Fresh revelations have reignited controversy surrounding the U.S. Embassy’s role in Uganda, with growing accusations of covert foreign interference, information manipulation, and political meddling disguised as media development programs.
The allegations come against the backdrop of a long-simmering diplomatic standoff between the United States and prominent Ugandan figures—most notably, First Son and Presidential Advisor Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba.
According to a damning exposé by West Africa Weekly, the U.S. Embassy in Kampala recently organized a secretive media training program that brought together journalists from across Uganda and East Africa. The five-day event, held from May 19–23, 2025, operated under the banner of countering “Russian propaganda and disinformation” in the region.
However, insiders and whistleblowers suggest a far more insidious agenda—one of covert influence, electronic surveillance, and narrative control under the guise of media training.
Secret Surveillance and Intimidation
Held in utmost secrecy, the training monitored participants’ devices to prevent recordings and enforce total silence over the proceedings. Journalists were instructed to remain tight-lipped, with promises of overseas trips and financial incentives dangled to secure loyalty.
Sources revealed that participants were aggressively coached to identify any deviation from U.S.-aligned viewpoints as “Russian disinformation,” regardless of context.
“The entire session was more about indoctrination than education,” said one participant, who spoke to West Africa Weekly on condition of anonymity. “We were warned not to disclose anything. Phones were monitored. They treated us like suspects—not professionals.”
The program was organized in partnership with the African Institute for Investigative Journalism, a Kampala-based NGO reportedly funded by the U.S. Agency for Global Media, USAID, Open Society Foundations, and the European Union—all entities with links to Western governments and intelligence networks.
Western Intelligence Behind the Curtain
Of particular concern is the composition of the facilitation team. The trainers included:
- Ellen B. Masi, U.S. Embassy Public Affairs Counsellor
- Mark Duerksen, a research fellow at the U.S. Department of Defense-affiliated Africa Center for Strategic Studies
- Caitlin Dearing Scott, from the International Republican Institute, a known subsidiary of the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), widely viewed as a CIA proxy
- Anna Reismann, Uganda Country Director of Germany’s Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, which has historically collaborated with Western intelligence during the Cold War
These affiliations have raised serious alarms among observers, who argue that such foreign-sponsored “media training” programs are not benign capacity-building efforts, but rather tools of soft-power subversion.
Gen. Muhoozi’s Long-Standing Warnings
The allegations align with previous warnings from Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, who has repeatedly accused Western embassies—particularly those of the U.S. and Germany—of meddling in Uganda’s internal affairs.
Through a series of public statements and social media posts, Gen. Muhoozi has lambasted the U.S. for its perceived efforts to undermine Ugandan sovereignty and dictate the country’s political direction.
“We are not a colony of the West,” he declared in a 2023 post, responding to U.S. criticisms of Uganda’s human rights record and its controversial anti-LGBTQ+ legislation. “Let Uganda be Uganda. Our destiny will not be written in Washington or Brussels.”
Gen. Muhoozi’s confrontations with the U.S. Embassy, then led by Ambassador Natalie E. Brown, underscored a widening rift between Uganda’s political elite and Western diplomats. His clash with Germany’s Ambassador Matthias Schauer in a similarly charged episode revealed the broader pattern: Uganda’s discomfort with perceived Western neocolonial overreach.
A Pattern of Covert Media Capture?
This isn’t the first time such covert programs have been exposed. A similar training in Nigeria, also backed by the U.S. Embassy, was abruptly cancelled earlier this year following media backlash.
That program—under the title “Countering AI-Enhanced Malign Influence in Nigeria”—was allegedly aimed at reframing legitimate grassroots protests against IMF-induced austerity as foreign disinformation campaigns.
In yet another example cited by West Africa Weekly, a London-based NGO linked to former CIA and MI6 operatives hosted a clandestine media program in Accra, Ghana, where Nigerian journalists were trained to label dissidents and alternative voices as “Kremlin-backed”. Each journalist was reportedly paid £1,000 per story, with strict NDAs preventing disclosure.
The repeated use of covert media programs has drawn fierce criticism from African civil society groups, academics, and journalists. Many see this as an orchestrated campaign to dominate Africa’s information ecosystem, ensuring that only Western-aligned narratives gain prominence.
“This is not about journalism or truth,” said a Kampala-based media ethicist. “It’s about control. These programs are slowly turning African journalists into narrative foot soldiers for Western interests.”
The U.S. Embassy in Kampala has yet to respond to the fresh allegations. However, the silence is only fueling speculation—and resentment.
As Gen. Muhoozi and other leaders continue to decry foreign manipulation, and as more journalists come forward with unsettling testimonies, questions mount over whether these programs are compatible with Uganda’s national sovereignty, freedom of expression, and journalistic independence.
One thing is clear: the battle for Africa’s narrative is underway—and the frontline is the newsroom.
Below are the screenshots for the ‘training’ program
