Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba has intensified his confrontation with opposition leaders by calling for Joel Ssenyonyi’s removal as Leader of the Opposition and directing PLU to explore ways of achieving it.
The Chief of Defence Forces Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba has declared that he wants a new Leader of the Opposition in Parliament and vowed to remove Joel Ssenyonyi from the position.
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In a series of posts on X on June 18, 2026, Gen Kainerugaba said he wanted a replacement for the Nakawa West MP and that the new opposition leader would have his backing.
“I want a new leader of the opposition in Parliament. And I will get him. He will be endorsed by me,” Gen Kainerugaba posted.
His remarks drew a response from Kasambya County MP David Kabanda, a member of the Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU), who wrote: “Ok Sir. Mine is to implement.”
Gen Kainerugaba replied: “Thank you comrade!”
The army chief later escalated his campaign against Ssenyonyi, saying he had tasked PLU to study ways of removing him from office.
“I have instructed PLU to study how to remove @JoelSsenyonyi from being leader of the opposition as soon as possible,” he posted.
The latest comments deepen a growing feud between Gen Kainerugaba and senior opposition figures.
Earlier on the same day, he warned that Ssenyonyi and former Kira Municipality MP Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda would be arrested soon. He also criticised Ssenyonyi for comparing him to Lord’s Resistance Army leader Joseph Kony, insisting that the Uganda People’s Defence Forces fought the rebel group for years.
The exchanges come amid heightened political tensions following the arrest and prosecution of former Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago. Authorities recently charged Lukwago, the president of the People’s Front for Freedom (PFF), with misprision of treason. He denied the charge and was remanded to prison.
Gen Kainerugaba has repeatedly commented on opposition politics through his social media accounts. His posts have often sparked debate about the role of serving military officers in partisan political affairs.
Under Uganda’s parliamentary rules, the Leader of the Opposition is appointed by the largest opposition party in Parliament. Ssenyonyi, who also serves as National Unity Platform spokesperson, was appointed to the position in 2024 following changes in the party’s parliamentary leadership.
Ssenyonyi had not publicly responded to the latest posts by press time.
