Uganda's Military Chief Threatens Opposition Leader Amid Controversial Claims

A fiery tweeter who is in charge of Uganda's military, Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba is decried by his critics as being in the middle of an unholy trinity, or alliance, of three men who rule the East African nation with an iron fist.

Kainerugaba, the son of the country's long-time leader Yoweri Museveni, has posted on social platform X about the killing of opposition supporters during this month's fiercely contested presidential election.

In posts which were subsequently deleted, he also threatened to have the testicles of defeated opposition candidate Bobi Wine removed.

With the 81-year-old president winning a seventh term, analysts say this is likely to be his last term and he is grooming his 51-year-son to succeed him.

The so-called unholy alliance - a play on the Christian doctrine of the Holy Trinity - is made up of Museveni, Kainerugaba, and the president's powerful brother and special adviser, Salim Saleh.

Kenya-based analyst for the Institute for Security Studies think-tank, Nicodemus Minde, describes the dynamic: The Father being Museveni, then the Son being Muhoozi, then the Unholy Spirit could be the uncle, Salim Saleh, he says.

Opposition supporters accuse the family of believing they have a God-given right to rule Uganda, with Museveni extending his 40-year-rule after he was declared the winner of the election with more than 70% of the vote.

Indeed Anita Among, the speaker in the last parliament, also used the image of the holy trinity last year as she rallied voters to back Museveni. We believe in God the Father - and God the Father is President Museveni. God the Son is MK [Muhoozi Kainerugaba], and now you [the voters] are the Holy Spirit. Therefore, vote for them, she was quoted as saying in comments that came in for some criticism.

After getting just 24% of the vote, Wine dismissed the results as fake, claiming widespread ballot-stuffing was behind Museveni's victory. This incurred the wrath of Kainerugaba, who threatened the opposition leader, giving him exactly 48 hours to surrender himself to the police.

If he doesn't we will treat him as an outlaw/rebel and handle him accordingly, he wrote.

Those tweets - and the one in which he threatened to remove Wine's testicles - have since been deleted. Wine, who had gone into hiding after a raid on his house following the election, later called out the general on X and included a screengrab of some of the deleted tweets - to which Kainerugaba responded with the comment: Boo hoo hoo Mr. 24%.

Another tweet saying Wine was wanted dead or alive is still on his feed, even though a government minister has said the opposition leader is free to carry out his activities.

The army chief later accused the US of helping Wine escape and said that all military co-operation between the two countries would be suspended.

On Friday, he apologized, saying he had been given wrong information. He subsequently announced I intend to reduce my interactions on the social media site. Last year, he said he would leave X before returning after just a few days.

Kainerugaba has a long history of controversial posts, some of which have been later deleted and is also known as the tweeting general. He has also invoked religion to advance his political aspirations.

I fear no one on this planet because my bloodline is from Jesus Christ, he posted earlier this month. This tweet has also been deleted.

A long-time friend of the general, who spoke on condition of anonymity, says he is incredibly loyal, and compares his posting to US President Donald Trump. He might be Trumpian, but that's him expressing himself, the friend tells the BBC.

He says it is wrong to try to understand him from the tweets that he posts, adding that Kainerugaba is a man of complex character.

Minde describes the general's posts as often wild, but says that many of his comments can make sense when viewed within the context of Uganda's succession politics - in particular Kainerugaba's bid to position himself as his father's heir.

Kainerugaba's friend, on the other hand, tells the BBC the general would be an incredible successor to his father, pointing out that Uganda is a post-conflict country where security is all-important.

His friend adds that Kainerugaba's comments sometimes threaten international relations if taken at face-value.

In 2022 he threatened to invade neighbouring Kenya, triggering a backlash from Kenyans who trolled him for his reckless comments. He responded by urging them to relax, but as the row escalated, Museveni was forced to phone his Kenyan counterpart William Ruto to apologize for his son's mistake.

Kainerugaba has in the past downplayed some of his remarks as musings and abstractions that do not need to be taken seriously. Uganda-based security analyst Freddie David Egesa observes that the military chief enjoys having that kind of vibe. He sometimes likes joking around it, Egesa says.

Kainerugaba's actions appear driven by loyalty or a desire to protect Museveni's administration. The general's first name, Muhoozi, means avenger, which Museveni explained is because he wanted someone to avenge him when wronged.

In recent weeks, Kainerugaba's military has faced allegations of human rights violations, especially regarding opposition suppression tactics.