KAMPALA, Uganda —(HornPost) Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, Uganda’s chief of defense forces and son of President Yoweri Museveni, has called for a major demonstration outside the Turkish Embassy in Kampala on Sept. 1, 2026, escalating tensions between Uganda and Türkiye over a Ugandan government critic living in Turkey.
Kainerugaba, who also chairs the Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU), said the group should hold what he described as the biggest demonstration Uganda has ever seen at the Turkish Embassy.
The planned protest centers on Fred Kajubi Lumbuye, a Ugandan blogger and outspoken critic of the Museveni government who has been based in Türkiye. Ugandan authorities and Kainerugaba have demanded that Turkish authority’s hand Lumbuye over to Uganda or take action against him.
PLU officials have said members will assemble at the party’s secretariat in Naguru, Kampala, before marching to the Turkish Embassy in Kololo.
The dispute has developed into a broader diplomatic and political disagreement between Kampala and Ankara. Kainerugaba has previously criticized Türkiye over its relationship with Uganda and demanded compensation for Uganda’s military role in Somalia, where Ugandan forces have participated in African Union-led operations against al-Shabaab.
The controversy has also extended to Uganda’s infrastructure sector. Kainerugaba said Uganda had cancelled its contract with Turkish construction company Yapı Merkezi to build part of the country’s Standard Gauge Railway. Ugandan reporting has noted uncertainty over whether his announcement represented a formally confirmed government decision.
The planned Sept. 1 demonstration therefore comes amid a wider dispute involving Uganda-Türkiye relations, political dissent, extradition demands, infrastructure cooperation and Ankara’s growing role in East Africa.
The Turkish Embassy in Kampala has not publicly indicated that it will comply with Kainerugaba’s demand concerning Lumbuye.
As the protest date approaches, the confrontation could put additional pressure on relations between Uganda and Türkiye, particularly if large numbers of demonstrators gather outside the diplomatic mission.
Prepared by:
Hornpost staff
