Ugandan Military Chief Kainerugaba Calls For Full Force Protest At Turkish Embassy, Orders Turks To ‘Pack Their Bags’ | Sahara Reporters
Following the military chief’s directive, Twalla Fadil, General Secretary of the Patriotic League of Uganda and Member of Parliament for Tingey County, confirmed that the organization was preparing to carry out the orders.
General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) of the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) and Chairman of the Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU), has ordered a massive protest at the Turkish Embassy in Kampala, escalating diplomatic friction between Uganda and Turkey.
In a series of posts on his official X (formerly Twitter) handle, Kainerugaba — the son of long-serving Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni — announced that he has completely severed ties with Turkish interests in the country, demanding that Turkish nationals vacate Uganda immediately.
We are demonstrating in full force at the Turkish Embassy on the 18th of September. Hon.Fadhil is in charge of this demonstration. PLU better do a good job. My order will not change this time. Instead we will arrest ANY Turkish agent who says anything different!
— Muhoozi Kainerugaba (@mkainerugaba) September 9, 2026
“I have already severed ANYTHING to do with the Turks in Uganda. They should pack their bags as soon as possible and get out of our country,” General Kainerugaba posted, before issuing a directive to his political movement, the Patriotic League of Uganda.
“We are demonstrating in full force at the Turkish Embassy on the 18th of September. Hon. Fadhil is in charge of this demonstration. PLU better do a good job. My order will not change this time. Instead we will arrest ANY Turkish agent who says anything different!” he added.
Following the military chief’s directive, Twalla Fadil, General Secretary of the Patriotic League of Uganda and Member of Parliament for Tingey County, confirmed that the organization was preparing to carry out the orders.
“Instruction taken and We are very ready to act my chairman,” Fadil responded on X.
Instruction taken and We are very ready to act my chairman. https://t.co/9Rgl98AiK3
— Twalla Fadil (@HonTwallafadil) September 9, 2026
In a subsequent statement, Fadil summoned regional leaders of the movement for an emergency planning session:
“As instructed by our Chairman Patriotic League of Uganda @mkainerugaba that we hold a full force demonstration at the Turkish Embassy on 18th, September 2026.
“I invite all the appointed and acting regional and subregional PLU coordinators for a strategic planning meeting at the PLU Secretariat Naguru, tomorrow Thursday 10th at exactly midday. Please attend and keep time.”
In another post, Kainerugaba made erratic remarks regarding his travel plans, posting: “I will soon go to visit the grave of my ancestor, Alexander the Great, in Greece.”
The planned demonstration and expulsion threats mark the culmination of mounting diplomatic friction between the Ugandan military chief and Ankara.
Kainerugaba—often dubbed Uganda’s “tweeting general”—has a history of firing off controversial social media posts that trigger geopolitical storms, forcing the Ugandan Ministry of Foreign Affairs to clarify that official foreign policy is not conducted via social media platforms.
Tensions between Kainerugaba and Turkey flared up following a series of aggressive social media posts demanding a “$1 billion security dividend” from Ankara.
Kainerugaba argued that Ugandan troops bore the human cost of fighting Al-Shabaab insurgents in Somalia while Turkish businesses reaped commercial and infrastructure benefits in Mogadishu. His posts included misogynistic demands for a “Turkish bride” and threats to shut down the embassy and ban Turkish Airlines.
The remarks drew sharp criticism from Omer Celik, spokesman for Turkey’s ruling AK Party, who publicly rebuked Kainerugaba’s comments as “baseless” and called for them to be corrected.
Beyond online rhetoric, diplomatic and economic relations between Kampala and Ankara have faced underlying friction –
Uganda previously canceled a $2.2 billion standard-gauge railway contract initially intended for Turkish firm Yapi Merkezi due to financing delays, seeking alternative international backers.
Ugandan authorities have repeatedly sought the extradition of Fred Lumbuye, an outspoken anti-Museveni political activist and blogger residing in Turkey. Turkish authorities have declined the requests citing international legal and human rights safeguards.
Kainerugaba has expressed growing discomfort over Ankara’s expanding military, economic, and diplomatic footprint in East Africa and the Horn of Africa, particularly in Ethiopia and Somalia.
While Kainerugaba continues to direct his supporters toward the September 18 demonstration at the Turkish Embassy, neither the Ugandan Ministry of Foreign Affairs nor the Turkish Embassy in Kampala has issued an official diplomatic response to the latest protest threats.