National Unity Platform (NUP) president Bobi Wine has criticised Uganda’s Chief of Defence Forces, General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, after the military chief apologised for remarks he said were offensive to an indigenous Ugandan tribe.
Muhoozi issued the apology after acknowledging that he had wrongly directed anger towards the community over an issue involving another person.
“I want to apologise to one of our indigenous tribes. The other day I said something that was wrong. I transferred my anger against someone else on them. That was wrong of me. I ask their forgiveness,” Muhoozi stated.
However, Bobi Wine dismissed the apology as a reminder that the general could eventually be forced to seek forgiveness from a wider section of Ugandans over alleged human rights abuses.
In a statement, the NUP leader accused security forces under the government of abducting and torturing Ugandans, and alleged that some victims had been killed and denied proper burials.
“One day, you’ll also want to apologize to the Ugandans you’ve abducted and tortured in your so-called basement,” Bobi Wine said.
He further accused Muhoozi of presiding over a system in which families had allegedly lost husbands and sons, while also accusing him of mistreating women.
The opposition leader also referred to Muhoozi’s controversial posts and statements on X, arguing that an apology could not erase remarks that had already entered the public record.
“You’ll wish you could take back the reckless and hateful things you’ve said on X—the insults, threats, evil confessions and obscenities. But history offers no delete button,” Bobi Wine stated.
He said Muhoozi’s latest apology should serve as a warning that public actions and statements could eventually have consequences.
“Your apology today should remind you that the day will come when you are asking Ugandans for forgiveness but by then, history will already have passed its judgment,” he added.
The exchange comes amid continued political tensions in Uganda, where Bobi Wine and his NUP have remained among the strongest critics of President Yoweri Museveni’s government and its security apparatus.
Muhoozi, who is also President Museveni’s son, has frequently attracted public controversy over his political comments and social media posts.
His latest apology has therefore drawn renewed attention to his remarks and the wider debate over accountability, political rhetoric and alleged human rights violations in Uganda.