Saleh vows to rein in ‘outside Gen-Z’ Muhoozi after threatening EU ambassadors 

President Yoweri Museveni’s brother, Gen Salim Saleh, has vowed to take action against his nephew and current Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, following a string of controversial social media posts and threats.

Most recently, Muhoozi has threatened to ‘withdraw’ the lives of officials at the Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC) and has also threatened to deport European Union (EU) diplomats following their meeting with opposition National Unity Platform (NUP) president Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine.

Speaking in Gulu during a meeting with European Union ambassadors in Uganda, Saleh, who, also heads the Operation Wealth Creation (OWC) initiative, acknowledged Muhoozi’s erratic behaviour and promised to “mobilise him” to change course.

Saleh’s remarks came after Muhoozi recently threatened UHRC boss, Miriam Fauzat Wangadya, who had demanded the release of Eddie Mutwe, a bodyguard of Bobi Wine.

Muhoozi had earlier boasted online about abducting and torturing Mutwe. In a candid exchange with the diplomats, Saleh described Muhoozi as an ‘outside Gen-Z soldier’, referencing his generational disconnect and separation from the historical evolution of the Ugandan military.

“That one we have already tried, he even attacked the human rights commission. Yeah, but it is not a big issue really. Because for him, he’s outside us. You know, there was East African Rifles, then the Uganda Army, the UNLA, then NRA and now UPDF [Uganda People’s Defence Forces].

“I think I don’t why, but that’s why some time back, they used to say that we shouldn’t have educated soldiers in the army. That was the earlier argument. Because now almost the entire command, the entire top command, is full of degrees, masters, PhDs. I think they have some problems in their head, I think.”

The EU ambassadors, led by Ambassador Jan Sadek, voiced concern over Muhoozi’s recent tweets, especially one in which he threatened to take critics “to the basement”, a widely interpreted euphemism for torture used in Ugandan security circles.

Sadek, said Muhoozi’s threats have created not only reputational damage to Uganda but also a direct security concern for diplomats and citizens alike. Saleh downplayed the threats, calling Muhoozi “a nice guy” and “not really a big issue,” but reassured the diplomats that action would be taken.

“We shall get him on board. If it has offended you, we shall mobilise him,” Saleh said, also revealing that a mechanism to curb such abuses was proposed in 2018 but lacked support at the time.

The meeting, initially cordial, took a turn when veteran journalist Andrew Mwenda, spokesperson of Muhoozi’s Patriotic League Uganda (PLU), was given the floor to defend the CDF. Mwenda accused the EU of meddling in Uganda’s internal affairs.

Mwenda, wasted no time in faulting the ambassadors for meddling in the internal affairs of Uganda.

“I think Western ambassadors, whether in Uganda, have systems of governance in their countries which they consider to be superior and universal,” he said.

Mwenda also alleged that the opposition party NUP, wasn’t organising for an election but planning for an insurrection instead.

“…And that’s what they’re trying to do, to organise militarily, to organise, not for an election, but for an insurrection. Election is an opportunity to stimulate and precipitate an insurrection, that’s how they see politics,” said Mwenda.

Adding “they want a uniform. They send people to Kenya. They send people to Congo. They practice military drills. Intelligence has all this information.”

But David Pulkol, the former director of the External Security Organisation (ESO), differed on the matter, arguing that the office of the CDF is a high office in which it should be used to unite Ugandans, but not torture them and oppress them.

“The moment you enter such a high office, you must put your shoes there, you must dust the mud from your feet because you are going to the office which governs the entire country. Remember the UPDF is a strong pillar on which our country is depending, it’s the one which unites all of us,” said Pulkol.

He added that “Even if it is our struggle, we have no right to oppress our people, to torture them” Pulkol explained that the CDF office is the pillar of the state, and “You must be careful how you conduct yourself, because you unify everyone else. Why didn’t any other CDF do the same?”

The EU delegation maintained that the conduct of the CDF was a major reputational risk for Uganda and called on the government to urgently address the issue ahead of the 2026 general elections.

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