Muhoozi Kainerugaba, Uganda's Chief of Defence Forces and son of President Yoweri Museveni, has demanded $1 billion from Turkey and the "most beautiful woman in the country" as his wife.
Kainerugaba argued that Uganda's participation to regional security operations had gone unnoticed, and that financial reimbursement was owed.
He has also threatened to terminate diplomatic ties with Turkey and shut down its embassy in Kampala within 30 days if his demands are not met.
He also made a contentious comment, requesting that Turkey hand over "the most beautiful woman in the country," and stating that he would marry her.
In a series of tweets on X, Kainerugaba accused Turkey of profiting from Somalia's economic and infrastructural developments, including ports and airports in the capital, Mogadishu.He argued that although Turkey profited from these investments, Uganda had been carrying a significant security burden for many years.
Uganda has had troops in Somalia for nearly two decades as part of African Union missions, mostly to combat the insurgent group Al-Shabaab, which is affiliated to Al-Qaeda.
He stated that Uganda should get $1 billion from Turkey as a "security dividend". "For Turkey, the deal is simple: either they pay us or I close their embassy here. They can react by closing our embassy in Turkey. "No problem," his posts on X stated.
Kainerugaba stated that relations between Uganda and Turkey are "serious" and should not be viewed as social media drama.He threatened that Uganda may soon terminate diplomatic ties with Turkey, stating, "Forget Twitter games. We will end diplomatic relations with them very soon. He also accused Turkey of being unfair to Uganda, saying, "Who needs a friend who keeps stabbing you in the back."
He also encouraged Ugandans to avoid travelling to Turkey "for their own safety."In the same posts, he expressed his support for Israel, saying, "I am ready to deploy 100,000 Ugandan soldiers to Israel, under my command, to protect the Holy Land—the land of Jesus Christ our God."
This is hardly Kainerugaba's first strange statement.In October 2022, he publicly stated that he was willing to sell 100 Ankole cows, which he described as "the most beautiful cows on Earth," in exchange for Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's hand in marriage.