KAMPALA, Uganda — Gen Salim Saleh, the Chief Coordinator of Operation Wealth Creation (OWC), has reassured European Union (EU) diplomats in Uganda regarding their safety following alleged threats made against them by the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba.
A delegation of European Union (EU) member state Ambassadors, led by the EU Ambassador to Uganda, Jan Sadek, informed Gen Saleh that Gen Muhoozi had threatened “to take us to his basement” in one of his controversial posts on the X-platform (formerly Twitter).
The EU diplomats met with Gen Saleh to discuss the potential of Northern Uganda, his perspective on the political developments in the region and nationally leading up to the 2026 general elections, and to monitor key EU-funded development projects.
Ambassador Sadek highlighted the already polarized political climate and specifically emphasized the growing threats emanating from the CDF through his social media posts targeting the EU Member State Ambassadors.
However, Gen Saleh downplayed the threats against the EU diplomats, describing Gen Muhoozi as a “nice guy” and “not really a big issue”.
He acknowledged that Gen Muhoozi had previously attempted to threaten the Uganda Human Rights Commission Boss, Miriam Fauzat Wangadya, after she demanded the release of Eddie Mutwe, the Chief Body Guard of National Unity Platform (NUP) party President Robert Bobi Wine, from Gen Muhoozi’s basement.
Gen Saleh characterized Gen Muhoozi as a GEN Z soldier (born between 1996 and 2010) and noted that he is the only CDF who did not originate from the National Resistance Army (NRA), the Uganda Liberation Army, or the Uganda Army, pointing out that the UPDF was established in 1995.
During the engagement, Ambassador Sadek emphasized that Gen Muhoozi’s threatening tweets had created security concerns not only for the EU diplomats but also regarding broader issues of security brutality against the opposition.
Gen Saleh assured the delegates, stating, “We shall get him (Muhoozi) on board, we shall mobilise him if it has offended you.”
Gen Saleh also pledged to provide the EU diplomats with insight into the mechanisms being developed to address abuses, explaining that while these issues began in 2018, the proposed solutions at the time did not receive the necessary support.
The meeting, which initially proceeded peacefully, became contentious after Gen Saleh invited veteran journalist Andrew Mwenda, the spokesperson for the Patriotic League Uganda (PLU), a movement created by Gen Muhoozi, to defend the CDF.
Mwenda promptly criticized the Ambassadors for interfering in Uganda’s internal affairs. “I think Western ambassadors, whether in Uganda, have systems of governance in their countries which they consider to be superior and universal,” he said.
Mwenda further alleged that the opposition NUP party was not preparing for an election but rather planning for an insurrection. “…And that’s what they’re trying to do, to organise militarily, to organise, not for an election, but for an insurrection. Election is an opportunity to stimulate and precipitate an insurrection, that’s how they see politics,” said Mwenda, adding, “they want a uniform. They send people to Kenya. They send people to Congo. They practice military drills. Intelligence has all this information.”
However, David Pulkol, the former Director of External Security Organisation (ESO), offered a contrasting view, arguing that the office of the CDF is a high position that should be used to unite Ugandans, not to torture or oppress them.
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“The moment you enter such a high office, you must put your shoes there, you must dust the mud from your feet because you are going to the office which governs the entire country. Remember the UPDF is a strong pillar on which our country is depending, it’s the one which unites all of us,” he stated. He added, “Even if it is our struggle, we have no right to oppress our people, to torture them.”
Pulkol explained that the CDF’s office is a pillar of the state, and “You must be careful how you conduct yourself, because you unify everyone else. Why didn’t any other CDF do the same?”
The EU delegates present emphasized that the CDF’s conduct was already significantly damaging Uganda’s reputation as a nation and urged the government to address the issue.
