Defense minister thrown out, ordered to produce Gen Muhoozi over erratic tweets

Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba
What you need to know:
- The First Son's tweets have previously sparked awkward diplomatic rows, as well as reopening old scars with neighbours such as Kenya and Rwanda.
Parliament’s committee on Defense has thrown out the Minister for Defense, Mr Jacob Oboth-Oboth and consequently ordered him to produce President Museveni’s son, Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba who serves as the Chief of Defense Forces (CDF), for questioning over his erratic posts on X (formerly Twitter) that have reportedly put Uganda's image in disrepute both locally and internationally.
Mr Oboth-Oboth who was flanked by a delegation of top Uganda People’s Defense Forces (UPDF) led by the Deputy CDF, Lt Gen Samuel Okiding appeared to answer questions about the 2024/25 Budget Framework Paper of the Ministry of Defense.
However, a section of legislators, including Mr Joel Ssebikali and Godfrey Wakooli endorsed a suggestion advanced by Mr Derrick Nyeko conditioning that Gen Muhoozi, 50, appear before the committee. The legislators indicated that the appearance of Gen Muhoozi was mandatory so that he could personally answer to a string of controversial posts he has been making on his personal account.
“There are questions that the CDF has to personally reply to us, we are seeing tweets allover, attacking our neighbors, demanding foreign ambassadors to apologise to Uganda, we are seeing threats to behead NUP President Robert Kyagulanyi. Just yesterday, we slept with a tweet that Dr Kizza Besigye will be hanged on Heroes’ Day and we do believe the Deputies won’t be able to handle such. Minister, where is the CDF?” said Mr Nyeko, a member of the opposition National Unity Platform (NUP) led by Mr Kyagulanyi who challenged Gen Muhozi’s father, Gen (rtd) Yoweri Museveni in the 2021 general election which was reported to be one of the most violent election ever witnessed in Uganda since independence.
Opposition leaders accused Gen Muhoozi and other top UPDF officers of ordering the abduction of their supporters and meting out violence during the polls which saw Mr Museveni who has been in power since 1986 being declared winner as he sought to extend his four-decade rule.
Mr Nyeko’s suggestion was seconded by the Butiru County MP, Mr Wakooli who said “We sacrifice time and burn candles for our committee so that they get what they want. How does the deputy CDF get to know and the CDF does not. He should have informed his boss. So we shall not just be taken for a ride. They should know that this committee is here to help them.”
Before the Defense Minister Mr Oboth-Oboth could respond, the chairperson of the committee, Mr Wilson Kajwengye attempted to persuade his colleagues to allow the proceedings to go on so, saying the CDF would be allowed to appear when the same Ministry returns to present the UPDF Amendment Bill, but in vain.
“Next week, the Ministry of UPDF will be here presenting to us the UPDF Amendment Bill that is the exact time such matters will be handled, especially how UPDF should be communicating. Iit is part of the Bill and the MPs want to know about your establishment. We will task you that when we invite you for the formal presentation of the Bill before the Committee, the CDF turns up,” Mr Kajwengye said.
He added “Otherwise now, concerning his private communication, it is better that we ask him privately. Otherwise, now, the people we are flogging are not the ones. Even if we task the official communicator of the UPDF, he will tell you, that isn’t official.”
In an immediate response, Minister Oboth-Oboth said “I think you aren’t asking too much, that is normal, it is okay unfortunately today, we haven’t been able to come with him. Even this Committee can arrange a meeting, specifically for the CDF to answer those questions.”
He added “About his tweets, as a Ministry, we don’t manage his handle, it isn’t an official matter. It is really personal as you said and I will be glad that when he appears, he answers those personal questions. And I would like to think that I haven’t fully answered, but I have attempted.”
When asked if he had alerted Gen Muhoozi about the committee sitting, the deputy CDF, Lt Gen Okiding said: “Yes I had an engagement with the CDF and he had a programme with Djibouti. He had informed me that he will be travelling but specific days weren’t given. On the issue of his tweets, that I can’t answer.”
Consequently, Mr Kajwengye gave in to the pressure mounted on him by colleagues and adjourned the sitting to Monday next week.
“While you laid apology for your colleague Huda Oleru, Minister of State for Veteran Affairs, MPs requested for the whereabouts of the CDF because the CDF himself should be part of this delegation when that question was put. Unfortunately, the answer was, he didn’t send apologies,” Mr Kajwengye said.
He added: “And so, it is the view of the Committee that we send you back to the Ministry Headquarters, you appear before this Committee on Monday at 9am. We expect that you will be fully constituted with the Chief of Defence Forces.”
The First Son's tweets have previously sparked awkward diplomatic rows, as well as reopening old scars with neighbours such as Kenya and Rwanda.
For instance, in 2022, General Muhoozi apologised to President William Ruto after his tweets kicked off a massive diplomatic storm between the two countries. In the posts, Uganda's heir apparent said he would only need two weeks with his army to capture Nairobi.
President Museveni's administration distanced itself from his tweets, saying the country is committed to peaceful coexistence with Kenya.
In a separate incident, he went on X to tell America’s ambassador William Popp to apologise to President Museveni or depart the East African nation, escalating diplomatic tensions between the countries. Gen Muhoozi cited “disrespecting our beloved and celebrated president and undermining the constitution of Uganda” as the reason behind the move.
“If this current US ambassador does not apologize to mzee (Museveni) personally by Monday morning (9:00am) for his undiplomatic behavior in our country, we will demand he leaves Uganda,” he said on Friday, October 4 this year.
In a barrage of posts, the first son appeared to suggest that the US has recently been aiming against Museveni's 38-year ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) government, which shot to power in 1986.
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