Uganda’s Chief of Defence Forces, General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, has deactivated his X account hours after publishing a series of posts threatening Vice President Jessica Alupo with dismissal and arrest while suggesting that he could take over her position.
Kainerugaba, who is the son of President Yoweri Museveni, made the remarks on Monday night, November 9, in a series of posts on his verified account.
In one of the posts, he said enough diplomacy had been exercised over the vice-presidential position and warned the person currently occupying the office to prepare to leave.
“About being Vice President. I think we have been diplomatic enough. Whoever is in that office should prepare to hand it over soon,” he wrote.
He went further to suggest that if he assumed the position, government operations would follow a military-style approach, arguing that this would address what he described as inefficiency.
The army chief later directly targeted Alupo, saying she would soon be dismissed from government and accusing her of disloyalty.
Kainerugaba also accused the Vice President of supporting former Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi when he challenged Museveni in the 2016 presidential election.
He further alleged that there were indications Alupo had supported what he described as the “treachery” of former Deputy Chief of Defence Forces General Peter Elwelu, warning that she would be held accountable if the allegations were established.
In another post, he threatened to have the Vice President arrested if investigations linked her to the alleged activities.
“We shall arrest Jessica, without hesitation if she is part of Elweru's treachery,” he wrote.
He also cited previous confrontations involving opposition figures Kizza Besigye, Bobi Wine and Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago, saying his past statements about them had been followed by action.
“I told you I would arrest Besigye and I did. I told you I would defeat Kabobi and I did. I told you I would arrest Lukwago and I did. And many more. I think you should start believing me,” he posted.
Other messages on his account praised members of parliament for supporting security forces and promoted the Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU), a political organisation associated with him.
By Tuesday morning, his verified X account was no longer accessible, displaying a message indicating that the account did not exist. The disappearance came hours after the controversial posts, although no official explanation had been given for the deactivation.
Alupo, a retired army major, has served as Uganda’s Vice President since May 2021. She had not publicly responded to the remarks at the time of reporting.
Under Uganda’s Constitution, the President appoints the Vice President subject to approval by Parliament. Any change in the office must therefore follow the prescribed constitutional process.
The controversy comes amid renewed attention on Kainerugaba’s political ambitions and recent statements about his future in the military.
He had earlier indicated that he intended to leave the position of Chief of Defence Forces in the coming months, before later suggesting he would remain in the role for at least another year.
There has been no official announcement that Alupo is being removed or that Kainerugaba has been appointed to replace her.
