Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the Chief of Defence Forces and son of President Yoweri Museveni, has yielded to pressure from his influential uncle, Gen Caleb Akandwanaho, also known as Salim Saleh, and issued a public apology after a week of intensifying diplomatic tension.
In a dramatic shift on Monday evening, Gen Muhoozi took to X (formerly Twitter) to offer an olive branch, saying, “Out of respect for my great uncle, Afande Saleh, I shall not mention Germany or bazungu again. I want to apologize to Afande Saleh if I disobeyed him in any way. Nisamehe Afande.”
The apology comes in the wake of a high-stakes closed-door meeting in Gulu between Gen Saleh and European Union diplomats, during which the veteran general reportedly assured the envoys that Uganda remained committed to diplomatic decency. Saleh also vowed to “rein in” his outspoken nephew, whose recent online tirades had caused ripples in regional diplomatic circles.
Gen Muhoozi, who also serves as Senior Presidential Advisor for Special Operations, had earlier stirred controversy with social media posts accusing German Ambassador Matthias Schauer and other European diplomats of interfering in Uganda’s internal affairs and backing opposition forces.
His incendiary remarks sparked official protests from several foreign missions, prompting the EU delegation to seek urgent clarification from Kampala. Tensions hit a boiling point when the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) abruptly declared a suspension of all military cooperation with Germany, accusing Berlin of subversive behavior—a move that escalated concerns in both the Democratic Republic of Congo and Sudan.
However, Gen Saleh’s behind-the-scenes diplomacy appears to have brought the situation back from the brink. Sources close to the matter confirmed that Saleh, during his meeting with EU officials in Gulu, reassured them of Uganda’s respect for international protocols and conveyed a clear message: Muhoozi would tone it down.
Monday’s climbdown by Gen Muhoozi is being seen as a strategic retreat meant to de-escalate tensions and salvage Uganda’s standing on the global stage, especially at a time when the country’s internal politics and foreign relations are under intense scrutiny.
Whether this signals a lasting change in Muhoozi’s often fiery rhetoric remains to be seen—but for now, Uganda’s diplomatic pulse seems to have stabilized, thanks to the quiet but firm hand of Gen Saleh.
