Last week Lieutenant-General Muhoozi Kainerugaba was dropped as the Commander of Uganda’s Land Forces, a day after he sparked a storm on social media when he tweeted about capturing the Kenyan capital Nairobi, a statement the government has distanced itself from.
But, President Yoweri Museveni’s son was however promoted to the rank of full general.
Major General Kayanja Muhanga, the commander of the ongoing Shujaa operation in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo against Ugandan rebels, Allied Democratic Forces, was promoted to Lt-Gen and appointed to replace the First Son.
Today the two Generals were decorated by the president’s brother General Salim Saleh a retired Ugandan military officer in the presence of the chief of defense forces commander General Willison Mbadi in Bombo barracks.
GEN. Muhoozi has been commander of the Special Forces Command (SFC) from 2008 to 2017, and again from December 2020 to 2021, then commander of the land forces of the Uganda People’s Defense Force (UPDF) from 24 June 2021to 4 October 2022, when he was removed following tweets claiming to be able to capture Nairobi.
Both the UPDF and the SFC are accused of using excessive force, as well as abductions; Muhoozi and other senior officials are mentioned in an International Criminal Court complaint.
In 2017 Muhoozi, the son of president Museveni, was appointed Presidential Adviser, fueling speculations he is being prepared for the presidency.
