Uganda’s Chief of Defence Forces Muhoozi Kainerugaba has announced the suspension of all military cooperation between the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) and the United States, including Uganda’s role in security operations in Somalia.

Muhoozi, who is also the son of President Yoweri Museveni, in his statement made on X on Friday, January 29, 2026, framed his announcement as a response to what he described as a serious security and intelligence matter involving an opposition leader.

He suggested that the incident had implications beyond domestic politics, directly touching on Uganda’s relations with foreign partners.

Muhoozi explained why the UPDF was taking such a drastic step, linking the decision to intelligence assessments and alleged external coordination.

“Fellow Ugandans, because of the present situation where an opposition leader kidnapped himself and is missing, and according to our best intelligence, did all this in coordination with the current administration at the US Embassy in our country. We, as UPDF, suspend all cooperation with the current administration at the US Embassy in Kampala. This includes our work in Somalia,” he wrote.

Political relations between Kampala and Washington

In a follow-up message, the army chief expanded on his criticism of the US Embassy in Kampala, arguing that the breakdown in cooperation did not happen overnight. He traced the current standoff to what he described as long-running internal challenges within the embassy, despite otherwise strong political relations between Kampala and Washington.

“The very precious security co-operation between Uganda and the United States has been undermined for a decade now (since 2015) by unimaginative bureaucrats at the Embassy. This is inspite of the excellent political relations between the two countries,” he wrote.

The remarks place fresh strain on Uganda–US relations and raise questions about the future of joint security initiatives, especially in Somalia, where Uganda has been one of the consistent troop contributors. It remains unclear how long the suspension will last or whether diplomatic channels will be used to de-escalate the situation.