Uganda’s army chief Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba voices staunch support for Israel, citing Christian faith and historic ties amid escalating Iran-Israel war.
Newsroom (27/03/2026 Gaudium Press ) Uganda’s Chief of Defense Forces, General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, son of long-serving President Yoweri Museveni, has publicly aligned himself and the Ugandan Armed Forces with Israel amid its ongoing war with Iran. In a series of statements posted to X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday, Kainerugaba linked his support to both religious conviction and historical alliance, attracting attention and controversy at home and abroad.
“We stand with Israel because we are Christians,” wrote the general, invoking biblical authority to justify his stance. Quoting scripture from Deuteronomy 33:29, he described Israel as “a people saved by the Lord,” adding that “Jesus Christ, the only One who can forgive sins,” binds Uganda and Israel through spiritual solidarity.
Kainerugaba’s posts, rich in religious zeal, go beyond theology. He weaves Uganda’s modern identity and economic pride into his message, asserting that Israel’s friendship dates back to the period when his country was struggling to emerge from obscurity. “Israel stood with us when we were nobodys in the 1980s and 1990s. Why wouldn’t we defend her now that our GDP is $100 billion? One of the largest in Africa,” he wrote.
Political and Military Overtures
In another post, Kainerugaba issued what appears to be both a plea and a warning: “We want the war in the Middle East to end now. The world is tired of it. But any talk of destroying or defeating Israel will bring us into the war—on Israel’s side!”
He later amplified this rhetoric by declaring that Uganda’s army, the UPDF, would “enter this war between Iran and Israel, on Israel’s side, if it does not end soon.” In a deleted post, he added that “Israel has a right to exist, and the attacks against it must stop.”
Later that same day, he claimed to have offered support to both Israel and the United States, emphasizing Uganda’s military capability in confident if provocative terms: “We could have captured Tehran in 72 hours without any bombing,” he wrote. “But of course, they never listen to a black man. Why bomb people who support you?”
Faith and Foreign Policy
Kainerugaba’s statements reflect a growing trend among African military and political elites, where evangelical Christianity blends with foreign policy sympathies toward Israel. Analysts describe this as a form of “Christian Zionism” — a theological and political movement that connects biblical prophecy to modern Israeli statehood.
For Uganda, a country where Christianity is the dominant religion, the rhetoric carries cultural weight. Yet observers caution that Kainerugaba’s declarations may not represent official government policy. The general, often referred to as the “Tweeting General,” is known for his unfiltered and sometimes controversial remarks on social media, which have occasionally forced his government to distance itself from his views.
Symbolic Gestures
Despite the ambiguity of his role as a spokesperson for Uganda’s foreign policy, Kainerugaba has pursued symbolic initiatives underscoring friendship between Kampala and Jerusalem. Last month, he announced plans to erect a statue in honor of Israeli Lt.-Col. Yonatan “Yoni” Netanyahu — brother of Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — at Entebbe International Airport.
The monument, he said, would stand at the exact location where Yonatan Netanyahu was killed during Israel’s famed 1976 hostage rescue operation, known as Operation Entebbe or Operation Jonathan. While no official Ugandan government announcement has confirmed the monument, Kainerugaba called it a tribute to “the ties between the two countries.”
During a 2016 memorial ceremony at Entebbe, Prime Minister Netanyahu reflected on the transformation of Israel-Uganda relations, contrasting Uganda’s past under dictator Idi Amin with its present under Museveni’s leadership. “Forty years ago, they landed in the dead of night in a country led by a brutal dictator who gave refuge to terrorists,” Netanyahu said at the time. “Today we landed in broad daylight in a friendly country led by a president who fights terrorists.”
A Controversial Voice in a Tense Time
As fighting intensifies across the Middle East, Kainerugaba’s comments inject an outspoken African perspective into a volatile global debate. His blend of religious conviction, nostalgia, and nationalism underscores Uganda’s complex engagement with international politics — where faith, history, and ambition intersect.
Whether his declarations foreshadow any realignment in Uganda’s foreign policy or remain social media bravado remains unclear. What is certain is that General Muhoozi Kainerugaba has again seized the world’s attention — one tweet at a time.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from Fides News and Jerusalem Post
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