KAMPALA, Uganda — Uganda’s top military officer, Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, has refused to appear before Parliament, escalating tensions between the military and legislative branches.
Kainerugaba, who is also the son of President Yoweri Museveni, dismissed the summons as “parliamentary CLOWNS” on social media platform X, formerly Twitter. He also threatened to arrest the lawmakers who called for his appearance.
The standoff follows a decision by Parliament’s defense committee to reject budget proposals for the Ministry of Defence and Veteran Affairs until Kainerugaba appears to answer questions about his recent controversial social media posts.
Lawmakers accuse Kainerugaba of making reckless statements, including threats against opposition leaders Robert Kyagulanyi and Dr. Kizza Besigye.
The minister of defence and veteran affairs, Jacob Oboth, distanced the ministry from Kainerugaba’s social media activity, saying it was a personal matter.
However, the committee insisted that Kainerugaba must be held accountable for his actions.
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