Ugandan army chief Muhoozi Kainrugaba has sparked a diplomatic controversy after demanding $1 billion from Turkey as well as the country’s “most beautiful woman”, while threatening to break ties if his conditions were not met.In a series of posts on Twitter on Saturday, Kainrugaba said the payment should serve as a “security dividend” for Uganda’s military role in Somalia, where its troops have been involved in the African Union mission against the Islamic militant group al-Shabaab. “In addition to the $1 billion I got from Türkiye, I want the most beautiful woman from that country as 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 severance of diplomatic relations between Uganda and Turkey, including the closure of the Turkish embassy in Kampala and a ban on Turkish Airlines. “It’s really a simple deal for Turkey… either they pay us or I close their embassy here. They can also close our embassy in Turkey in return. No problem,” he said, adding, “If Turkey doesn’t solve our problems, we will break our diplomatic relations within 30 days.”Kainrugaba also accused Ankara of profiting from infrastructure and operational deals in Mogadishu while Uganda bore the burden of security in fighting terrorists for nearly two decades. He described bilateral relations as “severe” and advised Ugandans to avoid traveling to Turkey “for their own safety”.The general, who is the son of President Yoweri Museveni, also expressed support for Israel in the same set of posts, saying, “I am ready to deploy 100,000 Ugandan soldiers to Israel under my command, to defend the Holy Land, the land of our Lord Jesus Christ.”This is not the first time Kainrugaba’s public comments have attracted attention. In 2022, he offered Italy 100 Ankole cows in exchange for marrying its Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and threatened to occupy Rome if the offer was rejected. The comments led to an apology from President Museveni, who had criticized his son for interfering in the affairs of other countries.That same year, Kainrugaba also threatened military action against Kenya, comments that led to his temporary removal from his post and a formal apology from the Ugandan government.There was no immediate reaction from Turkish or Somali officials on the latest statements. Ugandan officials also did not clarify whether the comments reflected official policy or Kainrugaba’s personal views.
