UPDF Denies Muhoozi Ever Met Kakwenza, Rejects New York Times Abuse Allegations

What the report says

The Uganda People’s Defence Forces has rejected allegations highlighted in a New York Times article by journalist Megan K. Stack, including claims linked to General Muhoozi Kainerugaba and exiled writer Kakwenza Rukirabashaija. In a statement issued on Saturday, October 10, the army’s acting Director of Defence Public Information, Col Chris Magezi, said the accusations were unfounded and politically motivated, and he denied that Muhoozi ever met Kakwenza.

According to the Nile Post report, the New York Times piece examined concerns about authoritarianism in Uganda and repeated Kakwenza’s allegations of abuse while in detention. The article also described claims that Muhoozi, who is Uganda’s Chief of Defence Forces and Senior Presidential Advisor for Special Operations, had humiliated him and later tried to silence him. The UPDF rejected that account and argued that the story relied on opposition narratives rather than adequate verification.

The army also broadened its criticism to what it described as a wider pattern of hostile Western media coverage of Muhoozi and Uganda’s politics. Magezi cited past reporting by outlets including The Telegraph, the Wall Street Journal and The Economist as examples of bias, and said Uganda’s future leadership should be decided by Ugandans. The statement further defended Muhoozi’s military record and said human rights allegations should be tested through legal and institutional channels.

The UPDF’s response does not independently settle the competing claims, but it shows the army’s forceful pushback against the New York Times report and the political scrutiny surrounding Muhoozi’s public profile.