By Faridah N Kulumba
Africa-Press – Uganda. Uganda’s Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) General Muhoozi Kainerugaba recently said he wanted to behead the head of the country’s leading opposing party Robert Kyagulanyi alias Bobi Wine. Bobi Wine is the head of the National Unity Platform (NUP) Bobi Wine, and he finished second in the 2021 presidential elections. He is a popular musician turned politician who has parlayed his star power into a career as Museveni’s most formidable challenger. He rejected the results of the 2021 election, alleging ballot stuffing and intimidation.
Threats
In a post on X on Sunday evening, Kainerugaba said his father, whom he referred to by the honorific Mzee, was the only person protecting opposition leader Bobi Wine from him. “If Mzee was not there, I would cut off his head today,” Kainerugaba posted. General Muhoozi Kainerugaba has exposed a plan concocted by himself and other top generals to topple Dr. Kizza Besigye, the opposition’s key figure, using Bobi Wine. According to Muhoozi, they successfully convinced President Museveni, affectionately known as “Mzee,” to provide financial backing to Bobi Wine, ultimately leading to Besigye’s downfall.
However, Muhoozi claims that Bobi began to show disrespect towards them after achieving success. This revelation raises questions about the dynamics of power and loyalty within Uganda’s political landscape. As a prominent figure in the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF), Muhoozi’s words carry significant weight. His admission provides a rare glimpse into the behind-the-scenes machinations of Uganda’s politics. Also, at the end of December 2024, Muhoozi posted controversial comments on his X (formerly Twitter) account that have put Uganda on a collision course with its neighbours. The tweets which have since been deleted, outraged the governments of Sudan and the DR Congo. In one of the posts, Muhoozi said, “I’m going to give only ONE WARNING to ALL white mercenaries operating in Eastern DR Congo. From 2nd January 2025, we will attack all mercenaries in our area of operations.” In another Tweet, Muhoozi threatened to invade Khartoum with the help of the Americans. On 17th December 2024, he posted that he aimed to “capture Khartoum” with the support of U.S. president-elect, Donald Trump when he takes office in January 2025. “We will be able to seize Khartoum with the support of U.S. President Donald Trump once he assumes the presidency of the United States,” Muhoozi posted.
“This chaos in Sudan will end soon. If those boys in Khartoum don’t know what war is, they will learn,” he added. Muhoozi who is also the son of longstanding President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, is widely believed to be the heir apparent to his father, who has governed Uganda since 1986. Kainerugaba routinely makes inflammatory posts on social media, including a threat in 2022 to invade neighbouring Kenya. Kainerugaba later apologized for that threat. He sometimes says that certain posts are meant ironically.
Bobi responded
Bobi Wine reacted to Muhoozi’s posts on X by saying that he did not take the threat lightly, adding that there had been several previous attempts on his life. Muhoozi responded: “Finally! I woke you up? Before I behead you, repay us the money we loaned you,” suggesting the government had previously bought off Wine to undermine the opposition.Previously the government spokesperson Mr Ofwono Opondo said Muhoozi’s social media posts should be understood as “casual” comments and not taken seriously or as reflecting government policy. Also, Dr. Chris Baryomunsi Uganda’s Minister of ICT and National Guidance explained that General Muhoozi’s comments on DR Congo and Sudan were made on social media, casually, privately, and not the official position of UPDF or Ministry of Defense or the government of Uganda. However, Jordan Lutale a political analyst in an interview with Africa-Press differed with Mr Opondo’s statement by saying that everything in this world will have people who will paint it nice even when they really see it as a problem.
A CDF joking about killing someone, attacking another country is as ugly as a father joking about having a relationship with his own daughter. On the other hand, the Secretary General of the Patriotic League Uganda (PLU), David Kabanda defended General Mhoozi by saying that: – “Gen. Muhoozi is a free guy and down to earth. He likes talking to people and makes a lot of jokes,” Kabanda said, urging the public to understand the context of Muhoozi’s comments on X (formerly Twitter). Kabanda specifically referenced a post in which Muhoozi said he wanted to “behead Bobi Wine,” calling it a political statement rather than a literal threat. “When Muhoozi says he wants to behead Bobi Wine, you must understand the context he is posting from. This was a political statement, like these NUP people say Mpuuga is finished,” Kabanda argued, comparing the statement to rhetoric from the opposition National Unity Platform (NUP). Human rights activists have also accused President Museveni’s government of widespread human rights abuses, including torture and arbitrary detention. Uganda’s government has repeatedly denied allegations of election fraud and human rights abuses.
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