He has served as commander of the Special Forces Command (SFC), Ugandan Military's special operations unit, from 2008 to 2017, and again from December 2020 to 2021,[1][2] then In January, 2017, Muhoozi was appointed by his father, a Senior Presidential Adviser for Special Operations, fueling speculations he was being groomed for the presidency.[12][13] Retaining his aforementioned role, he was appointed again by his father, to serve as chief commander of the land forces of the UPDF from 24 June, 2021[3][4] to 4 October, 2022, when he was removed following tweets on X (née Twitter) claiming to be able to capture Nairobi in less than two weeks.[5] Despite this, Muhoozi was on March 21, 2024, appointed by his father, Museveni as the Chief of Defence[14]—a position that effectively makes him the head of Uganda's Military. Both the UPDF and the SFC are accused of using excessive force,[15][16][17][18] as well as abductions;[19][20] Muhoozi and other senior officials are mentioned in an International Criminal Court complaint.[21] He announced he would be running for presidential office in elections slated for 2026, on 15 March 2023, despite his father also indicating he would run for re-election.[22]
Under his leadership as Commander of Uganda's Land forces, on 30 November 2021, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo launched a joint military offensive in Eastern Congo dubbed 'Operation Shujaa', headed by then, Maj. Gen. Kayanja Muhanga.[23] The stated reason was to fight against the jihadist linked rebel group Allied Democratic Forces (ADF)[24] based in eastern Congo along the border with Uganda.
Family
Muhoozi Kainerugaba was born on 24 April 1974 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, to Yoweri Museveni and Janet Museveni.[6] At the time Museveni was an exiled FRONASA rebel outfit leader, as he and other exiles based in Tanzania plotted to overthrow the Idi Amin dictatorship. Museveni has clung on to power since 1986, nearly seven years after Amin's downfall.
Raised in a Christian family, Muhoozi became born-again in his early years (secondary school).
In 1999, Muhoozi married Charlotte Nankunda Kutesa.[25][26]
In September 2011 Muhoozi was promoted to Colonel.[34] In early 2012 Muhoozi enrolled at the South Africa's National Defence College for the Executive National Security Program. In August 2012 he was promoted to Brigadier General[35] and appointed Commander SFC. In 2013 and 2014 Muhoozi was one of the senior UPDF commanders who deployed to South Sudan to support the Government of South Sudan after fighting broke out in Juba between rival factions of the SPLA.[36]
In 2017 Muhoozi was appointed Senior Presidential Advisor for special operations, a position he held until December 2020.[37] He served as SFC Commander from 2008 to 2017, and again from December 2020 to 2021,[1][2]
In February 2019, Museveni, promoted him to the rank of lieutenant-general[38]
In June 2021 Muhoozi was made commander of the UPDF's Infantry branch, succeeding Peter Elwelu who became deputy head of the Military.[39] Elwelu is known to have commanded the infamous raid on the Rwenzururu [a cultural institution] palace in western Uganda in November 2016 in which he ordered UPDF to shell the palace, killing more than 150 of people,[40] an attack that was widely condemned by Western countries.
In March 2022, he made comments online that he was retiring from military service.[41] He has since retracted from this announcement. Later that year in October, following a series of unnecessary, posturing, and diplomacy-damaging tweets on the social media platform X (Twitter); the likes of which included threats of 'him' leading 'his army' to invade neighbouring Kenya and 'capturing' Nairobi[42] in a matter of two weeks; and the touting of controversial Russian invasion of Ukraine, etcetera, Muhoozi was sacked from military office by Museveni. Instantaneously, however, he was promoted to a full General and he retained his role as a senior presidential adviser despite maintaining his tweets on the platform.[citation needed]
On 21 March 2024, Muhoozi was returned to the military after being appointed head of the UPDF by his father.[43]
MK Project
In 2013, General David Sejusa Tinyefuza wrote a letter in which he explained a plan with the intention of having Muhoozi succeed his father as president. Army officers opposed to it were at risk of being assassinated. Sejusa told the BBC that Uganda was being turned into a "political monarchy," which Muhoozi denied.[44] The letter led to one of the government's most aggressive attack on the media. The police laid siege to the Daily Monitor for more than 10 days, while many in Uganda were surprised by the silence of the international community. Tinyefuza spent over a year in exile in the United Kingdom before he returned. He was later arrested for insubordination in 2016.[13][45]
The term 'Muhoozi (MK) project' is no longer a taboo. It is used frequently by Muhoozi proponents on social media.[46] In February 2024, Gen. Muhoozi re-branded the "Muhoozi Project" into the "Patriotic League of Uganda"; it's sole aim—ostensibly—to work towards reviving in Ugandans a spirit of good citizenship, national pride, national service, protection of vulnerable persons, combating corruption and mismanagement of public resources, and environmental protection without hinting on its political advocacy as an interest group.[47]
Uganda–Rwanda Tensions, 2018–2022
In February 2019, Rwanda closed the border accusing Uganda of supporting rebel groups in order to destabilize Rwanda. Uganda accused the Rwanda government of espionage.[48][49] In 2019 Rwanda's key demands included Uganda ceasing its apparent support for anti-Kigali elements and the release of its citizens—it claims the Ugandans abducted. In 2022, Muhoozi took on a task that Angola's President João Manuel Lourenço and Democratic Republic of Congo's Félix Tshisekedi failed to accomplish in 2019, when they facilitated four meetings between Paul Kagame and Museveni.[50][51] Rwanda's main Gatuna border post between the two countries reopened in late January, following a meeting between Kagame and Muhoozi.[52][53]
Military Campaigns
In 2007 he commanded the decisive defeat of the ADF in Bundibugyo, in an operation where 80 enemy forces and the ADF's third in command were killed in action.[citation needed]
In 2009 he participated in training and commissioning the UPDF's first paratrooper element. Uganda's first paratroopers since 1976.[54][55][56] Due to his role as commander of the SFC, Kainerugaba has been named in a complaint to the International Criminal Court (ICC) over abductions of Ugandan citizens and Human rights abuses.[57]
Controversies
On 31 December 2020, three days after being re-appointed SFC commander, Muhoozi posted a number of tweets attacking opposition politician Bobi Wine; the tweets were considered by many Ugandans to promote tribalism. After many negative reactions, he removed the tweets.[58][59][60][61][62][63]
A US$17 million tender contract to deliver medical oxygen was awarded to Silverbacks, a company owned by Muhoozi's wife Charlotte, leading to accusations of corruption. During the COVID-19 outbreak of June 2021, oxygen production struggled, causing many COVID-19 patients to die of oxygen shortages.[64][65]
On 28 December 2021, Ugandan security forces put under house arrest, and subsequently arrested, journalist and writer Kakwenza Rukira after he had insulted Muhoozi on Twitter.[66][67] During that time, Kakwenza was tortured and allegedly had three meetings with Muhoozi in which he had to apologize for the tweets.[citation needed]
When Muhoozi was still an active serving officer in the UPDF, some had criticized his latest active involvement in politics and taking on roles typically meant for civilian diplomats as breaking the UPDF code of conduct for a serving officer. For instance, he played an active role in the mending of the Rwanda-Uganda relationship culminating in the successful re-opening of Uganda's border with Rwanda. Active serving military personnel are barred from engaging in active political roles in Uganda, according to UPDF rules.[citation needed]
Moreover, Muhoozi is known to enjoy alcoholic beverages[68] and as such, he has been criticized about tweeting while drunk and posting controversial tweets. It is also stated in the UPDF Act 7 of 2005, under Disgraceful conduct, section 139, that, "A person in the Defence Forces who is drunk, whether or not on duty, commits an offence and is on conviction, liable to imprisonment not exceeding seven years."[69] No case has been brought to the UPDF court martial's attention about Muhoozi's behavior as an intoxicated serving officer.[citation needed]
In May 2022, Muhoozi praised former U.S. President Donald Trump, describing him as the "only white man I have ever respected".[72]
In October 2022, Muhoozi received attention for publicly offering 100 cows as a bride price for Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who at that point was widely expected to become the next Prime Minister of Italy, threatening to conquer Rome if the dowry was rebuffed.[73]
On 3 October 2022, Muhoozi caused a diplomatic incident with Kenya when, on Twitter, he threatened to invade the country and conquer Nairobi, compelling his father to apologise for the comments.[74]
X use
Having been previously known to be generally a silent observer on Uganda's political scene, Muhoozi has recently taken to X, suddenly becoming outspoken on a number of socio-political issues in Uganda, but mostly in praise of the UPDF which he hails as 'the greatest Army in the world'. In a 2013 speech to the UPDF High Command, President Museveni said this of the then Brig. Muhoozi, "I am most pleased that Muhoozi has turned out to be a very serious officer, quiet and devoted to the building of the army" in reference to Muhoozi's work in building the Special Forces Command.[75] Muhoozi has been dubbed by some in the media as the 'tweeting General'[76] in reference to his sudden prolific use of X, frequently posting content that some do not view as befitting of someone of his rank and position in the Army and in Uganda's social sphere.
Through X, Muhoozi has actively commented on Uganda's fractured relationship with Rwanda promising to speak with his 'uncle', Rwandan President Paul Kagame to allow for the re-opening of their country's border, which was closed by Rwanda in 2019 in a diplomatic protest accusing Uganda of harboring and supporting elements that the government considered active in attempting to destabilize the country. On March 6, 2022, Muhoozi took to Twitter to announce that the Rwanda-Uganda border would be fully re-opened on March 7, 2022, after several diplomatic engagements that saw Muhoozi travel to Kigali twice in early 2022.[77][78] He said in praise of the successful negotiations to re-open the border, "The border is fully opening tomorrow. Me and my uncle (President Kagame) achieved in 7 hours what all the diplomats on earth failed to achieve. I think we need a prize."
Presidential ambitions
The Muhoozi Project has alleged that there is a plan for Muhoozi to become Uganda's next president and succeed his father, Yoweri Museveni, who has ruled since January 1986 under the National Resistance Movement (NRM). However, there are some who believe that the President's son-in-law and Senior Presidential Advisor for Special Duties, Odrek Rwabwogo, is also interested in succeeding Museveni, creating two competing camps.[79] It is not clear who the ruling NRM party will back to succeed president Museveni who has not indicated when or if he will leave office.
On 8 March 2022, Muhoozi took to Twitter to announce that he would be retiring from the UPDF, although no timeline for the retirement was given. He said that, "After 28 years of service in my glorious military, the greatest military in the world, I am happy to announce my retirement. Me and my soldiers have achieved so much! I have only love and respect for all those great men and women that achieve greatness for Uganda everyday."[80] The tweet generated a lot of national and international media attention, with Reuters writing that the move was seen by some as a preparation for the presidency.[81] However, prominent Ugandan journalist Andrew Mwenda, Muhoozi's friend and long-time confidant, posted a video on his Twitter timeline with Muhoozi a few hours after Muhoozi's retirement tweet, appearing to clarify that the retirement will only come in "exactly eight years" [2030].[82] Uganda's next presidential election is slated for 2026.
On 11 April 2022, Muhoozi de-activated his Twitter account which had a verified Twitter handle @mkainerugaba. It was not immediately clear why he de-activated his account but some sources stated that Muhoozi feared that, "there was sabotage against him and that he was being targeted by 'Big Tech' to silence him and his supporters".[83]
Prior to de-activating his account, Muhoozi had put in place plans to celebrate his upcoming 48th birthday with Uganda's Attorney General Kiryowa Kiwanuka as the Chairperson of his 48th birthday organising committee. The list of nearly 28 members of the organizing committee consisted of other high-profile members of Ugandan society including prominent army officers, government officials, media personalities and members of parliament.[84]
The unusual approach Muhoozi had taken to using his Twitter account to comment publicly on somewhat sensitive issues across Uganda and the region placed him and the UPDF under heavy spotlight as he is the commander of the land forces of the country's military. This came at a time when the UPDF was fighting against prolonged civil conflict in the Karamoja region involving notorious cattle rustlers where Muhoozi threatened to abandon diplomatic channels to ending the conflict and promised to bring "hell" to those involved in what he called 'robbery and violence' in Karamoja.[85] At the same time, the UPDF along with DRC forces are fighting against the ADF militant group in eastern DRC in Operation Shujaa that commenced in November 2021.[86]
On 16 April 2022, five days after deactivating his Twitter account, Muhoozi re-activated it, writing, "Never fear my followers and supporters. I'm back. I had some decisions to make." It was not immediately clear what those decisions were.[citation needed]
On 21 September 2024, Muhoozi announced that he was supporting his father running for a seventh term as president.[87]
^ abButagira, Tabu (22 May 2010). "Janet Museveni Opens Up On Love, Family And Politics". AllAfrica.com. The Monitor. Retrieved 5 October 2022. President Museveni writes in his autobiography: "... Janet and I were married in August 1973 and our first child, Muhoozi [Kainerugaba], was born on April 24, 1974..."
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