Editor's Review

Muhoozi Kainerugaba was born in 1974 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. 

Muhoozi Kainerugaba controversial tweets on Monday, October 3, about capturing Nairobi in less than two weeks sparked a storm online. 

A section of Kenyans fired back warning that Muhoozi was declaring war on Kenya and that his threats should not be taken lightly. 

"Under Customary International Law, this declaration by Uganda's top Army general and the son of H.E Museveni is a declaration of war on Kenya," Ahmednasir Abdullahi tweeted. 

The comments also dropped in Ugandan leaders with opposition chief Bobi Wine terming Muhoozi a 'monster who has been enjoying torturing Ugandans.'

"Dear Kenyans, you now understand what it means to live in Uganda under Gen. Museveni and his son, whom he gifted the highest military ranks and put him in charge of our land forces. "Sadly, beneath the senseless tweets lies a monster who brutalizes and tortures our people for fun," Bobi Wine tweeted. 

So who is Muhoozi Kainerugaba? He is the son of Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni and commander of the country's land forces of the Uganda People's Defence Force (UPDF). 

Muhoozi was born in 1974 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, at a time when his father was already engaged in the rebellion against Idi Amin.

The family returned to Uganda in 1979 after the collapse of Idi Amin’s regime before they went back into exile in 1981 after Museveni launched a guerrilla war against President Obote’s government. The family definitely returned in 1986 after the father took power.

He attended military schools in the U.S. and Britain before taking charge of a presidential guard unit.  Muhoozi started his military activities by enrolling in basic training and recruiting many of his friends to sign up for the army in 1994.

Muhoozi Kainerugaba 

He officially joined in 1999 after graduating from England’s Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst. Muhoozi rose through the ranks to command his father’s bodyguards in 2008, a post he held until 2017.

He returned to the unit during the violent 2020 election season. In July 2021, he was promoted to lead the Ugandan land forces, the army’s largest component.

Muhoozi is now the de facto head of the military, with his allies strategically deployed in command positions across the security services, according to observers. 

All indications are that Muhoozi will succeed his father, President Museveni, and has gone public about it. 

In May 2022, Muhoozi invited his Twitter followers to weigh in on whether he should run for president in 2026.


During Muhoozi's 48th birthday celebrations towards the end of April at State House, he would publicly express interest in succeeding his father. 

In the same celebrations, President Museveni hinted that his son would be taking charge after stating that Gen Muhoozi is impatient with the corrupt and “will fight them.”

Muhoozi has a habit of creating Tweet storms and Kenya's controversial tweets were not his first. He has previously shared opinions on Twitter that have proved damaging for Uganda.

He shared an opinion on Twitter indicating that he was supporting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, further declaring that the Ugandan and Rwandan armies are a united force that would fight together in case of threat as well as the Tigrayans in Ethiopia.