UPC’s Jimmy Akena tells Muhoozi to ‘grow up’

Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) president Jimmy Akena publicly chastised Chief of Defence Forces Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, urging the army chief to “grow up” and rein in what he described as reckless and embarrassing conduct from the Office of the CDF.

Addressing journalists on Wednesday, Akena sounded off on the army chief and First Son, calling his social media posts “an embarrassment” to all Ugandans 

“CDF Muhoozi Kainerugaba, please grow up. The responsibility which you want to assume as the president of the republic cannot be accompanied by this sort of behaviour,” he said.

“The sort of attitude and statements that have been coming out of the Office of the CDF is an embarrassment to all of us as Ugandans.”

“How can you talk about torturing or killing a person who stood in a presidential election and had the backing of over 2million Ugandans; a leader of a party which has representation in the parliament of Uganda, and you want to want to treat that person like some sort of punk. If no one will; I will be the one to call you out Muhoozi; please grow up!."

Gen Muhoozi, who serves as Uganda’s army chief and is widely viewed as a central figure in the country’s political landscape, has drawn international and domestic criticism for inflammatory statements on social media. 

In the aftermath of the election, he faced a diplomatic spat for posts suggesting the suspension of military cooperation with the United States, accusing the US Embassy of aiding opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi, popularly known as Bobi Wine. The army chief later apologised and deleted the posts after diplomatic engagement.

Muhoozi’s social media activity also included assertions that security forces had killed “22 NUP terrorists” — using a derogatory term for members of the main opposition party — and intimations that Bobi Wine might be next. 

These comments intensified fears of a violent crackdown and drew widespread condemnation from rights groups and opposition figures alike.