FALSE: No verified evidence that Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba apologised to Kahinda Otafiire on X
Claim
An X post circulating on social media claims that Uganda’s Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, publicly apologised to Minister of Water and Environment Maj Gen (Rtd) Kahinda Otafiire following a disagreement between the two senior military figures.
The post, shared by an X user identified as Kwera, includes a screenshot of what appears to be an exchange between the two officials on October 2, 2026.
In the screenshot, a post attributed to Muhoozi reads:
Hon. Kahinda Otafiire, I sincerely apologise for my earlier remarks about you. That was wrong, disrespectful and not in line with the values of our leadership and the respect I have for you. I realise it was a mistake, and I regret it deeply.
The purported message further acknowledges Otafiire’s contribution to Uganda and expresses willingness to work together for the country’s good.
A second post, attributed to Otafiire, appears to accept the apology, thanking Muhoozi and calling for cooperation in the country’s interest.
The screenshot was shared with the caption, “Since you are all sleeping,” accompanied by laughing emojis.
Background
The claim emerged amid a public disagreement between Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba and Maj Gen (Rtd) Kahinda Otafiire.
On September 30, 2026, Otafiire addressed Parliament, calling for political tolerance and urging leaders to resolve disagreements without resorting to violence.
During his address, Otafiire criticised the use of force to settle disagreements, particularly among military leaders. Although he did not mention Muhoozi by name, his remarks attracted public attention and were interpreted by some as criticism of the CDF.
On October 3, 2026, Muhoozi continued to post about the dispute on his official X account. In one of the posts, he stated that Otafiire would apologise by the end of the day and added that Otafiire would “never dream about me again.
It was against this background that the screenshot purporting to show Muhoozi apologising to Otafiire, and Otafiire accepting the apology, began circulating on social media.
Findings
Our investigation found several inconsistencies in the screenshot circulating online.
First, we checked Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba’s official X account for the alleged apology. We did not find the purported post dated October 2, 2026, in which he allegedly apologised to Gen (Rtd) Kahinda Otafiire.
Instead, contemporary reports from October 2 show Muhoozi publicly demanding an apology from Otafiire, initially giving him one week and later reducing the deadline to three days.
This is inconsistent with the screenshot’s narrative that Muhoozi had already apologised to Otafiire and that the two had publicly reconciled.
Second, we visually inspected the purported Otafiire post in the screenshot. The screenshot shows the account attributed to Otafiire carrying a solid blue verification badge next to the name while the account identified as @Otafiire_k does not display the same badge.
The X handle attributed to Kahinda Otafiire in the screenshot is incorrect. The purported post shows the handle @KahindaOtafire, with “Otafire” containing only one i. The official X account of Kahinda Otafiire is @Otafiire_k, with “Otafiire” containing two i’s and followed by an underscore and the letter k. This handle has been identified as Otafiire’s official account since he joined X in September 2022.
We checked Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba’s official X account and found no post matching the alleged apology dated October 2, 2026. This is significant because Muhoozi’s actual posts during the same period show him demanding an apology from Otafiire.
This evidence is incompatible with the purported reconciliation shown in the circulating screenshot.
Methodology
We examined the circulating screenshot and compared its contents with the relevant official X accounts. We also reviewed the original X posts and publicly available records surrounding the dispute to establish the timeline and authenticity of the claimed exchange.
Verdict. False:
The circulating screenshot is not an authentic exchange between Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba and Gen (Rtd) Kahinda Otafiire. The screenshot contains several inconsistencies with the officials’ authentic X accounts, including an incorrect handle and spelling of Otafiire’s name. Additionally, the alleged apology does not appear on Muhoozi’s official X account, while his posts from the same period show him demanding an apology from Otafiire. And therefore, the screenshot is fabricated and should not be treated as a genuine exchange between the two officials.