Uganda’s Chief of Defence Forces, Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, has sparked fresh controversy after posting on social media that the government intends to hang what he described as “most of the NUP terrorists,” specifically naming National Unity Platform (NUP) activist and Bobi Wine’s former bodyguard, Eddie Mutwe. The statement, posted on Muhoozi’s social media account, comes amid heightened political tensions in Uganda as the country moves through the 2026 election period.
Muhoozi did not provide details of what offences he was alleging against Mutwe or explain whether the statement represented an official government or military position. Mutwe, whose real name is Edward Ssebuufu, has been a prominent member of NUP leader Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, also known as Bobi Wine’s, security team and has previously been arrested and prosecuted on criminal charges.
Mutwe has been at the centre of previous confrontations between Muhoozi and the opposition. In April 2025, Mutwe disappeared after reportedly being picked up by security operatives in Mukono. His whereabouts remained unknown for several days before Muhoozi publicly claimed that he was holding him. The Uganda Human Rights Commission had also ordered Muhoozi to release Mutwe, saying the commission was satisfied that he was being unlawfully detained or restricted.
Amnesty International later documented the episode in its assessment of Uganda’s human-rights situation, reporting that Muhoozi had claimed responsibility for Mutwe’s disappearance and alleged torture during detention. The organisation reported that Mutwe was eventually taken to Masaka Court in a visibly weak condition and that his lawyer alleged he had been subjected to electrocution. Mutwe was subsequently charged in connection with allegations including aggravated robbery and assault.
The latest statement by Muhoozi brings Mutwe’s name back into the centre of the increasingly heated exchanges between Uganda’s military leadership and the opposition. The reference to hanging also raises questions about the legal basis for such a punishment. Under Uganda’s legal system, criminal punishment is determined through judicial proceedings rather than social-media declarations.
Any criminal allegation against an individual must therefore be tested through the established legal process. The post had not, at the time of reporting, been accompanied by a detailed explanation identifying the alleged offences for which Mutwe or other NUP members would supposedly face such punishment. Muhoozi is both the UPDF CDF and a prominent political figure whose public statements frequently attract significant attention because of his position within Uganda’s security establishment.
The latest remarks are likely to generate renewed debate over the language used by senior state officials when discussing opposition supporters, the treatment of political activists and the boundaries between political rhetoric and official state policy. For now, the specific claim that Mutwe or other NUP members will be hanged remains a statement attributed to Muhoozi on social media; it should not be presented as an announced judicial sentence or established government policy without further official confirmation.
Key points
- Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba's statement has sparked controversy and raised questions about the legal basis for the alleged punishment.
- Eddie Mutwe has previously been arrested and prosecuted on criminal charges and has been at the centre of previous confrontations between Muhoozi and the opposition.
- The Uganda Human Rights Commission had ordered Muhoozi to release Mutwe, citing unlawful detention or restriction.
