Ugandan general returns to ‘shock the world’

General Muhoozi Kainrugaba, son of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, has reactivated his X account, barely a week after quitting the social media platform citing a renewed focus on his military duties.

“I’m back!” General Kainerugaba posted on his verified account @mkainerugaba which quickly gained hundreds of followers.

He returned to his typical style with a series of controversial posts, threatening to “shake up this world”.

The 50-year-old army general has increasingly joined the political arena in violation of military protocol, rekindling debate about his ambitions to succeed his father, who has been in power since 1986.

Critics have taken a dig at the general over his statements on social media, which touched on topics considered taboo for a serving soldier.

He recently sparked outrage with a tweet in which he threatened to behead the country’s leading opposition leader Bobi Wine.

Announcing his return on the micro-blogging platform on Thursday, General Kainrugaba ordered Ugandan security agencies to arrest on the spot any opposition figure found wearing anything resembling the country’s military uniform .

“And those who do not respect this order… have their own problems,” said the general, who heads Uganda’s land forces.

He also threatened to deport an unnamed US diplomat, citing his alleged failure to “salute” the general.

“My only problem is the US Defense Attaché. If I find him anywhere…and he doesn’t stand up and salute me…I will arrest him on the spot!!

The general also wondered what the BBC “said about me”, referring to the corporation. Reporting his announcement of leaving X last week,

This is the second time General Kainrugaba has stepped down and then returned to the social media platform in three years.

He first left in 2022 but returned a few days later and continued his anger on social media, which has caused diplomatic tensions before.

In October that year, he made headlines after posting a series of tweets threatening to invade neighboring Kenya, a comment that forced his father to intervene and apologize.

General Kainrugaba’s recent post threatening to “chop off” the head of Bobi Wine, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi, drew widespread condemnation in the country.

Although the general apologized for the post, which he described as a joke, Bobi Wine said he cannot take such threats lightly.

The Ugandan government rejected the post, with a spokesperson describing General Kainerugaba’s social media statements as “incidental” comments that should not be interpreted as reflecting official policy.

General Kainrugaba is widely considered the successor to his father, who has ruled Uganda since 1986, although Museveni has denied that he is grooming him for the presidency.

He currently has more than 1,000 followers on his X account. The old account had more than one million followers.

In his comeback message, he urged his supporters to follow him.

“I want all my people back. Bring them all back!”