation in line with international human rights rules and norms.

Serious challenges

"Much progress has been made in the country over the years, but serious human rights challenges remain in the path to full enjoyment of human rights for all," he said.

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In view of the "increasingly hostile environment in which human rights defenders, civil society actors, and journalists are operating," Turk expressed special concern about the rights situation prior to Uganda's 2026 elections.

He criticized what he called the "suppression of free speech," citing the suspension two years ago of dozens of NGOs and the amendment of the Computer Misuse Law, without mentioning the reason.

He stressed the importance of the government ensuring that the national human rights agency can operate successfully and independently as the UN rights office is ready to leave.

"The Uganda Human Rights Commission, our long-standing partner in the protection and promotion of human rights in the country, is chronically under-funded and under-staffed, and reports of political interference in its mandate undermine its legitimacy, independence and impartiality," Turk warned.

He encouraged the government to provide the commission with the human, technical, and financial resources it requires.

While Turk said that on their part, "the UN Human Rights Office remains committed to working on human rights in Uganda, in line with my global mandate," the Ugandan government did not react immediately.

Meanwhile, opposition leader Bobi Wine -- whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi -- said the move showed Uganda's veteran President Yoweri Museveni "does not want to be held accountable for his actions by anybody."

"With such an office closed, Ugandans are left at the mercy of a ruthless dictator," Wine told AFP.

Executive director of the Human Rights Awareness and Promotion Forum, Adrian Jjuuko, told AFP that the closure "is not good for Uganda," and it "sets a dangerous precedent and the government should not have acted this way."