Mwenda worries that the majority of Ugandans only understand Muhoozi through the lens of his posts on social media platform X, in which he appears as an impolite and out-of-control first son and army commander.
Journalist Andrew Mwenda is calling on his friend Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba to engage more with the Ugandan public to help them understand who he is and what he stands for.
Andrew Mwenda and Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba
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Speaking Wednesday on an X Space, Mwenda drew parallels with the social media version of Gen Muhoozi and that which he has known and admired for over three decades.
Andrew Mwenda
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He described the First Son as “ferociously intelligent” but also “calm and composed.”
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“Many Ugandans having not dealt or interacted with him would have particular opinions of him, but he is in fact a calm and composed person who only speaks when it is absolutely necessary. Many people have not had the benefit of listening to him,” Mwenda said.
“He is a good listener. In groups, he is more likely to listen than speak.”
Speak publicly
Mwenda says Muhoozi needs to put himself out in the public more if he harbours any political ambitions.
This he says, is the only way he will appeal to neutral Ugandans who currently view him as unhinged.
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“He may make a choice not to be out there speaking to everybody because there is a myth around him which works for him…but at times I feel that Muhoozi needs to interact with more Ugandans, not necessarily the human rights defenders and the opposition, but more genuine Ugandans who want to know and understand him. He should create more time to interact with Ugandans. People will understand him much more if they interact with him,” he said.
Over the past week, Mwenda has been engaged in a fiery debate with a section of Ugandans who question Gen Muhoozi’s mental abilities.
The Chief of Defence Forces, Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, commissioned an administration block at Ruhengyere Barracks, also known as Camp Rufu, in western Uganda.
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The debate was sparked by a post by lawyer and human rights defender Nicholas Opiyo, who raised questions about the mental stability of the first son and UPDF’s Chief of Defence Forces.
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But Mwenda insists that those who doubt Muhoozi’s intelligence are “blinded” by their ignorance and prejudice over the general.
