I am not an ardent believer of the Bible but sometimes I like using the illustrations therein to communicate my message without going direct into the face of my target. Today’s message is taken from a trending story picked from one of the dailies. It insinuated that a seemingly innocent tweet could have placed Uganda at loggerheads with the world’s superpower.
The story quoted a tweet from the first son also the Chief of the Uganda Defence Forces Muhoozi Kainerugaba demanding an apology from the American Ambassador to Uganda an ultimatum was given lest he would be declared persona non grata- an unwanted person. Some Ugandans have come out to welcome the warning while others have condemned it.
I wish to add my voice that the warning was unnecessary and uncalled for more or less that Uganda is partly what it is because of America. For Uganda to threaten an American Ambassador as I have said before can be equated to a dog barking at an elephant. That warning was certainly in breach of international law and specifically Article 9 of the Vienna Convention to which Uganda is a long-serving member.
All along I thought Andrew Mwenda was a friend of the first son and I thought he would be the right person to guide him when it comes to comments that have the potential to threaten international relations. Imagine if something wrong happened to the Ambassador, would they be wrong to conclude it was done with the consent of the government of Uganda?
What could have guided brother Muhoozi to get so emotional to the extent of asking giving the U.S. Ambassador William Popp until Monday morning on the 07th October, 2024 to apologize or leave the country? Is that the duty of the Chief of Defense Forces (CDF) to react when there is a misunderstanding, could he be practicing how to be a President, what exactly did the Ambassador do to deserve such an embarrassing attack, don’t we have a president to make such statement, a Government spokesman or a Minister of Foreign Affairs?
On Friday October, 4th, 2024, the first son took to his X handle to say Uganda was about to have a serious confrontation with Popp for “disrespecting our beloved and celebrated president and for undermining the constitution of Uganda.” Hours later, he tweeted again, saying if Popp did not apologize to the president personally by 9:00a.m on Monday for what he termed Popp’s undiplomatic behavior, the government would demand that he leave.
Whereas others have asked the public to disregard the warning, others believe now is the time to engage a stronger gear, parental guidance. We cannot afford to have a President who apologizes for his 50year old son and then we call it normal business. We must draw the line no matter the source and the nature of the grievance. The warning is a precursor of a bigger picture and would have resulted into a serious problem if Muhoozi was the sitting President.
This is not the first time the first son has warned another country akin a war monger. In October, 2022, President Museveni asked Kenyans for “forgiveness” after Muhoozi tweeted about invading their country. Prior to the apology, the President had sacked Muhoozi Kainerugaba as commander of the army’s land forces. Within a short period, Muhoozi was promoted and made an adviser to the President but shortly appointed Chief of Defense Forces.
Muhoozi is again on record for having come out openly to express support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and Tigrayan rebels fighting the Ethiopian government. He is also on record for having tweeted that he would give 100 cattle as a bride price to Italy’s far-right Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni for “being fearless and true”. All these comments led left many wondering what the motive was with others accusing Gen Kainerugaba of being “reckless” and jeopardizing relationships.
The fact that the tweets are recurrent, it may be hard to say they are not sanctioned by the state. Imagine throughout this drama, nobody has told us what offence the Ambassador committed and since the warning, no government official has come out to the clear the air. The whole reaction seems to have a bearing on Museveni intention to contest in 2026 which in the opinion of the Ambassador who is the voice of Americans in Uganda is opposed to.
As if the previous tirades caused by his tweets were not enough and even after the apology by his father to the Kenyans, Muhoozi has continued to act as if he is the defacto President of Uganda and even if he was, that is not the way to conduct the affairs of a state. Those coming out to point fingers may need to go mute, the Baganda say “akanafa tekawulira ngombe”
That notwithstanding, I am not surprised by what is going on, when the time to go arrives, there is nothing any one can do. In the book of Exodus 10:1-2, the Lord God told Moses, “Return to Pharaoh and make your demands again. I have made him and his officials stubborn so I can display my miraculous signs among them.
I will not be surprised if it is divine powers asking General Muhoozi to act the way he is doing, it could be an opportunity to see change, may be something is about to happen. The book Exodus 12:29-30 says that, God did not punish the Egyptians but only punished Pharaoh and his army men who used to commit sins against the Israelites
In a decisively final way, God hardened Pharaoh’s heart by taking his firstborn son. Only then did Pharaoh let the Israelites go, but he still saddled up his army and decided to chase them through the Red Sea. This ultimately leads to his death and to disruption throughout Egypt. Many of his forces ended up drowning in refusing to listen and to know their limits.
According to the book of 1st Samuel 2:9, there was a man named Saul who was the next King of Israel as he was higher than any of the people in the land. His position was validated in 1st Samuel 24:10 where Prophet Samuel read as Museveni appointed him as King. At the time Saul was very humble but that was short lived. In the book of 1 Samuel 13:12, the word “compelled” shows that Saul reluctant to the voice that made him King.
It is written that Saul shortcoming was stubbornness. Nobody is perfect and sometimes, people make faults, but it is often not horrible. What is horrible is that they do not admit to their faults and want to treat their shortcoming as normal. How can you make a mistake and ask your father to apologize on your behalf as if you do not acknowledge your mistake or that you do not have remorsefulness or a mouth of your own. We need a divine intervention.
Wadada Rogers is a commentator on political, legal and social issues. Wadroger @yahoo.ca
