Museveni Demotes His Son from Lt. General, Promotes Him to 4-star General

 

General Muhoozi Kainerugaba

The President of Uganda demoted his son, Muhoozi Kainerugaba from the rank of Lt. General in the Uganda People's Defense Forces (UPDF) with Major General Kayanja Muhanga being appointed to the rank of Lt. General and Commander of Land Forces.

In a twist, however, the President appointed his son to the full rank of 4-star General which is the highest rank in the UPDF.

General Muhoozi had made headlines on Monday and on Tuesday morning when he started insinuating a possible attack on Kenya in a series of tweets that captured the attention of the media houses across the region.

The government of Uganda through its Ministry of Foreign affairs allayed any fears of a possible attack, distancing itself from the statements made by the son of President Museveni.

In a statement, the government of Uganda reiterated its commitment to good neighborliness and peaceful coexistence between the two nations. 

The Minister added that the government of Uganda neither used social media platforms to conduct its foreign policy and other official business nor in its dealing with other sovereign governments.

Before his promotion in the military rank, General Muhoozi had teased the new leadership of East African Federation with President Museveni of Uganda at the helm and President Ruto as the "Vice President" of the Federation. He proposed his "brother Uhuru", the former President of Kenya as the "Foreign Affairs minister" with him as the Chief of Defense Forces (CDF).

It is likely that the General wanted to draw media attention towards his promotion even as he sets his sight on running for the presidency of Uganda in 2026. 

It is expected that President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni will retire in 2026 after being at the helm of the East African nation since leading a successful coup and taking over the leadership of the country in 1986.