Muhoozi a fine officer and gentleman

By Stephen Othieno Jr.

EVER since the recent promotion of Brig. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, there has been a lot of hullabaloo with various commentators theorising, making educated guesses and others spewing outright malicious propaganda, mostly from the so-called elite and the political class.

I need not get into these as we are all too conversant with them.

However, as someone who has known Brig. Muhoozi as a comrade for almost two decades, I can authoritatively say that most of the commentators are completely off the mark as they do not know him.

As far back as his student days, Brig. Muhoozi has concerned himself with issues to with the wellbeing of the fatherland, Uganda. It has been variously reported that in high school, he was a keen martial artist, particularly taking a liking for the sport of Judo.

What is not known is that his obsession with this art was informed by his insistence on physical fitness in preparation for future active service of our country.

At that time during the hay days of the glorious revolution, every young progressive student's dream was to join the army in future. The sight of young revolutionaries, especially the kadogos, captured our imagination.

As comrades, we engrossed ourselves in revolutionary and developmental literature, and this was the basis of the numerous study groups that later mushroomed in various institutions.

It was under the aegis of these study groups that our peers and numerous other young progressives undertook the ultimate sacrifice in service of the country by joining the armed forces, while others joined various other professions including the private sector.

From the time Brig. Muhoozi joined the forces, over 15 years ago, he has undergone the requisite training that warrants his current rank.

Claims about favoritism just do not hold because there are numerous officers that have similarly benefited from those courses. I know this for a fact because this information is readily available but it will be up to the army to dispel these claims if they see it fit.

These misplaced claims are similar to those some years back when certain reactionary forces claimed sectarianism in the recruitment and deployment in the army and other agencies, after which the concerned parties reproduced comprehensive information that completely dispelled those claims.

In my view, Brig. Muhoozi’s recent promotion, together with other young officers should be applauded as this signals a deliberate effort of generational continuity.

In fact, the appointment of youthful cabinet ministers such as Hon. Frank Tumwebaze and Hon. Richard Todwong is even more significant as these are much higher in seniority than those in the armed forces. It is common knowledge that the army is subordinate to civilian authority and this is the reality in Uganda today.

I therefore, do not understand all those voices that keep ranting about the lack of young people in leadership positions as it is a fact that the current cabinet and legislature, for instance, are the youngest we have had with an average age of 41 years and 39 years respectively.

To all voices of dissent out there, Brig. Muhoozi has earned his rank and cut his teeth both on the battle field and in managing his forces.

Right from counter insurgency operations in Teso and the DRC, to special operations in Garambe and Somalia, as well as disarmament and the containment of arms proliferation elsewhere, Brig. Muhoozi has simply delivered results.

Are we meant to believe that his involvement in all these assignments are a public relations gimmick like the reactionaries would want us to believe? Even the best skeptics surely now know that eminent danger lurks at every point of operations as was witnessed, for instance, in the unfortunate accidents when UPDAF helicopters crashed en-route to Somalia recently.

All the years I have known him, Brig. Muhoozi has continued to deepen his ideological understanding through regular interactions with peers and others alike, he has further delved into the realm of intellectual discourse through the publication of numerous works – one of which was recently published.

He is an ardent Pan Africanist and continues to patronize various causes, especially those to do with the youth and other underprivileged sections of society. All these deeds are carried out without much fanfare, but in accordance with his character – soft spoken yet resolute.

Brig. Muhoozi is probably the only person I know who still conducts ‘business’ even during leisure time and this has proven to be a challenge to many that have engaged with him over the years. In a nutshell, he is a fine officer and gentleman.

My simple message to all these forces of doom is to either shut up or put up! The long march to the transformation and development of Uganda is on course and we are confident that more and more younger compatriots, including Brig. Muhoozi, will continue to assume positions of leadership in service of their fatherland. 

Writer is the Executive Director, Centre for African Security