KAMPALA, Uganda — Retired Maj. Gen. Mugisha Muntu has issued one of his strongest public appeals yet to President Yoweri Museveni, warning that Uganda is approaching a dangerous political crossroads and urging the veteran leader to take decisive action before the country slips further into what he described as a path of fear, impunity and recklessness.
In a lengthy message addressed directly to President Museveni and published on X, the former commander of the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) and leader of the Alliance for National Transformation (ANT) framed the recent detention of opposition politician and lawyer Erias Lukwago as a defining moment for the country.
His remarks come amid growing national debate over the conduct of security agencies and the increasingly controversial role of Chief of Defence Forces Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, Museveni’s son, whose social media posts and public statements have frequently dominated Uganda’s political conversation.
“The current trend in our politics is quite worrying,” Muntu wrote.
“Abducting Hon Erias Lukwago, a lawyer in the course of conducting his legal duties of representing a client, torturing and humiliating him is not only a sign of contempt for the rule of law but also for the citizenry, beside being a sign of utter recklessness.”
The former army commander did not stop there.
“Fear and terror as tools of control as you may know work for a while but always have a limit,” he added. “We do not have to maintain the same direction. History has shown us that this route is untenable and it never ends well.”
The message, directed to Museveni in his capacity as both President and Commander-in-Chief, appeared to place ultimate responsibility for the country’s political direction squarely on the shoulders of the man who has ruled Uganda since 1986.
At a moment when Parliament and the Judiciary have increasingly found themselves drawn into disputes over political arrests and detentions, Muntu suggested that other institutions may no longer be capable of independently steering events.
“Change being the only constant is an immutable law,” he wrote.
“At this point the buck stops with the President & C-I-C. Parliament and the Judiciary are in no position to act (UNFORTUNATELY); those who may celebrate that fact may be like young monkeys laughing at a burning forest.”
The imagery was striking and underscored the gravity with which Muntu views the current political climate.
“You have to choose which direction the Country takes Mr President,” he continued. “It is never too late.”
The statement culminated in a direct challenge to Museveni.
“Will you maintain the route all past governments took in spite of the inevitable consequences or a NEW route?”
“If it is to be a new route, I must say, it takes tremendous courage. I hope you Mr President will summon the necessary courage to act as is necessary to do.”
The appeal was notable not only for its tone but also because it fits into a pattern of warnings Muntu has issued over several years regarding the rise of Gen. Muhoozi and the growing fusion of military influence and partisan politics.
As far back as 2022, Muntu cautioned that President Museveni risked dragging the national security apparatus into political contests by allowing Muhoozi to engage in political mobilization while remaining a serving military officer. He argued at the time that if Muhoozi wished to pursue political ambitions, he should first leave military service.
The retired general’s concerns intensified as Muhoozi’s political profile expanded through the MK Movement and a series of controversial social media interventions that often blurred the line between military command and political activism.
In 2023, Muntu publicly questioned the wisdom of efforts to position Muhoozi as a future national leader, warning that the project could create instability rather than unity. At the time, he argued that Uganda’s future should be determined through institutions and democratic processes rather than succession calculations centered on one family.
His latest intervention also echoes remarks he made last year when he called on Museveni to restrain what he described as growing military recklessness.
Addressing the President then, Muntu urged him to reflect on lessons from Uganda’s turbulent history.
“To the CIC, Gen. YK Museveni, I implore you to be guided by your own past teachings about the recklessness of former armies,” Muntu said, warning against impunity and the normalization of excesses within security institutions.
Those warnings gained additional relevance as Muhoozi’s prominence continued to grow.
Over recent years, the First Son has become one of the most influential figures in Uganda’s security establishment, taking on an expanding role in national politics and his emergence as a central figure in debates about Uganda’s future leadership.
Museveni himself has previously acknowledged the phenomenon surrounding his son, linking Muhoozi’s popularity among some supporters to frustrations within the ruling National Resistance Movement. He has also publicly cautioned him about commenting on political matters while serving as a military officer.
Yet despite those cautions, Muhoozi’s public interventions have continued to attract widespread attention, often provoking fierce reactions from both supporters and opponents.
Muntu’s latest message appears designed to move beyond the question of one individual and focus instead on the broader trajectory of the state.
Rather than directing his appeal at military commanders, ministers or Parliament, he aimed it directly at Museveni.
The message suggested that Uganda still has time to avoid repeating mistakes that have marked previous governments but that such a shift would require difficult choices from the country’s longest-serving leader.
“It is never too late,” Muntu wrote.
The words carried the tone of both warning and appeal — a reminder from a former army commander who once served within Museveni’s military establishment and who now finds himself urging his former commander-in-chief to chart what he called a “NEW route.”
Whether that appeal receives a response from State House remains to be seen.
For now, it has added another powerful voice to a growing national conversation about the conduct of state institutions, the future of Uganda’s political transition, and the role that Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba is likely to play in it.
Muhoozi has previously claimed he and his father Museveni do not need Muntu’s advice, even as the former army commander told the first son to ‘sober up.’ (See Details Here, There and Over There).
Meanwhile, Muhoozi has hinted on his new job when he exits the powerful CDF office, as reported Here.
