Uganda’s Chief of Defence Forces, Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, has deactivated his X account following a series of controversial posts in which he appeared to demand that Vice President Jessica Alupo prepare to leave office. The account reportedly became unavailable on the morning of November 10, just hours after the general made the remarks.
The development came after Muhoozi used his X account on the evening of November 9 to suggest that the person occupying the vice president’s office should prepare to hand it over. In one of his posts, he wrote, “Whoever is in that office should prepare to hand it over soon,” raising questions about his intentions.
In another post, the army chief suggested that he could take over as vice president and promised to run government on what he described as military terms. He argued that such an approach would help address inefficiency, although he did not explain how the proposed change would happen.
Muhoozi also accused Alupo of supporting former Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi during the 2016 presidential election when Mbabazi challenged President Yoweri Museveni. In an earlier message, he had referred to Jessica as someone who had been warming his seat for long enough, suggesting that her time in the position was coming to an end.
By Tuesday morning, people visiting his verified-looking @mkainerugaba profile were reportedly met with an account-does-not-exist message. This commonly appears when a user deactivates an account, although the exact reason for its disappearance had not been officially explained.
Alupo has served as Uganda’s Vice President since 2021. Under Article 108 of the Constitution, the president appoints a vice president with approval from Parliament. The law also provides for the appointment of a replacement within 14 days if the office becomes vacant.
The latest development comes amid changing statements from Muhoozi about his military position. Earlier in November, he indicated that he was preparing to leave the office of Chief of Defence Forces, but later said he would remain in the position for at least another year.
This is not the first time Muhoozi has left X. In January 2025, he announced that he was quitting the platform to concentrate on his military responsibilities, but returned six days later with the message, “I’m back!” He had also temporarily left the platform in 2022 before returning. His latest account deactivation has therefore attracted fresh attention, particularly because it followed his remarks about the vice presidency.
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