Uganda’s political landscape has been thrown into a fresh storm after Chief of Defence Forces Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba declared the Presidential Advisory Committee on Exports and Industrial Development (PACEID) an “illegal organisation” and threatened immediate arrests of its members over alleged corruption.
The extraordinary announcement has put President Yoweri Museveni’s son, Gen Muhoozi, on a collision course with his brother-in-law, Odrek Rwabwogo, who chairs PACEID and is married to Muhoozi’s sister, Patience Rwabwogo.
On August 25, Gen Muhoozi posted on X that PACEID was illegal and that its members would be arrested. In a subsequent message, he said: “We are going to arrest ALL the members of PACEID involved in corruption.” He later claimed that one person had already been arrested, although he did not identify the individual or disclose the alleged offence.
The CDF also turned his guns towards the media, warning radio and television stations against giving PACEID officials airtime. “Radios and TVs that allow members of the outlawed PACEID to talk will face severe consequences,” Gen Muhoozi wrote.
The statements have immediately triggered questions over the legal basis of the declaration, the authority under which civilians associated with PACEID would be arrested and whether the latest confrontation represents the most serious chapter yet in the long-running feud between Gen Muhoozi and Rwabwogo. No independent confirmation of widespread arrests has emerged, and there has been no official response from PACEID or Rwabwogo addressing the CDF’s latest declarations at the time of writing.
From Export Advisory Body To “Illegal Organisation”
PACEID was established by President Museveni as an advisory mechanism focused on exports, industrial development and Uganda’s economic transformation. Rwabwogo has served as its chairperson and has repeatedly represented the committee at presidential and international investment engagements.
State House records show Rwabwogo participating in engagements involving Uganda’s export strategy, industrialisation, investment and the African Continental Free Trade Area. In one such engagement, he outlined PACEID’s concerns about delays in implementing Uganda’s export-support strategy.
The committee has also been publicly associated with efforts to promote processed Ugandan products, investment and export markets. President Museveni has previously publicly recognised PACEID’s contribution to Uganda’s export drive. Yet the body has increasingly become controversial, particularly among critics who question its expenditure, projects and influence within government.
Gen Muhoozi’s latest declaration dramatically changes the nature of that controversy.
What was previously a dispute over policy, money and performance has now become a security matter, with the country’s top military officer publicly threatening arrests. That development is particularly sensitive because PACEID is not an opposition organisation. It is a presidential advisory committee whose chairman is a member of the President’s immediate family.
The Rwabwogo-Muhoozi Fallout
The relationship between Muhoozi and Rwabwogo has been strained publicly for several years. The two are connected by marriage: Rwabwogo is married to Patience Museveni Rwabwogo, President Museveni’s daughter and Gen Muhoozi’s sister. But despite the family connection, their political and personal relationship has repeatedly burst into public view.
In August 2024, Gen Muhoozi publicly described Rwabwogo as Uganda’s “biggest thief”, with the attack linked to questions surrounding PACEID and its financing. Rwabwogo responded by rejecting the accusations and describing them as lies intended to divert attention from the work he was doing. The confrontation was significant because it exposed tensions within Uganda’s politically powerful First Family.
Rwabwogo has since continued to defend his work and PACEID, while Muhoozi and his supporters have continued raising questions about his activities. The dispute has also acquired a political dimension because Rwabwogo has increasingly spoken publicly about governance, corruption, accountability, media freedom and the future direction of the National Resistance Movement.
In May 2025, Rwabwogo said Gen Muhoozi should personally be held accountable for his actions as CDF rather than having the entire First Family blamed for his conduct. He also argued that Ugandans should hold institutions and their leaders accountable. Those comments further demonstrated that the disagreement was no longer simply a private family matter.
Kabanda Enters The Battle
One of the most vocal figures in the Rwabwogo controversy has been Kasambya County MP Daudi Kabanda, a prominent supporter of Gen Muhoozi and former secretary general of the Patriotic League of Uganda. Kabanda has repeatedly attacked Rwabwogo over alleged corruption, land dealings and political influence. In July, he accused Rwabwogo of obtaining about seven square miles of land associated with the National Animal Genetic Resources Centre and Data Bank for projects that, Kabanda alleged, had not materialised as promised.
Rwabwogo rejected the allegations and said his industrial projects were intended to promote agro-processing and create markets for farmers. He cited his investments in meat and milk processing and said his milk factory had purchased billions of shillings worth of milk from farmers. Rwabwogo also launched a personal counterattack against Kabanda, recalling that he had previously worked with him during NRM mobilisation activities.
The feud became so intense that President Museveni was drawn into the dispute after Kabanda alleged that Rwabwogo had sought presidential intervention against him. Reports also indicated that Gen Muhoozi had cautioned Kabanda against attacking Rwabwogo, although the exact circumstances surrounding that intervention remain contested. Kabanda, however, has remained one of the most outspoken critics of Rwabwogo. His position has helped turn the dispute from a family disagreement into a broader political contest involving PLU activists, NRM figures and supporters of the CDF.
Kabanda’s Role In The Latest Drama
Kabanda’s involvement is particularly significant because he has openly positioned himself within Gen Muhoozi’s political camp. Earlier this year, he accused Rwabwogo of being behind criticism of Gen Muhoozi coming from sections of the United States Congress, alleging that Rwabwogo had held undisclosed meetings in the United States.
“Ugandans need to know that Rwabwogo has recently been making several trips to the US meeting undisclosed members of Congress and the US government,” Kabanda said in February. Rwabwogo has rejected such attacks and maintained that his work is focused on national development and reform. The latest PACEID crackdown therefore arrives after months of accumulated accusations and counter-accusations.
It also comes only days after Kabanda attracted attention for questioning the significance of his sister-in-law Patience Rwabwogo’s episcopal consecration. The combination has intensified speculation about the extent to which political disagreements have penetrated the President’s family.
Social Media Erupts
Gen Muhoozi’s statements immediately generated a fierce debate on social media, with some Ugandans demanding arrests and accountability while others questioned the legality and wisdom of the CDF intervening in what they regard as an administrative and political dispute. SS Sebunya wrote: “Arrest all PACEID criminals led by Rwabwogo. They steal taxpayers’ money through dubious and non-existent projects. Question them on the billions wasted on ‘teaching Ugandans how to drink coffee.’”
Another user, Bainomugisha Godfrey, directly challenged the CDF to act. “Arrest @OdrekRwabwogo using @cdfupdf and I call you a man. We shall say you are Powerful @mkainerugaba,” the user wrote, adding a direct challenge to Kabanda to arrest Rwabwogo rather than issue threats. Ainomugisha Bruce took a more accountability-focused position. “They should account for all the money and how it has helped Uganda,” he posted.
But not everyone supported the CDF. Daniel Habaasa urged Gen Muhoozi to reconcile with his brother-in-law. “I don’t agree with you CDF you must go and reconcile otherwise you can’t be the next president if you continue the way you behave,” he wrote.
The Legal Question
Beyond the political drama, the latest confrontation raises a much bigger question: who has the authority to declare a presidential advisory committee illegal and order arrests? The CDF is the professional head of Uganda’s armed forces, but questions over civilian arrests, criminal investigations and prosecution ordinarily involve established legal institutions.
Human Rights Watch has recently raised concerns about the use of security forces in Uganda to detain critics and has specifically noted that Ugandan law limits UPDF soldiers’ power to arrest civilians to offences provided for under the UPDF Act. That makes the PACEID announcement particularly consequential. If corruption allegations exist, critics argue, they should be investigated, evidence gathered and suspects subjected to due process rather than being condemned through social-media declarations. The CDF’s supporters, however, see the announcement as a warning that powerful individuals should not assume their positions or family connections place them above accountability.
A Family Dispute With National Consequences
What makes the PACEID confrontation different from an ordinary political disagreement is the family connection. At the centre is a committee chaired by the President’s son-in-law. The person threatening action is the President’s son. The woman linking the two men is the President’s daughter and Gen Muhoozi’s sister.
That unusual configuration has inevitably made the dispute a national political story. Rwabwogo has long occupied a unique space within the establishment. He is a businessman, presidential adviser, PACEID chairman and member of the First Family by marriage.
Muhoozi, meanwhile, is the CDF and one of the most influential figures in Uganda’s post-2026 political landscape. Their differences therefore carry consequences far beyond a family argument.
What Happens Next?
The immediate question is whether Gen Muhoozi’s declaration will translate into actual investigations and arrests. He has already claimed that one PACEID-linked individual has been arrested, but details remain unclear. The next test will be whether specific allegations are formally presented, whether suspects are taken through established investigative and judicial procedures and whether PACEID itself is legally dissolved or merely declared illegal by the CDF. For Rwabwogo, the stakes are equally high.
His reputation, political influence and position at PACEID are now under the most direct pressure yet from the man who is both his brother-in-law and the country’s military chief. For Gen Muhoozi, the confrontation presents another test of how he intends to exercise power and authority as Uganda’s top military officer.
And for Ugandans, the bigger concern may be whether this latest family feud remains a war of words—or develops into a real institutional confrontation involving arrests, investigations, the media and the machinery of the state. For now, the country waits to see whether the CDF’s warning becomes a full-scale PACEID crackdown. One thing is already clear: the long-running Muhoozi-Rwabwogo feud has entered a new and potentially much more consequential phase.
Author Profile
- Charles Gazza Kodili is a seasoned journalist with over 20 years of experience in the media industry. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mass Communication. He’s currently the Chief Editor at the Investigator.
Charles can also be reached via; Tel: +256 774 108978
Email: [email protected]
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