This archive report was first published on 9 May 2021.
On April 26, 2021, Mercury Public Affairs submitted its agreement with the subsidiary Mercury International UK Limited to the US Justice Department, marking the beginning of a lobbying effort in the US.
The agreement, which was set to begin on April 22, 2021, and continue until May 21, 2021, would automatically renew every month unless terminated. The UK firm would pay the US firm on a monthly basis for services rendered, although the amount Uganda would pay was not disclosed.
As part of the agreement, Mercury Public Affairs would provide strategic consulting, government relations, lobbying, and media relations consulting and management services to the Ugandan government. The listed address of the foreign principal was 25497 Kampala Road, Kampala Uganda, which belongs to State House.
The move comes a week after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken slapped visa restrictions against unnamed Uganda officials over human rights violations during and after the 2021 elections.
Mr. Blinken warned that the US government would continue to evaluate additional actions against individuals complicit in undermining democracy and human rights in Uganda, as well as their immediate family members.
Uganda's government has been criticized for its human rights record, with international human rights organizations and donor governments expressing concerns over the electoral process and abductions of opposition supporters.
Foreign Affairs State Minister Okello Oryem downplayed the hiring of the PR firm, stating that it was not unusual for countries to hire private companies for various tasks, including lobbying.
