Yoweri Museveni (left) with his son Muhoozi Kainerugaba (right) who is a military officer, Chief of Defence Forces of the Uganda People's Defence Force and is the chairman of the Patriotic League of Uganda
The United States has publicly rebuffed an apology from Uganda’s army chief, General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, after he accused the U.S. Embassy in Kampala of aiding opposition leader Bobi Wine to evade Ugandan authorities, deepening diplomatic strains between Kampala and Washington.
The controversy stems from a series of incendiary posts Muhoozi, who also serves as Chief of Defence Forces and is the son of President Yoweri Museveni, made on the social media platform X in late January. In those posts, he claimed — without publicly presented evidence — that the U.S. Embassy was coordinating with Bobi Wine, popularly known as Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, to shelter him after Wine went into hiding following Uganda’s disputed January 15 presidential election.
Initially, Muhoozi announced that Uganda was suspending all cooperation with the U.S. Embassy in Kampala, including military and security collaboration that has long been a pillar of the bilateral relationship. Hours later, he deleted those posts and issued an apology on X, saying he had been “fed with wrong information” and had spoken with U.S. Ambassador William Popp, adding that relations were “okay” and cooperation would continue.
“I want to apologise to our great friends, the United States, for my earlier tweets that I have now deleted,” Muhoozi wrote, insisting the retraction followed clarifications from diplomatic talks.
However, key U.S. lawmakers made it clear the apology was not sufficient to smooth over the incident. Senator Jim Risch, chair of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said Muhoozi had “crossed a red line” with his allegations, calling for a review of the security partnership with Uganda that could include sanctions and a reassessment of military cooperation. Risch described Muhoozi’s deleted posts as reckless and said Washington would not tolerate attempts to destabilize established diplomatic norms.
“The commander has crossed a red line, and now the U.S. must reevaluate its security partnership, which includes sanctions and military cooperation with Uganda,” Risch said in a message on X.
The diplomatic shockwave follows heavy political tensions in Uganda after the January 15 election, in which President Museveni claimed victory with 71.6% of the vote while Bobi Wine’s National Unity Platform (NUP) garnered roughly 24.7%. Wine rejected the results as fraudulent and went into hiding after security forces reportedly raided his home.
Muhoozi’s initial claim that the U.S. Embassy was aiding Wine’s disappearance — a statement he later said was based on incorrect intelligence — was widely seen as a direct challenge to one of Uganda’s most longstanding diplomatic partners in the region.
Relations between Uganda and the United States have historically included military cooperation in counter-terrorism operations in East Africa, especially in Somalia where the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) are a key partner in the African Union mission against al-Shabaab. Muhoozi’s allegation initially suggested a suspension of that cooperation, though he later reiterated that ties would remain intact after his retraction.
Nonetheless, Washington’s rejection of his apology signals growing impatience among some U.S. policymakers with Uganda’s political trajectory and the conduct of senior officials — particularly as President Museveni extends his decades-long rule and as prominent opposition voices face pressure and intimidation.
Political analysts say the episode may influence U.S. legislative and executive deliberations on foreign aid, security support and diplomatic engagement with Kampala, especially if concerns about human rights and democratic processes continue to mount.
Ugandan diplomatic officials, including the country’s ambassador to the United Nations Adonia Ayebare, at one point sought to stress that ties with Washington remain strong and “mutually beneficial,” welcoming Muhoozi’s clarification and efforts to calm tensions. However, the U.S. Senate response underscores that Washington may not accept gestures that come only after public controversy rather than in more measured diplomatic channels.
