The UPDF, Uganda’s national army, has told US Senator Jim Risch to stop “outdated colonial tactics” after the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee said first son and Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba had crossed the red line and should face sanctions.
As The Pearl Times recently reported, Muhoozi had briefly suspended military cooperation with the US embassy in Kampala as he claimed that it had helped opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine escape into hiding after the January 15, 2026 election.
After Muhoozi’s apology on X, Senator Risch said the army commander should face sanctions because he had crossed the red line.
“Commander Muhoozi Kainerugaba has crossed a red line and now the U.S. must reevaluate its security partnership, which includes sanctions, and military cooperation with Uganda. The president’s son, and likely successor, cannot just delete tweets and issue hollow apologies,” said Risch.
“The U.S. will not tolerate this level of instability and recklessness when American personnel, U.S. interests, and innocent lives in the region are at stake.”
Now, the UPDF has called Senator Jim Risch a “wayward and loose cannon senator,” and insisted his push would not soil Kampala’s cooperation with Washington.
“Uganda is a sovereign and independent country. The people of Uganda, expressing themselves in a free and fair democratic election recently re-elected President Yoweri Museveni and other leaders to lead them for the next five years. It was an overwhelming mandate in which the President obtained 72% electoral backing. The UPDF pays allegiance to the President of the Republic of Uganda and the sovereign decisions made by the people,” wrote Col Chris Magezi, acting UPDF spokesperson.
“Therefore, threats and intimidation by a foreign power in our country’s internal affairs is an outdated colonial tactic that will be vigorously resisted especially coming from a so-called senator. Uganda and the US have a strong history of cooperation across many fields including in defence and security, health and education, and so on . The beneficial relationship between our two countries will not change because of one wayward and loose cannon senator.”
As The Pearl Times has reported, Senator Risch recently told the Trump government to take action against Museveni and Muhoozi, even as he punched holes in the presidential election results. (See Details Here).
Also read about Muhoozi’s apology to America, and his previous war of words with US Ambassador to Uganda Here and There.
