Ugandan leader apologises for son's tweets

President Yoweri Museveni has apologized to Kenyans for tweets posted by his son Muhoozi Kainerugaba that had repeatedly threatened to invade Uganda's East African neighbor.

Kainerugaba, who is widely regarded as the de facto head of the military and his father's chosen successor, was removed from office on Tuesday as commander of Uganda's land forces after his comments drew angry reactions from Kenyans on social media.

President Museveni apologised for his son's actions, saying it was wrong for public officers to meddle in the affairs of other nations.

I ask our Kenyan brothers and sisters to forgive us for tweets sent by General Muhoozi, former commander of the Land Forces here, regarding election matters in that great country, Museveni wrote in a statement released Wednesday on his official website.

Kainerugaba is outspoken on social media and has often weighed into politics despite his military role banning him from doing so.

It is not correct for public officers, whether they are civilian or military, to comment or interfere in any way in the internal affairs of brother countries, his father says.

In a series of tweets on Monday and Tuesday, Kainerugaba posted a series of provocative messages including proposing the unification of Kenya and Uganda and offering cows to marry Italy's likely next leader.

It wouldn't take us, my army and me, 2 weeks to capture Nairobi, Kainerugaba wrote.

The union is a must! No honorable men can allow these artificial, colonial borders anymore. If our generation has men, these borders must fall! Kainerugaba asked his more than 600,000 followers how many cows he can offer as a bride price for Giorgia Meloni, the right-wing politician expected to be Italy's prime minister this month.

I would give her 100 Nkore cows immediately! He wrote.

Kainerugaba said the comments were made in jest. Francesco Lollobrigida, a close aide to Meloni, told reporters that Kainerugaba's offer was not a serious topic.

In a statement announcing his replacement as land forces commander, the Ugandan military said Kainerugaba had been promoted from lieutenant general to full general and would remain a senior presidential adviser for special operations. It gave no reason for the decision.

Museveni justified Kainerugaba's promotion, saying that his son had only erred in his comments and not in his service.

Why would you promote him to full General after these comments? The Ugandan leader said that this mistake is because he has acted negatively as a public officer.

The General has made many positive contributions that the General can still make, he added, while describing Kainerugaba as a passionate Pan-Africanist. After the military announced Kainerugaba's promotion on Tuesday, he retweeted a series of congratulatory messages, including several saying he should stand for president in the next election.

We are going to have a celebration down Kampala Road for this rank. I thank my father for this great honor! Kainerugaba tweeted.

Ugandan analysts and opposition leaders accuse 78-year-old Museveni of grooming his son to take over from him, but Museveni has denied doing so repeatedly, even though he has been in power for 36 years.