Gen Kahinda Otafiire reportedly kept Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba and his uncle, Gen Salim Saleh, waiting for about 90 minutes before beginning a meeting intended to address tensions between the veteran minister and the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF).
According to political commentator Andrew Mwenda, who said he travelled with Muhoozi to the meeting at Kapeeka, the gathering was organised after President Yoweri Museveni called for reconciliation between the two senior figures following their public disagreements.
Museveni reportedly asked Saleh, whose real name is Caleb Akandwanaho, to chair the meeting because he was concerned about senior government figures exchanging criticism in public instead of resolving their differences privately.
However, Mwenda recalled that the discussions did not begin immediately after the delegation arrived. “Otafiire made us wait for one and a half hours,” he said, describing the delay before the minister finally addressed those present.
When Otafiire eventually spoke, he reportedly began by recounting his political history rather than immediately discussing his disagreement with Muhoozi. He reminded Saleh about his first journey to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, in 1974, when he was a young man of about 14 years.
Mwenda said Otafiire pointed out that Muhoozi was only a few months old at the time, highlighting the significant age difference between the veteran minister and the army chief. He also reportedly recalled his experiences in Moshi and his involvement in political mobilisation alongside Museveni.
The meeting later turned to the disagreement that had brought the men together. Mwenda challenged Otafiire on whether, as an elder, he should have approached Muhoozi privately to offer advice instead of allowing their differences to become a public confrontation.
According to Mwenda, Otafiire responded that he did not have Muhoozi’s telephone number, while the wider dispute had reportedly escalated after the minister made remarks about a general who allegedly favoured violence. Muhoozi subsequently demanded an apology and threatened to arrest him, while Otafiire declared that he would rather die than live begging. Mwenda’s account offers a glimpse into the unusual opening of the meeting, although it does not confirm whether the discussions ultimately resolved the dispute.
