EXCLUSIVE REPORT: The First son and Commander of Land Forces, Lt. Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba will not retire from the army as earlier announced through his Twitter handle.
Gen. Muhoozi had announced in a Tweet on Tuesday afternoon that he would retire but did not reveal the date when the retirement would take effect.
“After 28 years of service in my glorious military, the greatest military in the world, I am happy to announce my retirement. Me and my soldiers have achieved so much! I have only love and respect for all those great men and women that achieve greatness for Uganda every day,” Muhoozi tweeted on Tuesday afternoon.
This announcement which went viral on various online platforms sparked off a huge debate with many proclaiming that the 47 year old was eyeing to replace his father as the President when he retires from his political seat.
However, the debate was short-lived after veteran journalist Andrew Mwenda who is widely known to be an accomplice of the first family uploaded a video clip of him and Lt. General Muhoozi Kainerugaba clarifying that he would leave the army after 8 years.
“I am not leaving tomorrow but after 8 years,” Muhoozi is overheard saying in the video.
However, sources close to the army have exclusively tipped this website that Gen. Muhoozi’s decision to retire was rejected by his father who is also the Commander in Chief (CIC) Gen. Yoweri Museveni.
The source further clarified that Gen. Muhoozi had not yet reached the retirement age, and also needed to go through a formal procedure through promotions and commission board of the UPDF which allows a soldier to retire.
According to sources, Muhoozi had not applied as required but simply expressed interest in retiring on social media.
Muhoozi joined the military in 1999, making it 23 years in active service not 28 as he earlier said.
In his 23 of military service Muhoozi has held sensitive positions including commanding Special Forces twice, an elite unit of UPDF that oversees security of First Family and other strategic installations in the country.
Muhoozi is credited for engaging President Paul Kagame who agreed to open Rwanda- Uganda border which he had been closed for 3 years following a diplomatic conflict and also flushing out ADF rebels in Eastern Congo through Operation Shuja that was launched at the end of last year.
He has also served as a Special Advisor to the President on military operations.
Last year he was appointed Commander Land Forces.
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