By Enyichukwu Enemanna
The head of Uganda’s military, Muhoozi Kainerugaba, has announced his exit from X, formerly known as Twitter, where he has made controversial posts in recent times, including threatening to behead the country’s most prominent opposition leader, Bobi Wine.
In his farewell message to his followers on the platform on Friday, the general said his decision to leave was guided by his faith and a renewed focus on his military duties as a general in the Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces (UPDF).
“It is on the instructions and blessings of my Lord Jesus Christ that I leave this social media and dedicate myself to my assignment to bring peace and security to our region,” his statement read.
“To all my dear followers, it has been a great whirlwind and rousing journey together on these streets for the last 10 years since 2014,” he added.
Muhoozi Kainerugaba, 50, the son of the East African country’s leader, President Yoweri Museveni, has become increasingly involved in the political arena, in breach of military protocols.
According to the Ugandan constitution, a serving military officer is not allowed to be involved in political activities. However, Kainerugaba, who was appointed defence chief last year after a reshuffle, has reignited debates about his ambitions to succeed his father through his X posts. Museveni has been in power since 1986.
This is not the first time Gen Kainerugaba has deactivated his X account. In 2022, he quit the micro-blogging platform, only to return days later.
Critics have criticised the general over the statements he has made on social media, which have bordered on subjects considered inappropriate for a serving military officer.
In 2022, he tweeted a threat to invade neighbouring Kenya, causing a diplomatic spat that later forced his father to apologise to Nairobi.
Gen Kainerugaba’s recent post threatening to “cut off” the head of Bobi Wine, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi, drew widespread condemnation in the country.
Although the general apologised for the post, which he described as a joke, Bobi Wine said he could not take such threats lightly.
The Ugandan government downplayed the post, with a spokesperson describing Gen Kainerugaba’s social media statements as “casual” remarks that should not be interpreted as reflecting official policy.
Gen Kainerugaba’s undiplomatic outbursts on social media have also angered other countries, with his previous posts about siding with Russia in the invasion of Ukraine. He also stated that Uganda would be on the side of Tigray militants in reference to the civil war in Ethiopia.
Museveni has nevertheless defended his son as a “very good general,” and the army said he enjoyed the constitutionally guaranteed individual right of expression.
Gen Kainerugaba urged his followers to continue supporting his father, whom he referred to as “the greatest general of the resistance.”
He is seen as a possible successor to his long-serving father, but the 80-year-old Museveni, who has spent nearly four decades in power, has denied that he is grooming him for the presidency.
