Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has removed his son from his position as commander of Uganda’s armed forces after he made a series of tweets threatening to invade the neighboring country of Kenya.
Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba has been known for his Twitter activity where he frequently posts about relations with other countries and regional conflicts, which has been viewed as provocative by other African leaders. Kainerugaba has previously voiced his support for Tigrayan and Congolese rebel groups, which has unsurprisingly angered the governments of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Ethiopia.
Muhoozi Kainerugaba’s cryptic tweets pic.twitter.com/zg9LoN89mw
— Jahkariz_Oneway Inc. (@jahkariz) October 4, 2022
On October 3, Kainerugaba made a series of now deleted tweets saying it wouldn’t even take his forces two weeks to capture Nairobi, the capital of Kenya. Likewise, he made other tweets about starting a revolution and Kenya and joked about where he should live in the country after its been taken over.
While supporters of Kainerugaba said his tweets were made in jest, the Ugandan Foreign Ministry quickly distanced itself, releasing a statement that said “The Ministry wishes to emphasize that the Government and the people of the Republic of Uganda treasure the existing strong bilateral relations between the people and the Government of the Republic of Kenya based on our shared history, common values, mutual respect, trust and the desire to build a unified East African Community,” adding that “To this end, the Government of the Republic of Uganda wishes to reiterate its commitment to good neighbourliness, peaceful coexistence and cooperation.”
Mr. Vincent Waiswa Bagiire,the Permanent Secretary @UgandaMFA this morning met with H.E. Maj.Gen. (Rtd) George Owinow, the High Commissioner of the Republic of Kenya to Uganda. The two discussed matters of bilateral interest for the mutual benefit of both countries ???? pic.twitter.com/SuqRqcqjSP
— Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Uganda ?? (@UgandaMFA) October 4, 2022
Ugandan Foreign Affairs officials later ment with the High Commissioner of the Republic of Kenya to Uganda to discuss “matters of bilateral interest for the mutual benefit of both countries.”
Despite his comments and removal from his post, “Lieutenant General Muhoozi Kainerugaba was promoted to General and continues with duties as Senior Presidential Advisor for Special Operations,” according to a statement by the Ugandan military. Also announced was the promotion of Major General Muhanga Kayanja, a career Ugandan military officer, “ to Lieutenant General and appointed Commander Land Forces.”