Chief of Defence Forces Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba has indicated that Matthew Bagonza, an aide to Presidential Advisory Committee on Exports and Industrial Development (PACEID) chairperson Odrek Rwabwogo, has been arrested.
Muhoozi made the remarks on X, where he also shared a photograph showing Bagonza without a shirt. The post followed reports that security officers had taken Bagonza from his home in Entebbe.
Bagonza serves as head of the PACEID Secretariat and has been involved in the committee’s work alongside Rwabwogo.
In several posts, Muhoozi appeared to threaten Bagonza with physical punishment while in custody.
“I’ll make sure we cane Bagonza properly. He will receive the small number of 3,000 canes per week,” Muhoozi wrote.
He later posted the photograph of Bagonza with the caption: “We shall start caning his stomach tomorrow. He will lose weight after that.”
In a separate post, Muhoozi said Bagonza’s death during the alleged punishment would be “a very good thing.”
The CDF did not say where Bagonza was being held, why he had been arrested or which security agency had taken him into custody.
Reports of the arrest began circulating before Muhoozi’s posts, with sources saying that officers had picked up Bagonza at his Entebbe residence.
As head of the PACEID Secretariat, Bagonza has represented the committee at various trade-related events in Uganda and abroad. In July, he described the Uganda Connect International Buyers’ Week as an initiative intended to connect Ugandan producers with overseas buyers.
The reported arrest follows Muhoozi’s declaration on August 25 that PACEID was an “illegal organisation.” He also accused some of its members of corruption and said arrests had started.
PACEID was launched by President Yoweri Museveni in March 2022 under the Office of the President. Its mandate includes advising the government on exports and industrial development, as well as helping Ugandan businesses access international markets.
Rwabwogo, who is also a presidential adviser and President Museveni’s son-in-law, heads the committee. He is married to Patience Rwabwogo.
Muhoozi also warned Rwabwogo against contacting security officials without his authorisation.
“The next time Odrek dares to call any security officer without my approval he will be arrested,” he wrote.
The statements have added to the uncertainty surrounding the dispute over PACEID. Bagonza’s exact whereabouts, the grounds for his detention and the identity of the officers involved remain unclear.
