NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan 30 — Uganda’s Chief of Defence Forces and President Yoweri Museveni’s son, Muhoozi Kainerugaba, has retracted a series of controversial social media posts in which he announced the termination of military cooperation with the United States.
He issued an apology and reaffirmed that bilateral ties remain intact.
Muhoozi Friday said he had been misinformed when he accused the United States of supporting opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi, popularly known as Bobi Wine, who has remained in hiding since the disputed January 15 presidential election.
“I want to apologise to our great friends, the United States, for my earlier tweets that I have now deleted [and] I was being fed with wrong information,” Muhoozi wrote.
“I have spoken with the US Ambassador to our country, and everything is okay. We are going to continue our military cooperation as usual.”
Earlier, the army chief had claimed that the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) would suspend all cooperation with the US administration, including joint efforts in Somalia, alleging that Bobi Wine had “kidnapped himself” with US Embassy coordination in a now-deleted post.
The remarks drew concern from diplomats and observers, given the long-standing security partnership between Kampala and Washington.
Muhoozi later acknowledged the role of Uganda’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Adonia Ayebare, in defusing the situation.
“I must thank our super diplomat, H.E. Adonia Ayebare, for quickly resolving any issues we might have had with our good friends the United States of America,” Muhoozi said, adding that he hoped President Museveni would appoint Ayebare as Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Ambassador Ayebare welcomed the clarification.
“Thank you General for this clarification. Our relationship with the United States of America is mutually beneficial and resilient.”
The retraction comes amid heightened political tension following Uganda’s January 15 presidential election, which extended President Museveni’s 40-year rule.
On January 20, Muhoozi sparked outrage locally and internationally after issuing threats against Bobi Wine.
In a series of posts, he claimed security forces had killed 22 opposition “terrorists” and suggested Bobi Wine should be next.
“We have killed 22 NUP terrorists since last week. I’m praying the 23rd is Kabobi,” he wrote using a derogatory nickname for the opposition leader.
In another post, he gave Bobi Wine a 48-hour ultimatum to surrender to police, warning that failure to do so would see him treated as an “outlaw/rebel.”
Muhoozi also vowed to eliminate the National Unity Platform (NUP) from Uganda’s political landscape, claiming divine authority for the threat.
These comments intensified fears of a violent crackdown as Bobi Wine remained in hiding following a night raid on his home in Magere.
The opposition leader said soldiers and police cut off electricity, disabled surveillance cameras, and deployed helicopters in an apparent attempt to arrest him.
He reported that his wife and children were confined inside the residence. Days later, security forces broke into the house and assaulted his wife.
Uganda’s Electoral Commission declared Museveni the winner with 71.65 per cent of the vote, securing a seventh term in office.
Bobi Wine came second with 24.72 per cent, according to official results, in a poll conducted under heavy security deployment and a nationwide internet shutdown.
Bobi Wine rejected the outcome, describing it as fraudulent and not reflective of the results at polling stations.
Speaking from an undisclosed location, he said security forces were searching for him “everywhere” as he tried to remain safe.
In a latest defiant message directed at Muhoozi on Friday, Bobi Wine said he had the backing of the people daring the military chief to get him.
“A rebel without a gun, hiding in plain sight, and yet you can’t find me because I’m concealed by the people. Catch me if you can!”
