Uganda’s First Son, Muhoozi Kainerugabsa, has sparked controversy after claiming that the Democratic Republic of Congo’s M23 rebels will defeat the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF).
In a tweet, Muhoozi, who is a General in the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) and President Yoweri Museveni’s firstborn son, even joked that KDF should hire him as a consultant. However, he later deleted the message.
“The only thing we, warriors, know about Kenya is that they ran the fastest from the enemy. M23 will beat them to pieces in DRC without a doubt! Maybe they should employ me as an advisor to help them?” he tweeted, before deleting the message.
The M23 first came to prominence in 2012 after capturing the Congolese town of Goma, and after years of dormancy, the rebels took up arms again in late 2021. They claimed that the DRC government had failed to honour a pledge to integrate them into the army, among other grievances.
KDF is currently part of a peacekeeping mission in the region, with President William Ruto emphasising the need for peace in East Africa. However, KDF’s presence in DR Congo coincides with the M23 militia surging across DRC’s North Kivu province, capturing swathes of territory and inflaming tensions in the region. Former Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta has played a crucial role in developing a roadmap to improve the peace process and restore long-lasting peace, security, and stability in the Eastern part of DRC.
Meanwhile, President Ruto has called on the international community to provide funding and resources to support the peace bid in the DRC.
Muhoozi’s comments about the KDF have been met with criticism, with some Kenyan lawmakers demanding that he apologises. The incident has further strained relations between Kenya and Uganda, which have been fraught with tension over the years.
