Rwanda Condemns Muhoozi’s Ethnic References in Dispute Involving Odrek Rwabwogo

KIGALI, Rwanda — The Rwandan government has condemned ethnic references made by Uganda’s Chief of Defence Forces, Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, in a series of social media posts involving Ugandan businessman Odrek Rwabwogo and Rwandan President Paul Kagame.

Rwandan government spokesperson Yolande Makolo said Kigali rejected what she described as “ethnic extremism” in the posts, stressing that Rwanda had spent decades rebuilding national unity after the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.

Makolo was responding to Ugandan lawyer Counsel Ivan Mwijukye, who questioned whether Rwandans were comfortable with Gen Kainerugaba invoking Hutu and Tutsi identities in the course of a Ugandan political and family dispute.

“We saw that post and the questions it raised, and we do not agree with the ethnic extremism expressed,” Makolo said on August 31, 2026.

She said individuals were free to express opinions about Rwanda but should not misrepresent Rwandans or associate the country with ethnic politics.

“If the post was about Uganda, it should be kept Ugandan and not drag us into it,” she said.

Rwanda Rejects Ethnic Politics

Makolo said Rwanda had spent the past 32 years working to rebuild unity following the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, in which more than 800,000 people were killed, according to widely cited historical estimates.

“Rwanda does not subscribe to ethnic extremism. We have worked hard to leave this behind us. We do not need it and do not want it,” she said.

“Our national vision and efforts in the last 32 years have been about uniting Rwandans, and we will continue to safeguard this fundamental political choice.”

Her remarks underline Kigali’s longstanding opposition to the use of Hutu and Tutsi identities as political labels, particularly given Rwanda’s history of ethnic violence.

Muhoozi Questions Rwabwogo’s Ethnic Identity

The Rwandan government’s response followed a series of posts by Gen Kainerugaba during a public dispute with Rwabwogo, who chairs Uganda’s Presidential Advisory Committee on Exports and Industrial Development (PACEID).

On August 28, Gen Kainerugaba questioned Rwabwogo’s ethnic identity in a post on social media.

“I doubt that Odrek is a Muhima. He doesn’t behave like one. He might be a Muhutu,” he wrote.

The comments were made amid an escalating dispute between the military chief and Rwabwogo.

Gen Kainerugaba has accused the businessman of corruption and threatened to have him arrested. He has also said he does not recognise Rwabwogo as his brother-in-law, despite Rwabwogo being married to his sister, Patience Museveni Rwabwogo.

The corruption allegations have not been proven in court. Rwabwogo and PACEID have rejected accusations of corruption and claims that the organisation operates outside established government structures.

Kagame Drawn Into the Dispute

Gen Kainerugaba later brought President Kagame into the dispute, making another reference to ethnic identity.

“The most dangerous Mututsi I have ever met in life is President Kagame. When he laughs a lot, know that you are already dead,” he posted.

The reference drew criticism from Mwijukye, who questioned why an internal Ugandan family and political dispute had been framed using ethnic identities associated with Rwanda.

The lawyer argued that such comments risked undermining efforts to discourage ethnic politics and could reopen painful memories in a region still shaped by the consequences of the 1994 genocide.

“Uganda and Rwanda share history, borders, families, security interests and a common regional future,” Mwijukye wrote. “Our politics should build bridges, not reopen wounds.”

Rare Public Rebuke From Kigali

Makolo’s remarks represent a rare public rebuke from Kigali concerning Gen Kainerugaba, who has frequently spoken warmly of President Kagame and described him as his uncle.

The two countries share close historical, family, economic and security ties, although their relationship has also experienced periods of tension.

Rwanda has consistently placed national unity and the rejection of ethnic political mobilisation at the centre of its post-genocide political framework.

The latest controversy therefore carries significance beyond the dispute involving Rwabwogo, particularly because it involves senior political and military figures from two neighbouring countries with deeply interconnected histories.

Neither Gen Kainerugaba nor the Ugandan government had responded to Makolo’s comments by the time of publication.

The dispute continues to unfold as questions grow over the use of ethnic identity in political discourse and the potential regional consequences of rhetoric involving Rwanda’s Hutu and Tutsi history.