The reason for the promotion of First Son Muhoozi Kainerugaba to the rank of Major General on Monday has been explained by the army.
Lt Col Paddy Ankunda, the Defence and Military spokesman, revealed earlier today that Muhoozi has been promoted from Brigadier to Major General so that he has the right rank to command the Special Forces which is going to be expanded into an autonomous Service Force within the UPDF.
“To command a Service Force, one must not be below the rank of Major General and Muhoozi has done all the requisite training to deservedly become a general. He also has command experience.”
Lt. Col. Ankunda’s words, however, come against a lot of words by different Ugandans to the effect that Muhoozi is being quickly promoted through the ranks so that he can command the entire army and therefore wield enough power to run the country as a successor to his father.
Also cited by people as a plot to get Muhoozi very powerful is the fact that the Special Forces, which Muhoozi commands, is to be expanded on numbers, budget and equipment to match the levels of the Land and Airforces. Many see this as a a move to make the SFC the superior portion of the army, so that with its loyalty Muhoozi can effectively have the country’s military power in his hands.
Maj. Gen. Muhoozi, joined the armed forces fist by enlisting as a Local Defence Unit (LDU) trainee in 1998, before joining mainstream army in 1999. Gen. Muhoozi has also had training at some of the worlds leading military institutions, such as the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in the UK,the US Army Command and General Staff College Fort Leavenworth, Kansas and the South African National Defence College.
The outsized Special Forces that he commands guard the presidency, state guests and other Very Very Important Persons (VVIPs) as well key strategic national installations, including the oil fields. While the rank of Maj. Gen. which he now goes to makes the First Son a two-star General, the same rank or higher than some of the veteran officers that fought in the 1981-86 war that brought President Museveni to power in 1986.