'You've crossed the red line!' US rebukes Muhoozi after controversial tweets

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairperson Jim Risch and Uganda’s Chief of Defence Forces Muhoozi Kainerugaba. [File, Standard]

The United States has signaled it may reassess its relationship with Uganda following controversial remarks by the country’s army chief, General Muhoozi Kainerugaba.

US Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairperson Jim Risch, in a post on X, said Muhoozi, Uganda’s Chief of Defence Forces, had crossed a line with his statements, prompting Washington to consider reviewing its security partnership with Kampala.

“The commander has crossed a red line, and now the US must reevaluate its security partnership, which includes sanctions and military cooperation with Uganda,” Risch said, accusing Kainerugaba of deleting posts and issuing what he called “hollow apologies.”

“The United States will not tolerate this level of instability and recklessness when American personnel, US interests, and innocent lives in the region are at stake,” he added.

Risch’s remarks followed a series of posts by Muhoozi on X in which he claimed Uganda’s military was cutting ties with the US Embassy in Kampala, accusing it of helping to hide opposition leader Bobi Wine after Uganda’s recent elections.

"Because of the present situation where an opposition leader kidnapped himself and is missing, and according to our best intelligence, did all this in coordination with the current administration at the US embassy in our country, we as UPDF suspend all cooperation with the current administration in Kampala." Muhoozi wrote.

On Friday, the Uganda Chief of Defence Forces walked back the claims, blaming misinformation. He said he had spoken to the US ambassador and that relations were intact.

“I want to apologise to our great friends, the United States, for my earlier tweets, which I have now deleted,” he posted.

In subsequent posts, Muhoozi would later write that he planned on scaling back his activity on X, saying he would focus on prayer and reflection and hinting at plans to write an autobiography.

“After almost 11 years on Twitter and amassing more than 1.2 million followers, I intend to reduce my interactions here. I’m going back to fasting and praying for my country,” he posted.

Muhoozi, who is President Yoweri Museveni’s son, has repeatedly drawn criticism for incendiary social media posts. Earlier this month, during the campaign and election period, he alleged the killing of opposition supporters and made threats against Bobi Wine, Uganda’s leading opposition figure.

“We have killed 22 NUP terrorists since last week,” he wrote in one post, later deleted. “I’m praying the 23rd is Kabobi,” he added, using a derogatory reference to Wine.

Following the threats, Wine said he feared for his family’s safety and appealed to the military to guarantee their protection. “My wife and people are not safe.”

On January 23, 2026, Muhoozi also exchanged sharp words online with CNN International correspondent Larry Madowo after Madowo reported on the general’s posts.  The Uganda army chief said he had blocked the journalist, calling him a “msaliti,” swahili for traitor. Madowo responded by saying journalism’s role is to “speak truth to power.”

Kainerugaba’s announcement that he would reduce his online presence has drawn mixed reactions from supporters and critics, with some welcoming the move and others expressing skepticism about his intentions.

 “Stepping back after a decade of public engagement, especially one filled with threats and constant provocation, is not withdrawal. It is recalibration,’’ X user, EarlPulse wrote.