Uganda’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Haruna Kyeyune Kasolo has publicly responded to Chief of Defence Forces Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba after the army chief questioned his recent trip to Turkey and said the minister had travelled without his clearance.
Kasolo responded on Sunday, September 27, 2026, hours after Gen Kainerugaba issued a directive requiring government ministers to seek his permission before travelling outside Uganda.
In a brief post on X, Kasolo appeared to acknowledge the authority asserted by the CDF, addressing Kainerugaba as his “chairman” and “Big Brother.”
“My chairman and Big Brother order taken your guidance and authority will always be sought,” Kasolo wrote.
Gen Kainerugaba later reposted Kasolo’s response and replied directly to the minister.
“You are a very good cadre. We shall talk,” Gen Kainerugaba wrote.
The exchange brought to a close, at least publicly, a tense social media episode that began after Kasolo shared details of his engagements in Turkey.
The minister’s visit included meetings with Turkish business representatives and organisations as part of efforts involving investment and commercial engagement. Kasolo had also been involved in recent public engagements highlighting Uganda’s relations with Turkey.
Gen Kainerugaba, however, questioned whether the minister had obtained permission to leave the country.
“You went there without permission?” the CDF asked in response to Kasolo’s post.
He followed the question with a broader directive affecting all ministers.
“All ministers need my permission and clearance before leaving the country. I did not clear Hon. Kasolo to visit Turkey. He will explain,” Gen Kainerugaba wrote.
The CDF subsequently said ministers would be required to notify him before travelling outside Uganda.
“My address is known; they must ALL notify me before they leave Uganda,” he wrote.
Gen Kainerugaba later announced a financial penalty for ministers who travel without his approval, saying they would be fined Shs30 million.
“Every minister who leaves the country without my permission will be fined 30 million shillings. We shall use that money to build roads. Ministry of Finance will start implementing this order immediately,” he said.
He also said he would clear ministers’ foreign trips on a monthly basis, with the Minister of Finance required to seek his approval.
“I will clear their trips on a monthly basis. Minister of Finance will seek my approval,” Gen Kainerugaba wrote.
Kasolo’s response on Sunday did not challenge the CDF’s demand. Instead, he said he would seek Gen Kainerugaba’s guidance and authority in the future.
The public exchange has drawn attention because Kasolo is a State Minister for Foreign Affairs responsible for regional affairs and his trip to Turkey came at a particularly sensitive moment in Uganda-Turkey relations.
Uganda’s military recently announced a suspension of defence and military cooperation with Turkey, while relations between Kampala and Ankara have also been under scrutiny following disputes involving Ugandan political activist Fred Lumbuye, who is based in Turkey. Reports have separately linked the recent tensions to demonstrations outside the Turkish Embassy in Kampala.
The Ugandan military has not publicly detailed the specific issues behind the suspension of defence cooperation. Meanwhile, Turkey’s Directorate of Communications has rejected as fabricated a document circulating online that purported to be an official Turkish Foreign Ministry statement threatening Uganda or Gen Kainerugaba.
Kasolo’s Turkey visit therefore took place against a backdrop of heightened public attention on the two countries’ relations.
Despite the confrontation over his travel clearance, Kasolo’s public response was conciliatory, with the minister pledging to seek Kainerugaba’s “guidance and authority” in future.
Gen Kainerugaba’s response was equally brief but appeared to signal that the matter would be discussed privately.
“You are a very good cadre. We shall talk,” he told Kasolo.
The public posts have also raised questions about the administrative or legal basis for the announced Shs30 million penalty and the CDF’s authority to clear foreign travel by ministers. Gen Kainerugaba’s posts did not provide details on the policy, law or formal government procedure under which the fine or travel-clearance requirement would be implemented.
For now, the dispute has moved from a public questioning of Kasolo’s Turkey trip to a stated commitment by the minister to seek the CDF’s guidance before future foreign travel, while the wider implications of the directive remain a subject of public discussion.
