A fresh public disagreement between two senior Ugandan military figures has emerged after Chief of Defence Forces Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba gave Minister Gen. Kahinda Otafiire one week to apologise over remarks made in Parliament about generals who use violence to resolve political or social problems.
In a post on X on Friday, Muhoozi said he had heard that his “junior” Otafiire had made statements against him in Parliament and issued a seven-day deadline for an apology.
“I hear my junior MG. Otafiire made some statements in parliament against me. I’m giving him exactly 1 week to apologise to me or else he will see.”
Muhoozi did not specify in the post which particular statement he considered offensive.
The warning came a day after Otafiire delivered a speech in Parliament in which he called for political disagreements to be handled through dialogue rather than violence.
Otafiire told MPs that disagreements were a normal part of human interaction and politics, arguing that the important issue was how such disagreements were resolved.
“I always say, Mr Speaker, that when you see two people living together and they don’t disagree for a month, it means one of them is a fool,” he said.
He immediately added that disagreement itself was not the problem.
“Disagreement is not the problem, but how to resolve the contradiction is the problem,” Otafiire said.
He then made the statement that has attracted the most attention.
“The hallmark of civilization is how people resolve contradiction without violence. When you see a General who prefers violence as the best means of solving problems, then there is a problem,” he told Parliament.
Otafiire further said that the most effective generals were those capable of resolving disputes without resorting to armed force.
“The greatest Generals I know of are those who resolve problems without shooting a bullet,” he said.
Otafiire did not name Muhoozi or any other General in the parliamentary speech.
Despite the absence of a name, the comments quickly attracted speculation because of Otafiire’s previous public disagreements with Muhoozi.
The two generals have clashed publicly before, including in February 2026 when Muhoozi warned that Otafiire could be arrested if he continued involving him in political disputes. Otafiire responded to the threat with “LOL” on X.
That history has led some commentators to interpret Otafiire’s latest remarks as an indirect message to the CDF.
However, that remains an interpretation. The parliamentary record itself does not identify Muhoozi as the General Otafiire was referring to.
Beyond the remarks about generals and violence, Otafiire used his parliamentary intervention to make a broader appeal for political tolerance.
He reminded MPs that Uganda belongs to people across different political camps and that political disagreements should not destroy the common national interest.
“Whatever the shade of our political persuasion, we have one country and we must serve that country,” he said.
He also urged the ruling National Resistance Movement to tolerate criticism and recognise the role played by the opposition.
“NRM, you are winners,” Otafiire said, arguing that those who win should be “magnanimous in victory”, while those who lose should respect the outcome but retain the right to be heard.
He described the opposition as a “mirror of reflection” for the ruling party, saying political leaders can use criticism to assess their own performance.
The exchange between the two generals comes at a politically sensitive time, following the circulation of videos allegedly showing opposition activist Sam Mugumya in a severely weakened condition.
Former UPDF officer Lt Herbert Matanda Mabonga has alleged that the footage was recorded at a military safe house and has made wider allegations concerning torture, illegal detention and enforced disappearances.
The location, date and circumstances of the footage have not been independently verified.
The UPDF has since rejected Mabonga’s allegations, describing him as a deserter and dismissing his claims as fabricated. The army says Mabonga failed to report for a reassignment and was subsequently declared absent without official leave before being classified as a deserter.
The controversy has also reached Parliament, where Leader of Opposition Joel Ssenyonyi raised concerns over missing persons and demanded explanations from government. Parliament subsequently gave government two weeks to account for Mugumya and other reported missing persons.
Against that backdrop, Muhoozi’s latest post has added another layer to the debate surrounding Otafiire’s comments.
His message did not accuse Otafiire of any particular offence but demanded an apology, giving the minister exactly seven days.
The statement has also revived attention to the longstanding public exchanges between the two generals, who occupy different positions within Uganda’s political and security establishment.
Otafiire’s parliamentary speech, meanwhile, remains open to different interpretations because he did not identify the General he was discussing.
What is documented is that Otafiire argued that political and social contradictions should be resolved through information, dialogue and peaceful engagement rather than violence, while Muhoozi has now publicly demanded that Otafiire apologise for what he considers statements made against him.
The dispute therefore moves from Parliament to the public arena, with attention now likely to focus on whether Otafiire will respond to Muhoozi’s seven-day ultimatum.
