Lt. Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba’s tweets have got the region talking.
In a tweeting spree that started with posts of visiting Rwanda very soon before shifting attention to Russia and then the incoming Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Uganda’s First Son and the Commander of Uganda’s Land Forces, Lt. Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, has rattled the region with tweets insinuating that with his army, he can capture the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, in two weeks.
Gen. Muhoozi, who has been on a tweeting marathon in recent weeks, was the talk of the East African region on Monday after he made several tweets about Kenya, including one that said that the country’s immediate outgoing President, Uhuru Kenyatta should have changed the constitution to seek a third term.
Muhoozi, also a Senior Presidential Advisor in Charge of Special Operations to President Yoweri Museveni, ignited a flurry of tweets from Kenyans on Twitter, commonly known as KoT, with many laughing off the tweets as a joke while others, including politicians, called on the Kenyan government to address the matter with Kampala.
“Just spoke to my big brother, Afande Uhuru. An incredible man! I love him for his courage, honesty and intelligence! He will visit Uganda soon. My only problem with my beloved big brother is that he didn’t stand for a third term. We would have won easily!” Lt. Gen Muhoozi first tweeted, sharing a photo of himself and the former Kenyan leader.
My only problem with my beloved big brother is that he didn't stand for a third term. We would have won easily! pic.twitter.com/6fmsJSXkii
— Muhoozi Kainerugaba (@mkainerugaba) October 3, 2022
The tweets attracted a storm of tweets from KoT, who are known to be the most aggressive social media community in the region, reminding the Uganda general that Kenya is a democratic country, which recently elected a new president, William Samoei Ruto, but the 48-year-old son of President Museveni did not back down.
“Haha! I love my Kenyan relatives. Constitution? Rule of law? You must be joking! For us there is only the Revolution and you will soon learn about it!” Muhoozi tweeted before adding “It wouldn’t take us, my army and me, 2 weeks to capture Nairobi.”
In another tweet, he revised the period of capturing Nairobi to ‘one week’, before posting another one reaffirming his earlier position, insisting that in two weeks he can capture Nairobi with his army.
“I’m happy that members of our district in Kenya have responded enthusiastically to my tweet. It’s still 2 weeks to Nairobi!” he posted before adding “After our army captures Nairobi, where should I live? Westlands? Riverside?”
Kenyans on Twitter sensed that the Ugandan General was no longer joking and they took him on, some warning him to start tweeting things that could shake regional stability.
Amid pressure, Gen. Muhoozi shifted goalposts and started tweeting about regional integration, claiming that Kenya and Uganda will be one country and that any war against the two countries will be quickly ended.
“The borders that were established by the colonisers mean nothing to us revolutionaries. Nairobi!” he tweeted before posting another photo of Jomo Kenyatta, adding that “He ordered us to remain one people! We will fight for his vision!”, in a bid to minimize damage caused by his earlier tweets.
He ordered us to remain one people! We will fight for his vision! pic.twitter.com/DTKrjM0fHH
— Muhoozi Kainerugaba (@mkainerugaba) October 3, 2022
Facing relentless fire from KoT, Muhoozi once again backtracked to tweets about the Prime Minister-elect of Italy, who he had been tweeting about for days, saying that he thinks some Kenyans (minority) are very jealous about the cows he has offered for Meloni ‘for being true’, before adding that “It doesn’t matter, they can’t stop Almighty God’s plan!!!”
He also posted that he forgave members of KoT who insulted him, adding “Please let’s work together to make East Africa great!!!”
“I would never beat up the Kenyan army because my father told me never to attempt it! So our people in Kenya should relax!” he posted.
2026 elections
Lt. Gen Muhoozi, who has not openly declared his intentions to contest for presidency in 2026, despite rumours of his father grooming him to succeed him, tweeted about the country’s forthcoming polls, claiming that he and the young people want to prove to elders that they can rule.
“My generation, I love you so much! They used to say that we couldn’t stand for Presidency. That we were abaana [children]! Let’s prove to our elders that we can rule this country well!”
“In 2026, it will be 40 years of the old people in charge. That will change. Those are instructions from Jesus Christ! Our generation will be in charge of this country.” Lt. Gen Muhoozi tweeted.
In earlier tweets, Gen. Muhoozi mocked Ugandan opposition politicianRobert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine, saying that he will never rule Uganda.
“Kabobi should know that we will never allow him to be President of this country!” wrote Muhoozi.
It is not yet clear if the government of Kenya has taken issue with the tweets of the Uganda People Defence Forces (UPDF) Land forces commander but some Kenyan social media users are asking their government to summon the Ugandan High Commissioner to Kenya to explain.
Gen. Muhoozi has also recently made controversial tweets about Ethiopia and Russia, with Ugandans on Twitter (UoT) accusing him of embarrassing the country with his tweets which could potentially cause diplomatic issues.
Gen. Muhoozi is expected in Rwanda on a date yet to be confirmed but he stated that Rwanda will be his first country to visit before heading elsewhere.
