KAMPALA, Uganda — A leaked telephone conversation between Uganda’s ambassador to the European Union, Mirjam Blaak, and veteran cabinet minister Gen. Kahinda Otafiire has opened an unusual window into the private frustrations of senior government officials struggling to defend Kampala’s post-election record abroad while grappling with controversial social media posts from Chief of Defence Forces Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba.
The recording, which has circulated widely online in recent days, appears to capture Blaak and Otafiire discussing opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi, popularly known as Bobi Wine, and the difficulties Ugandan diplomats faced in responding to criticism from European lawmakers following the disputed January 2026 general election.
Neither Blaak nor Otafiire has publicly confirmed the authenticity of the audio, and its origins remain unclear. Independent verification has not been possible.
Yet the contents have attracted widespread attention because they appear to reveal candid discussions among senior officials at a moment when Uganda was facing growing international scrutiny over allegations of political repression and the treatment of opposition supporters.
It is said that the conversation took place shortly after the January 15 election, when opposition leaders and supporters reported being pursued by security agencies and Uganda was facing mounting pressure from foreign governments and international rights groups over the conduct of the polls.
At the time, Bobi Wine had largely disappeared from public view amid widespread reports that opposition figures feared arrest.
Against that backdrop, Blaak appears in the recording describing efforts by Ugandan diplomats to fend off criticism from members of the European Parliament.
“We are trying to defend our country, hand, tooth, nails, whatever it is at our disposal in regard to the European Parliament resolution,” Blaak says.
“We have just been with the European Parliament.”
The ambassador then turns to what she describes as the central issue confronting Ugandan officials in Brussels.
“The problem is, of course, Bobi Wine mostly. Is he a wanted man?” she asks.
“Not a wanted man,” Otafiire replies.
The answer appears to reassure Blaak.
“No, no. I know. I’m glad to say that, because I’m going to officially declare this now.”
But the ambassador says confusion persisted because of statements circulating online.
“She wants my quote, and I had already stated it, but I said, ‘Let me be sure, because you know there are certain tweets that have said differently.'”
The apparent reference was to social media posts by Kainerugaba in the aftermath of President Yoweri Museveni’s re-election.
In a series of widely discussed messages, Kainerugaba referred to Bobi Wine as a “terrorist,” urged him to surrender and suggested security agencies were pursuing opposition supporters. In another post, he said security forces had killed several alleged National Unity Platform supporters and that he was “praying” Bobi Wine would be next.
The remarks attracted international attention and became a focal point for critics who argued they contradicted official government assurances.
The leaked conversation suggests senior government officials privately acknowledged the political and diplomatic difficulties created by those statements.
“It’s the tweets causing us problems,” Otafiire says.
Then comes the line that has generated some of the strongest reaction since the recording emerged.
“It’s like giving alcohol to a hungry man.”
Though Kainerugaba is not explicitly named in the remark, many listeners interpreted it as criticism of the army chief’s social media conduct.
Otafiire reportedly continues.
“The Tweets confirm what Bobi is saying (he is a wanted man).”
The statement appears to capture a dilemma facing government officials at the time. While ministers publicly maintained that Bobi Wine was not being sought by security agencies, Kainerugaba’s posts appeared to suggest otherwise.
For diplomats such as Blaak, the contradiction seems to have complicated efforts to reassure European lawmakers.
The conversation also sheds light on concerns within government about Bobi Wine’s international influence.
“We are doing well, I think, with the European Parliament. It’s always causing us a lot of problems, because he has a lot of influence around the European Parliament, and that is not good,” Blaak says.
The ambassador’s remarks reflect the extent to which Uganda’s domestic political struggles have increasingly become the subject of international debate.
Since entering politics in 2017, Bobi Wine has built relationships with lawmakers, rights organizations and advocacy groups across Europe and North America. Those connections have frequently brought international attention to allegations of abuses committed against opposition supporters.
European lawmakers have repeatedly questioned the Ugandan government over arrests, disappearances and restrictions on political activity, particularly during election periods.
Otafiire appears to acknowledge the burden this places on government officials.
“We have every day have to fight this every day. We are the ones getting to answer for it.”
The exchange provides a rare glimpse into the diplomatic battles taking place behind closed doors as Ugandan officials sought to defend the country’s image abroad while responding to criticism from opposition groups and foreign governments.
It also arrives at a time of growing public tension between Otafiire and Kainerugaba.
A historical member of the National Resistance Movement and one of the few surviving veterans of the bush war that brought Museveni to power in 1986, Otafiire has long cultivated a reputation as one of the government’s most independent-minded voices.
Unlike many senior officials, he has occasionally broken ranks with prevailing narratives and publicly expressed views that differ from those of other members of the ruling establishment.
Kainerugaba, meanwhile, has emerged as perhaps the most influential figure in Uganda after his father.
As Chief of Defence Forces and Senior Presidential Advisor on Special Operations, he occupies a unique position at the center of both military and political power.
For more than a decade, speculation surrounding his political future has fueled debate over what has become known as the “Muhoozi Project” — the belief among supporters and critics alike that Museveni may eventually be succeeded by his son.
The debate intensified after former intelligence coordinator Gen. David Sejusa alleged in 2013 that there was a succession plan to prepare Kainerugaba for the presidency. Government officials dismissed the claims, but discussion of the issue has persisted ever since.
In recent years, Kainerugaba’s increasingly assertive presence on social media has amplified those debates.
Supporters view him as a decisive leader willing to challenge convention and speak directly to the public.
Critics argue that some of his statements have complicated official government messaging and blurred the distinction between military leadership and partisan politics.
The leaked recording appears to place those concerns squarely at the center of an internal government conversation.
The controversy has also reignited questions about surveillance and privacy within Uganda’s political establishment.
Fidel Otafiire, the minister’s son, suggested the recording validates longstanding concerns that his father’s communications were being monitored.
While he did not present evidence to support the claim, his comments have fueled speculation about how the conversation was obtained and why it surfaced months after it allegedly took place.
Neither government officials nor security agencies have publicly explained the source of the recording.
The uncertainty has added another layer of intrigue to a controversy already touching on diplomacy, intelligence gathering and high-level political rivalries.
The situation escalated dramatically on Tuesday when Kainerugaba publicly called for an intelligence investigation into the recording, transforming what had been an embarrassing leak into a matter of state interest.
Writing on X, the military chief directed the External Security Organisation to examine the circumstances surrounding the audio.
“I heard an audio recently purportedly from my Dutch auntie H.E. Mirjam Blaak. I have not spoken to her for decades but I cannot believe she’s our enemy now? ESO should give me a report on this ASAP!”
The intervention immediately raised the stakes, placing one of Uganda’s most powerful military figures at the center of a controversy involving a senior cabinet minister, a veteran diplomat and lingering questions about surveillance within the state.
Whether investigators ultimately establish the source of the recording remains uncertain.
What is already clear is that a private conversation intended for only two people has exposed sensitive disagreements inside Uganda’s governing establishment, revealed the diplomatic pressures facing Ugandan officials abroad and opened a new chapter in the increasingly visible tensions surrounding the country’s political future.
It should be remembered that Otafiire recently exposed the rot in police and Muhoozi seems to be baying for his blood in what appears to be a battle of generals, as detailed Here.
Otafiire has previously made it clear that he does not support the idea of Muhoozi becoming president, as well as changing the constitution to stop Ugandans from electing president. (See Details Here and There).
