Veteran journalist Andrew Mwenda has revealed details of a private reconciliation meeting between Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba and veteran politician Gen. Kahinda Otafiire, describing an encounter that reportedly became heated despite being convened to ease tensions between the two senior figures.
The meeting, held at Okapeka and chaired by Gen. Salim Saleh, was reportedly organised at the request of President Yoweri Museveni following public disagreements between Muhoozi and Otafiire.
According to Mwenda’s account, the gathering was intended to resolve the differences between the two men, whose relationship had come under strain amid disagreements playing out within Uganda’s ruling establishment.
Mwenda said Otafiire arrived about 90 minutes late before launching into a lengthy account of his personal history, tracing his experiences back to 1974. The veteran minister reportedly used the recollections to illustrate the age and political experience separating him from Muhoozi.
The journalist said he questioned Otafiire’s decision to criticise Muhoozi publicly rather than approach him privately, arguing that the minister’s seniority, experience and personal connections within the ruling establishment offered him an opportunity to resolve the disagreement directly.
The exchange, as recounted by Mwenda, exposed a deeper disagreement over how senior figures should manage their differences, particularly when those disputes involve political authority, generational change and personal respect.
The dispute behind the reconciliation Meeting
The tensions between Otafiire and Muhoozi had become public in late 2022, following remarks by Muhoozi questioning the National Resistance Movement (NRM) and calling for his generation to take over leadership.
Otafiire subsequently responded to Muhoozi’s comments, defending the NRM and President Museveni’s continued leadership. The disagreement prompted concern among ruling-party figures and reportedly led Museveni to call for a meeting chaired by his brother, Gen. Salim Saleh.
The meeting took place at Saleh’s residence in Kapeeka, Nakaseke District, in December 2022, according to a contemporaneous report by Nile Post. However, accounts differ on the precise date, with other reports referring to a January 2023 meeting.
The circumstances surrounding the meeting have since drawn attention because it brought together senior figures whose political and personal relationships are closely connected to the history of the NRM and the National Resistance Army.
Questions over what the meeting achieved
Although the gathering was intended to ease tensions, it remains unclear whether it produced a lasting resolution.Otafiire acknowledged attending a meeting with Muhoozi and Saleh but rejected reports that succession was discussed. He described the encounter as a cordial and private interaction between old comrades and a younger figure, while declining to disclose details of the discussions.
Mwenda’s latest account, however, presents a more confrontational picture of the discussions, particularly his exchange with Otafiire over the minister’s decision to air grievances publicly.The competing accounts underscore the limits of what is publicly known about the meeting. While participants have confirmed that it took place, the full proceedings and any agreements reached have not been independently established.
For now, Mwenda’s recollections offer a glimpse into the personal dynamics behind the confrontation, but they do not, on their own, establish the full extent of the disagreement or whether the reconciliation achieved its intended purpose.
The episode raises broader questions about how disagreements are handled within Uganda’s political and military leadership, and whether private interventions can prevent public disputes from escalating.
