The Ugandan army commander, Muhoozi Kainerugaba, sparked a diplomatic controversy after demanding one billion dollars from Turkey with what he described as “the most beautiful woman” in the country, while threatening to sever relations if his conditions were not met.In a series of posts on the “On top of the billion dollars from Türkiye, I want the most beautiful woman in that country to be my wife!” he wrote in a now-deleted post, which has since gone viral.
He warned that failure to comply within 30 days could lead to the collapse of diplomatic relations between Uganda and Turkey, including the closure of the Turkish embassy in Kampala and restrictions on Turkish Airlines. “For Turkey, it’s a really simple deal… Either they pay us or I close their embassy here. They can reciprocate and close our embassy in Turkey as well. No problem,” he said, adding: “If Turkey does not address our problems, we will sever our diplomatic relations within 30 days.”Kainrugaba also accused Ankara of benefiting from infrastructure and operational deals in Mogadishu while Uganda has shouldered the security burden in the fight against militants for nearly two decades.
He described bilateral relations as “serious” and advised Ugandans to avoid traveling to Türkiye “for their safety.”The general, who is the son of President Yoweri Museveni, also expressed his support for Israel in the same set of positions, 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 not the first time Kainerugaba’s public statements have attracted attention.
In 2022, he offered 100 Ankole cows to Italy in exchange for a marriage to its Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and warned of seizing Rome if the proposal was rejected. These comments sparked an apology from President Museveni, who criticized his son for interfering in the affairs of other countries.In the same year, Kainerugaba also threatened military action against Kenya, statements that led to his temporary removal from office and a formal apology from the Ugandan government.There was no immediate response from the Turkish or Somali authorities to the recent statements. Ugandan officials also did not clarify whether the statements reflected official policy or Kainrugaba’s personal views.
