General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni’s firstborn son, is no ordinary military leader or social media user.
He is so controversial on Twitter that the 48-year-old dwarfs Kanye West and Miguna Miguna.
Muhoozi and controversy have gone hand in hand for decades, from threatening to overrun Nairobi to supporting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, supporting Ethiopia’s Tigray People’s Liberation Front, and criticizing the United States.
The region holds its breath whenever the general takes to Twitter, where he has been active since 2020.
Muhoozi’s father recently promoted him to four-star general, the highest rank in the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF).
Last week, the general was at his most troublesome when he trained his guns on Kenya.
Muhoozi claimed on Twitter that it would only take his army two weeks to capture Nairobi and establish his headquarters in Westlands or Riverside.
Previously, he had wondered why his “big brother,” Uhuru Kenyatta, did not vie for a third term.
“My only problem with my beloved big brother is that he didn’t stand for a third term. He would have won easily!” he tweeted.
The tweets not only embarrassed his father and Ugandans, but they also sparked outrage on Twitter, with Kenyans demanding Muhoozi’s blood.
Instead of apologizing, the general’s fingers led him back to his favorite microblogging site to minimize the unneeded storm he had caused.
“I’m glad that I have scared you Kenyans a bit!” Two weeks is long. Nairobi in one week for sure!” he wrote.
“After capturing Nairobi, I shall take my wife on a tour of our district.”
Ironically, Museveni promoted him right away, saying that despite his son’s mistakes, he had done a lot for the military.
Muhoozi rose to prominence due to his love of partying and provocative social media posts.
In April, the general established a national committee to throw birthday parties across the country in honor of his 48th birthday.
For three weeks, the team threw parties in various Ugandan towns, including the capital, Kampala, which host the main event on May 1.
Muhoozi announced his retirement from the army in March on his preferred platform.
But, in typical eccentric fashion, he reversed his decision and stated that he would leave the UPDF in 2030.
On March 1, the general tweeted that “the majority of (non-White) humanity supports Russia’s position on Ukraine.”
Muhoozi was on the International Criminal Court’s radar while leading the Special Forces Command, an elite military unit accused of hundreds of abductions and torture. Some of the abductees named him in their complaints.
Muhoozi joined Uganda’s armed forces in 1999 and quickly rose to become the president’s special operations adviser.
In June of last year, he was promoted to Lieutenant-General and Commander of the UPDF Land Forces.
Though Muhoozi and his father have repeatedly denied it, no small bird can deny that the general is Museveni’s preferred successor.
