Uganda’s army chief has given the US Ambassador a three-day ultimatum to “apologise to Mzee personally” or leave the country.
General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the chief of defence forces, accused Ambassador William Popp of underming his father President Museveni and the country
In a series of posts on X, former known as Twitter, Gen Muhoozi said Mr Popp was engaged in “undiplomatic behaviour in our country”.
“We will demand he leaves Uganda,” said Gen Muhoozi, who gave Mr Popp until 9am on Monday.
He did not explicitly explain what the behaviour is.
In the post, Muhoozi said Uganda has no problem with the US, a country “we love and admire” but that “lately we have a lot of evidence that they have been working against the NRM government”.
The National Resistance Movement is the political organisation founded by Gen Muhoozi’s father Museveni, who has been in power since 1986.
Fellow Ugandans, it is my solemn duty to announce to you all that we as a nation are about to have a serious confrontation with the current US Ambassador to our country,” Muhoozi posted.
“For disrespecting our beloved and celebrated President and for undermining the constitution of Uganda.
In a subsequent post, the First Son clarified that his grievances with the ambassador are not personal but stem from foreign interference in Uganda’s affairs.
“This is not just about General MK; it involves President Museveni, the government, and the people of Uganda. This is a national issue, and you will see that no foreign nation will ever dominate Uganda again!” the defence chief stated.
Muhoozi’s remarks follow the US’s ongoing sanctions against Ugandan officials for “human rights violations”.
Recently, the US Department of State designated four members of the Uganda Police Force for their alleged involvement in severe human rights abuses, including torture.
The group of officers included Bob Kagarura, the former Wamala Regional Police Commander; Alex Mwine, the previous District Police Commander for Mitanya District; Elly Womanya, a former Senior Commissioner and Deputy Director of the Uganda Police Force’s Criminal Investigations Division; and Hamdani Twesigye, the former Deputy Inspector of Police assigned to the Special Investigations Unit (SIU).
