WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 23: U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton delivers remarks at the opening plenary of the 19th International AIDS Conference July 23, 2012 in Washington, DC. The International AIDS Conference, the world's largest one, is held in the U.S. for the first time since 1990. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

She will highlight the fact that Uganda is a “key U.S. partner” in regional security efforts and note that American troops are also training Ugandan soldiers, who make up the biggest contingent of an African Union force operating in Somalia to help defend the largely powerless government there from Islamic militants.

Clinton is also expected to raise human rights issues, particularly those related to the gay and lesbian communities in Uganda, which have come under increasing attack from conservative religious figures and lawmakers.

From Uganda, Clinton will travel to Kenya, where in addition to urging Kenyan leaders to hold peaceful, free and fair national elections in 2013, she will also meet Somali officials and underscore U.S. support for completing a planned political transition later in August.

After a brief stop in Malawi, Clinton then heads to South Africa, where she will continue a strategic dialogue with South African officials, promote U.S. business in the country and pay her respects to former President Nelson Mandela, who recently celebrated his 94th birthday.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.