A public exchange has erupted on social media between the Chief of Defence Forces and First Son, Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, and the Minister of Information, Dr Chris Baryomunsi, drawing wide attention online.
The spat played out on X (formerly Twitter), where Gen Muhoozi accused Dr Baryomunsi of being a traitor and declared that he would not return to Cabinet as a minister.
In response, Dr Baryomunsi rejected the accusation, saying his rise in government was based on merit rather than personal favours. He stressed that holding a ministerial position was not the ultimate measure of success.
“I rose from obscurity to where I am because of my abilities, not favours from anybody. I am self-made. Being a minister is not necessarily the best thing in life. My horizon is far beyond that. Let’s serve Uganda,” Baryomunsi said.
Gen Muhoozi then replied, insisting that Baryomunsi would not serve as a minister again and adding that he should first seek reconciliation with him.
Baryomunsi later responded with a personal message, saying he was confident, disciplined and focused, crediting his upbringing for shaping his character.
“My father trained me to believe in myself. He restrained me from taking alcohol. I am sober 24/7 and focussed. He let me free and I don’t suffer from Peter Pan Syndrome. Those attacking me on Twitter/X don’t know the material, we the original Bakiga are made of. Go slow,” he said.
The online exchange follows comments Baryomunsi made during a recent appearance on Capital Gang, a Saturday political talk show on Capital FM. While on the programme, Baryomunsi admitted that Gen Muhoozi’s frequent social media posts were making it increasingly difficult for him to explain and defend the NRM government, both domestically and internationally.
