Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni fires his son Muhoozi Kainerugaba as commander of the country’s land forces after his threats on Twitter to seize neighbouring Kenya’s capital, Nairobi.
President Yoweri Museveni has
removed his son, Muhoozi Kainerugaba, as commander of Uganda’s
land forces, the military said, after Kainerugaba
repeatedly threatened on Twitter to invade neighbouring Kenya.
Kainerugaba, widely regarded as the de facto head of the
military and his father’s chosen successor, later said the
comments were made in jest.
In the statement announcing his replacement as land forces
commander on Tuesday, the military said Kainerugaba had been promoted from
lieutenant general to full general and would remain a senior
presidential adviser for special operations. It gave no reason
for the decision.
Kainerugaba is outspoken on social media, frequently trading
barbs with opposition figures and weighing into politics,
despite his military role barring him from doing so.
On Monday and Tuesday, he sent a series of provocative
messages on Twitter, including proposing the unification of
Kenya and Uganda and offering cows to marry Italy’s likely next
leader.
“It wouldn’t take us, my army and me, 2 weeks to capture
Nairobi,” Kainerugaba wrote, referring to Kenya’s capital.
“Union is a MUST! No honourable men can allow these
artificial, colonial borders anymore. If we our generation has
men then these borders must fall!.”
Angry reaction from Kenyans
His comments drew angry reaction from Kenyans on social
media.
Without making direct reference to Kainerugaba, Uganda’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Tuesday that
it pledged its “peaceful co-existence” with neighbouring Kenya.
A Kenyan government spokesman said he had not read Uganda’s
statement and would respond later.
After the military issued its statement on Tuesday,
Kainerugaba retweeted a series of congratulatory messages,
including several saying he should stand for president in the
next election.
“We are going to have a celebration down Kampala Road for
this rank. I thank my father for this great honor!” Kainerugaba
tweeted.
Ugandan analysts and opposition leaders have long accused
the 78-year-old Museveni of grooming his son to take over from
him, but Museveni, who has been in power for 36 years, has
repeatedly denied doing so.
Bride price for Giorgia Meloni
On Monday, Kainerugaba asked his more than 600,000 Twitter
followers how many cows should be offered as a bride price for
Giorgia Meloni, the right-wing politician expected to be named
Italy’s prime minister this month.
“I would give her 100 Nkore cows immediately! For being
fearless and true!!,” he wrote.
Francesco Lollobrigida, a close aide to Meloni, told
reporters Kainerugaba’s offer was not a serious topic.
Kainerugaba, dubbed “the tweeting general” of Uganda, has made controversial remarks on Twitter in the past.
In one tweet, he said all Africans support Russia in its fight with Ukraine.
Source: Reuters
Uganda fires ‘tweeting general’ after Kenya invasion tweets
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