Prime
Gen Muhoozi’s posts endanger us
Mr Kajura Festo Nkwatsibwe. Photo/Courtesy
What you need to know:
- Muhoozi is admired by a section of Ugandans from his father’s NRM party, ranging from fanatics to opportunists. If you asked his loyalists how they think of him, they would praise him in ways that are disturbing.
A week ago, the country was thrown into a storm when security operatives abducted Edward Ssebuwufu, alias Eddie Mutwe.
The situation grew more troubling when the police denied knowledge of his detention, only for Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba to post images of the visibly traumatised Mutwe on his X account—half-naked and seemingly disoriented. That Muhoozi could unilaterally announce his apprehension outside lawful channels is deeply disturbing.
For once, Ugandans from across the political spectrum were united in outrage over the torture of a man who had not been convicted of any crime. It is a basic legal principle: one is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
So was Mutwe. It took the intervention of the Katikkiro of Buganda, the Chairperson of the Uganda Human Rights Commission and numerous civil society and political actors for Mutwe to be presented in a competent court in Masaka. Following Mutwe’s arraignment and charge, Norbert Mao, the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, stood out as a lone voice within government to condemn the act.
In his press statement, Mao cited a decision in the case of Uganda vs Robert Ssekabira & 10 Ors, where the High Court ruled that it would not tolerate prosecutions based on egregious constitutional violations, pointing out that a lower court like Masaka Chief Magistrates Court ought to have respected precedent in handling such a visibly tortured man. Muhoozi is not just a military general; he is the son of President Museveni.
Muhoozi is admired by a section of Ugandans from his father’s NRM party, ranging from fanatics to opportunists. If you asked his loyalists how they think of him, they would praise him in ways that are disturbing. In a video circulating online, Balaam Barugahara, the minister of State for Youth and Children Affairs, is seen mocking Mutwe and lauding Muhoozi for “disciplining” and “teaching Runyankore” to his torture victims using powers he does not lawfully possess.
Such recklessness is dangerous. Uganda is home to a multitude of ethnic groups, including several in the west who share similar names despite distinct cultures—Banyankore, Banyoro, Bahororo, Batuku, Bafumbira, Basongora, Batooro and Bakiga among them. Muhoozi’s recent statement has placed all westerners at risk, not just him or the Bahororo community.
My community numbers just over 15,000, according to the 2014 census. If communal anger ever turned violent, even the death of an equivalent number of Muhoozi’s own community would be tragic, but not existential. For Basongora, however, such a loss would amount to extinction. Gen. Muhoozi has not heeded President Museveni’s public appeal to leave X.
Despite having the power to stop him, the President has either been unwilling or unable to restrain his son. But it is not just the President he must listen to—it is Ugandans, particularly those from western communities who share ethnic or linguistic ties with him. His tribal provocations endanger innocent people with shared names, even where no personal or political link exists.
The glorification of Mutwe’s abuse—his forced “lesson” in Runyankore—is a brazen attempt to symbolically elevate one ethnic group over others. This is unacceptable in a multi-ethnic, fragile society like Uganda. The nation needs voices of reason. Mao should not be the lone voice in the wilderness. Previously, the President would respond to national crises from any State House podium.
This article is a plea to counter the dangerous ethnicisation of our politics. Robert Kyagulanyi, who once flirted with ethnically charged rhetoric, has since encouraged his supporters to abandon it. That is a path worth emulating. As a westerner, I have made friends beyond ethnic lines. Many westerners have intermarried with Baganda. Their children are now among the most vulnerable to ethnic backlash sparked by reckless commentary from the powerful. Uganda needs healing, not those who endanger their own people with words meant to inflame rather than inspire.
The author, Festo Nkwatsibwe Kajura is an NRM member. [email protected]
