Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the son of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, has announced that he has stopped X, where he has been writing messages that cause noise.
The 50-year-old army general has become increasingly involved in politics, breaking with military policy, which has fueled debate about his ambitions to succeed his father, who has been in power since 1986.
He recently sparked outrage with his tweet on Twitter when he threatened to behead the head of the opposition party in the country, Bobi Wine.
In his last letter on Friday, General Kainerugaba said “the time has come for him to leave and concentrate” on his military duties but promised to “reunite” with his one million supporters in the future.
This is not the first time Gen Kainerugaba has closed his X account.
In 2022, he left the blogging platform only to return days later.
Critics attacked the general for the statements he made on social media, regarding things that are considered unacceptable for a person working in the military.
In 2022, he made headlines for an attack on neighboring Kenya, a comment that forced his father to intervene and apologize.
General Kainerugaba’s recent document threatening to “cut off” the head of Bobi Wine, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi, has been widely criticized in the country.
Although the general apologized for this position which he described as a joke, Bobi Wine said that he cannot take such threats lightly.
The Ugandan government downplayed the position, with its spokesperson describing General Kainerugaba’s statements on social media as “general” statements that should not be interpreted as expressing official policy.
General Kainerugaba’s outburst on social media has angered other countries with his previous writings about siding with Russia in attacking Ukraine, and said that Uganda will be on the side of Tigray in the Ethiopian civil war.
Museveni, however, has defended his son as a “very good general” and the military says he enjoys his constitutionally guaranteed right to free speech.
In his farewell message to his X fans, the general said his decision to leave the field was guided by his faith and to refocus on his military duties as a general in the Uganda Peoples’ Defense Forces (UPDF).
“It is because of the instructions and blessings of my Lord Jesus Christ that I left this social media and dedicated myself to my work to bring peace and security to our region,” said his statement.
“To all my dear fans, it has been a wonderful and exciting journey together on these streets for the past 10 years since 2014,” he added.
He urged his followers to continue supporting his father, whom he called “the greatest general of all the opposition”.
Gen Kainerugaba is considered as a possible successor to his veteran father but Museveni has denied that he is preparing him for the presidency.
The general held rallies to rally support across the country, which drew criticism from some quarters.
He joined the army in 1999 and had a meteoric rise. His rise to power has been called the “Muhoozi Project” by the local media.
“I know you all love me, and you will continue to follow me like spirit for a long time,” he said in his signature statement to X.
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