Ugandan President promotes son to Major General

May 18, 2016 (KAMPALA) - Ugandan leader, Yoweri Museveni has promoted his son, Muhoozi Kainerugaba from the rank of a Brigadier to a Major General.

Ugandan leader Yoweri Museveni and his son Muhoozi Kainerugaba (Monitor)

Muhoozi, 42 commands the Special Forces Group, which contains the unit known as Presidential Guard Brigade responsible for providing security to president Museveni.

The group is to be expanded into an autonomous Service Force within Uganda’s army.

“To command a Service Force, one must not be below the rank of Major General and he [Muhoozi] has done all the requisite training. He also has command experience,” said Lt. Col Paddy Ankunda, the spokesman of Uganda’s army.

The rapid promotion of the first son, a graduate of the prestigious Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in the UK, has often been questioned with critics wondering why Museveni was promoting his son at the expense of his fellow officers.

But the chief of staff for the Ugandan Peoples Defence Forces, General Katumba Wamala said Muhoozi’s promotion was a “fair and normal routine programme”.

Meanwhile, President Museveni on Tuesday appointed Lt. Gen Andrew Gutti as the new chairman of the General Court Martial, replacing the late Maj. Gen. Levi Karuhanga.

Gen Gutti was the commander African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM) based in Mogadishu, Somalia from 2012-2103. He was as the commander of the Uganda Senior Command and Staff College at Kimaka in Eastern Uganda.