General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, son of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, has reactivated his X account barely a week after quitting the social media platform, citing a renewed focus on his military duties.
“I’m back!” Gen Kainerugaba posted on his verified account @mkainerugaba which quickly amassed hundreds of followers.
He returned in his characteristic style with a series of controversial posts, threatening to “shake this world!”.
The 50-year-old army general is increasingly involved in the political arena, breaking military protocol, reigniting debate about his ambitions to succeed his father, who has been in power since 1986.
Critics lashed out at the general for statements he made on social media, which touched on topics considered taboo for a military soldier.
He recently sparked outrage with a tweet in which he threatened to behead the country’s leading opposition figure, Bobi Wine.
Announcing his return to the microblogging platform on Thursday, General Kainerugaba ordered Ugandan security agencies to arrest on the spot any opposition figure found wearing anything resembling the country’s military uniform.
“And those who disobey this order…have their own problems,” added the general, who heads Uganda’s ground forces.
He also threatened to deport an unnamed US diplomat, saying he allegedly did not “salute” the general.
“My only problem is the US Defense Attaché. If I find him anywhere…and he doesn’t stand up and greet me…I will arrest him on the spot!!
The general also wondered what the BBC “said about me”, referring to the corporation reporting his announcement that he would be leaving X last week.
This is the second time General Kainerugaba has quit and then returned to the social media platform in three years.
He left for the first time in 2022, but returned a few days later and continued the outburst on social media, which had previously caused diplomatic tensions.
In October of that year, he made headlines after posting a series of tweets threatening to invade neighboring Kenya, a comment that prompted his father to step in and apologise.
General Kainerugaba’s recent post threatening to “cut off” the head of Boba Wine, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi, has drawn widespread condemnation in the country.
Although the general apologized for the post, which he described as a joke, Bobi Wine said he cannot take such threats lightly.
The Ugandan government downplayed the announcement, with a spokesman describing General Kainerugaba’s social media comments as “casual” remarks that should not be interpreted as reflecting official policy.
General Kainerugaba is widely believed to be the successor to his father, who has ruled Uganda since 1986, although Museveni has denied that he is grooming him for the presidency.
His X account currently has more than 1,000 followers. The old account amassed more than a million followers.
In his return message, he urged his supporters to follow him.
“I want all my people back. Bring them all back!”