The UN's human rights mission in Kampala will be closing after 18 years of operation, as the Ugandan government has terminated its mandate.

The sub-offices in Gulu and Moroto have already been shut down in northern Uganda.

This decision comes in the wake of Uganda passing some of the world's toughest anti-LGBT laws, disregarding advice from local and international human rights organizations, including the UN.

In response, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, released a statement on Friday, urging the government to ensure the effective and independent functioning of Uganda's national human rights body, which is tasked with overseeing human rights in the country.

Mr. Türk expressed concern over the continued closure of the majority of 54 NGOs that were arbitrarily suspended in 2021, as well as the potential further restrictions on free expression due to Uganda's amended computer misuse law.

Moreover, he raised deep concern about the situation leading up to the 2026 elections, stating that human rights defenders, civil society members, and journalists in Uganda are facing an increasingly hostile environment.

“In the year under review, the company achieved sales of 348 tonnes of coffee compared with 185 tonnes in March 2022,” said the firm.

“The increase was mainly attributed to the favourable weather experienced in the year which enhanced bean development.”

Recently, the coffee sector in Kenya has come to a standstill as the government suspended coffee trading licenses for all traders in an effort to address the issue of cartels. As a result, the auction at the Nairobi Coffee Exchange (NCE) has been inactive for over four weeks, leaving farmers burdened with unsold coffee beans.

Farmers are becoming increasingly concerned about the accumulation of stockpiles, fearing that when trading eventually resumes, the excess supply will lead to a sharp drop in prices, potentially resulting in financial losses for them.

The halt in coffee trading is not only impacting the farmers but also affecting the government, as coffee exports constitute a significant source of foreign exchange. At a time when the country is facing a rising import bill and increasing foreign debt payment obligations, the suspension poses challenges to the nation's financial stability.

“The government had promised to extend existing marketing and brokerage permits by three months up to September through a gazette notice but that hasn’t happened,” an industry source told Nation last week.

Explaining its decision to end the mandate of the UN's human rights office earlier this year, Uganda's foreign ministry assured the UN of its "commitment to the protection and promotion of human rights", and the presence of "strong national human rights institutions and a vibrant civil society".