Gen. Muhoozi warns Ministers who leave country without his permission to be fined Shs30m as Kasolo goes to Türkiye without “clearance”

What the report says

KAMPALA, Uganda — Uganda’s Chief of Defence Forces, Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, has warned Cabinet ministers against travelling abroad without first informing him and getting his clearance. In posts cited by Watchdog Uganda, he said ministers who ignore the instruction could be fined Shs30 million. The comments followed a social media update by Minister of State for Foreign Affairs (Regional Cooperation) Haruna Kyeyune Kasolo, who said he was in Türkiye on official duties.

Gen. Muhoozi publicly questioned whether Kasolo had permission to travel and said he had not cleared the minister’s trip. He also said that all ministers must notify him before leaving Uganda and that his address is known to Cabinet members. The article reports that he framed the proposed penalty as a way to raise money for road construction, although no legal or administrative basis for enforcing the fine was explained in the post.

The dispute has drawn attention because it touches on official travel protocols and the relationship between Uganda’s military leadership and government ministers. Watchdog Uganda noted that the warning comes at a time of heightened public interest in Uganda-Türkiye relations, after the military recently announced a suspension of defence and military cooperation with Türkiye. The report also said Turkish authorities had previously dismissed an online document said to be from the Turkish Foreign Ministry as fabricated.

The article does not provide Kasolo’s response to the warning, and it is not clear from the post how the proposed fine would be implemented.