Uganda military chief Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba has deleted a post on X calling for Turkish nationals to leave the country, a day after announcing plans for a protest outside the Turkish Embassy in Kampala on Sept. 18.
Kainerugaba, the son of President Yoweri Museveni and Uganda’s chief of defence forces, had said he had “severed ANYTHING to do with the Turks in Uganda” and told Turkish nationals to “pack their bags as soon as possible and get out of our country”.
He also announced a demonstration at the Turkish Embassy and warned that anyone he considered a Turkish agent could be arrested, reports published Wednesday said.
The comments come amid a fraught relationship between Uganda and Türkiye, including a row involving Ugandan national Fred Lumbuye, a leading critic of Museveni based in Türkiye.
Kainerugaba’s deleted post had not been reiterated by Uganda’s foreign ministry, raising questions on whether the comments were official government policy.
The general has previously attracted global attention for controversial comments on social media. He rose to be the army chief of Uganda in 2024 and is seen by many as a potential successor to his father.
Turkish nationals were not immediately ordered to leave the country, according to neither Uganda’s foreign ministry nor Turkish officials.
