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08-01-2025
NAIROBI: The head of Uganda’s military, who is also the son of longstanding President Yoweri Museveni, said he wanted to behead the country’s most prominent opposition leader.
Muhoozi Kainerugaba 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 neighboring Kenya.
Kainerugaba later apologized for that threat and sometimes says that certain posts are meant ironically.
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.
Bobi Wine, whose legal name is Robert Kyagulanyi and who finished second to Museveni in the 2021 presidential election, responded on X that he did not take the threat lightly, saying there had been several previous attempts on his life.
Kainerugaba 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.
Spokespeople for the government and Kainerugaba were not immediately reachable for comment. A spokesperson for the armed forces declined to comment.
The government spokesperson has previously said Kainerugaba’s social media posts should be understood as “casual” comments and not taken seriously or as reflecting government policy.
Wine, a popular musician turned politician 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.
Human rights activists have also accused 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. The soldier son of Uganda’s long-serving President Yoweri Museveni is signaling his readiness to take over his father’s job, with comments on global affairs from Ukraine to Ethiopia and birthday festivities akin to political rallies.
However, should he run instead of Museveni in the next presidential election due for 2026, Muhoozi Kainerugaba would face stiff opposition from opponents determined to prevent a family dynasty in the East African nation.
Trained at both Britain’s Sandhurst military academy and the United States’ Fort Leavenworth, the 48-year-old is a lieutenant general who commands Uganda’s land forces and is widely regarded as the de facto head of the military.
Though Ugandan law bars serving officers from party politics, he has promised a policy platform soon, projected himself as a champion of youth, and spoken of his ambition.
“When Team MK wins power in this country, which we will! Our first act will be to increase the sports budget!” he tweeted earlier this month after nationwide rallies for his birthday.
Though reticent and taciturn in person, Kainerugaba is a bubbly character on social media, trading barbs with opposition figures and weighing into politics.
“Putin is absolutely right,” he wrote four days after Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, despite Uganda’s traditional alliance with the West.
“The majority of mankind (that are non-white) support Russia’s stand in Ukraine.” (Int’l News Desk)
