Africa-Press. A US senator has called for a review of the security partnership with Uganda following controversial posts on the X platform by Ugandan army chief of staff General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, son of President Yoweri Museveni, which raised concerns at the US embassy in Kampala.
The chairman of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Senator Jim Risch, said the general’s posts had crossed a “red line”, urging a reassessment of military cooperation and assistance to Uganda. He added that “the president’s potential successor cannot simply delete tweets and issue empty apologies”, stressing that Kainerugaba’s remarks were “reckless and threaten regional stability and US interests”.
Background to the crisis
The posts that sparked the controversy included references to the US embassy in Uganda. The army chief claimed that the Uganda People’s Defence Forces would suspend all forms of cooperation with the US administration, including joint efforts in Somalia. He also alleged that opposition leader Bobi Wine, who challenged Museveni in the most recent election, had “kidnapped himself” in coordination with the US embassy, prompting urgent diplomatic intervention in Kampala. The incident comes amid a series of controversial statements by the general, who is widely seen as his father’s political heir.
General Muhoozi later deleted his posts and issued a formal apology, saying he had relied on “misleading information” and that relations with Washington “remain strong”. He said: “I spoke with the US ambassador and everything is fine. We will continue our military cooperation as usual”.
Opposition under pressure
Meanwhile, Ugandan opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi, known as Bobi Wine, accused the general of publicly threatening him, saying he has been living in hiding since the recent elections. He cited a deterioration in his security situation and widespread abuses against his family and supporters. He said his home is surrounded by the army and that “several supporters have been killed in cold blood”.
In other posts on X, General Muhoozi said the search for Kyagulanyi had been temporarily halted on the orders of President Museveni, before resuming with new instructions to the army to “bring him in dead or alive”, further fueling concerns about the future of the country’s political and security landscape.
