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Tag: Muhoozi Kainerugaba

  • Ugandan President Museveni elevates son to military chief

    Ugandan President Museveni elevates son to military chief

    President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, aged 79, has appointed his son, Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, to lead the military.

    This promotion of the 49-year-old occurs alongside a significant cabinet reshuffle that saw the dismissal of five ministers.

    Despite longstanding speculation suggesting otherwise, President Museveni has refuted claims that he is grooming his sole son as his successor.

    Gen Kainerugaba, a contentious figure, has become progressively engaged in politics, a departure from military protocols.

    In 2022, his father relieved him of his duties as commander of the army’s land forces after he made threats on Twitter, now referred to as X, to invade neighboring Kenya.

    President Museveni subsequently issued an apology to Kenya’s leader and sought forgiveness from Kenyans on behalf of his son.

    Nevertheless, Gen Kainerugaba’s contentious tweet remains undeleted, and despite this incident, he was promoted to general and retained as his father’s advisor.

    He later stirred controversy with another post, declaring his intention to dispatch troops to Moscow to aid President Vladimir Putin in defending Russia against Ukraine.

    Now, he assumes the role of head of the country’s defense forces, replacing Gen Wilson Mbadi, who will lead the trade ministry.

    Additionally, two of Gen Kainerugaba’s close advisors have been appointed as ministers in the cabinet reshuffle.

    The promotion of Gen Kainerugaba has elicited concern from various quarters.

    Opposition lawmaker Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda expressed apprehension, stating that President Museveni was treating Uganda as “a personal enterprise of his family.”

    Nganda condemned the appointment, urging Ugandans to resist the establishment of a “family dynasty.”

  • Uganda president apologizes to Kenya for son’s irresponsible invasion tweets

    Kenyans have received an apology from President Yoweri Museveni after reading tweets from his son Muhoozi Kainerugaba that regularly threatened to invade Uganda’s neighbouring country in East Africa.

    In a series of tweets on Monday and Tuesday, Kainerugaba posted provocative messages, including proposing the unification of Kenya and Uganda.

    “It wouldn’t take us, my army and me, 2 weeks to capture Nairobi,” Kainerugaba wrote, referring to Kenya’s capital.

    “Union is a MUST! No honorable men can allow these artificial, colonial borders anymore. If our  generation has men, then these borders must fall!.”

    Presidential apology

    President Museveni apologized for his son’s comments, saying it was wrong for public officers to meddle in the affairs of other nations.

    “I ask our Kenyan brothers and sisters to forgive us for tweets sent by General Muhoozi, former Commander of Land Forces here, regarding the election matters in that great country,” Museveni wrote in a statement released Wednesday on his official website.

    His comments drew angry reactions from Kenyans on social media and Kainerugaba, who is widely regarded as the de facto head of the military and his father’s chosen successor, was on Tuesday removed as commander of Uganda’s land forces. It was unclear whether the change was made following his controversial tweets.

    He was later promoted from lieutenant general to the rank of a full general and will remain a senior presidential adviser for special operations, a Ugandan Ministry of Defence statement announced.

    Despite his apology, Museveni justified Kainerugaba’s promotion, saying his son had only erred in his comments and not in his service.

    “Why, then, promote him to full General after these comments? This is because this mistake is one aspect where he has acted negatively as a public officer,” the Ugandan leader said.

    “There are, however, many other positive contributions the General has made and can still make,” he added while describing Kainerugaba as “a passionate Pan-Africanist.”

    An outspoken general

    Kainerugaba is outspoken on social media and has frequently traded barbs with opposition figures and weighed into politics, despite his military role barring him from doing so.

    Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni pictured in 2018.
    Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni pictured in 2018. SUMY SADRUNI/AFP/Getty Images

    Kainerugaba also asked his more than 600,000 Twitter followers how many cows should be offered as a bride price for Giorgia Meloni, the right-wing politician expected to be named Italy’s prime minister this month.

    “I would give her 100 Nkore cows immediately! For being fearless and true!!,” he wrote.

    Ugandan LGBTQ organization calls government shutdown of its operations a ‘clear witch-hunt’

    Kainerugaba later said the comments were made in jest. While an aide to Francesco Lollobrigida, told reporters Kainerugaba’s offer was not a serious topic.

    Ugandan analysts and opposition leaders have long accused the 78-year-old Museveni of grooming his son to take over from him, but Museveni, who has been in power for 36 years, has repeatedly denied doing so.