KAMPALA, Uganda — Uganda’s Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, has declared the Presidential Advisory Committee on Exports and Industrial Development (PACEID) an “illegal organisation” and threatened to arrest members accused of corruption, escalating a public confrontation with the committee’s chairman, Odrek Rwabwogo.
In a series of posts on X on Tuesday, August 25, Gen. Muhoozi said authorities would begin arresting members of PACEID whom he accused of corruption.
“PACEID is an illegal organisation. We shall start arresting its members immediately,” Gen. Muhoozi said.
He added: “We are going to arrest ALL the members of PACEID involved in corruption.”
Gen. Muhoozi later claimed that one person had already been arrested, although he did not identify the individual, specify the alleged offence or provide details of where the person was being held.
“We have already arrested one of the criminals. Muraregye,” he wrote.
He also warned radio and television stations against hosting PACEID officials, saying broadcasters that gave the committee’s members airtime would face “severe consequences.”
The threats have not been accompanied by a publicly announced investigation or formal legal action against PACEID by the police or other authorities.
PACEID and Rwabwogo had not publicly responded to Gen. Muhoozi’s latest statements by the time of publication.
Muhoozi targets PACEID
PACEID was commissioned by President Yoweri Museveni on March 16, 2022, and operates under the Office of the President. It describes itself as an advisory platform focused on removing bottlenecks affecting Uganda’s exports and industrial development.
The committee’s official website identifies Rwabwogo as its chairman and says its work focuses on markets, standards, infrastructure and export financing.
PACEID has also continued to operate publicly in 2026. In February, Museveni appointed former NSSF managing director Richard Byarugaba and former Trademark Africa Uganda and South Sudan country director Moses Sabiti as senior presidential advisers working on exports and industrial development.
The committee has recently been involved in government-backed trade initiatives, including engagements with Nigeria aimed at expanding trade and investment opportunities.
Gen. Muhoozi did not provide evidence to support his assertion that PACEID is illegal or substantiate his corruption allegations.
Threat against media houses
The army chief’s warning to broadcasters adds another dimension to the confrontation, coming less than two months after he ordered the shutdown of major Ugandan media outlets during a separate dispute.
In June, Gen. Muhoozi ordered the closure of NTV Uganda, Spark TV and Daily Monitor, with security personnel deployed at Nation Media Group premises. He also threatened the company’s managing director, Susan Nsibirwa.
His latest warning suggests that media organisations could again become targets if they give airtime to PACEID officials.
Gen. Muhoozi also referred to the recent intervention by his Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU) in parliamentary politics, writing: “You saw what we did with Parliament. Wait for this one…”
The comment appeared to signal that PLU could use similar political pressure against PACEID.
Growing tensions within Uganda’s ruling establishment
The latest confrontation has brought renewed attention to tensions between Gen. Muhoozi and Rwabwogo, who is married to Museveni’s daughter.
The two men have increasingly found themselves on opposing sides of political and governance debates, with their differences playing out publicly through statements by their respective allies.
Rwabwogo has previously called for accountability and defended the importance of speaking freely about governance and national development. He has also argued that civic freedoms are important to Uganda’s economic ambitions.
In May 2025, Rwabwogo rejected allegations concerning PACEID and funds linked to coffee-sector interventions, saying the committee had not received the money in question and that the funds had been handled by another government ministry and company.
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The dispute has also involved Kasambya MP David Kabanda, a prominent Gen. Muhoozi ally, who has made allegations against Rwabwogo over land and other matters.
Rwabwogo has rejected the accusations, describing them as false and insisting that he would not be intimidated.
The allegations have not been established by a court or an official finding.
Battle for influence
The increasingly public dispute comes against a backdrop of intense political positioning within Uganda’s ruling establishment ahead of the country’s next political cycle.
Gen. Muhoozi, the son of President Museveni and chairman of PLU, has emerged as an increasingly prominent political figure, while Rwabwogo has built his influence around economic policy, exports and industrial development.
PACEID says its mandate is to help Uganda expand export capacity, improve market access, strengthen standards and reduce logistical and financing barriers.
Gen. Muhoozi’s latest statements therefore place an organisation operating under the President’s Office directly in the line of fire of one of the country’s most powerful security officials.
For now, however, it remains unclear whether the threats will translate into formal investigations, arrests or other action against PACEID officials.
The confrontation is likely to intensify scrutiny of the competing centres of influence within Uganda’s ruling establishment—and of the increasingly prominent political role being played by Gen. Muhoozi and his PLU.
