The Government of Germany has branded allegations against its ambassador to Kampala “absurd”, a day after the Ugandan army accused him of being “engaged in subversive activities”.
This comes after Uganda’s President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni’s son, Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, who is the Chief of Defence Forces, said that there were “some issues” with the current German ambassador to Uganda, Matthias Schauer, branding him wholly unqualified.
That came after Mr Schauer was singled out for criticism by the Ugandan Army, the Uganda Peoples Defence Force which accused some European embassies of supporting negative and traitorous groups.
The German Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Kathrin Deschauer told journalists today that the allegations on the part of the Ugandan military are ‘absurd and have no basis whatsoever’, and rejected them absolutely.
It should be remembered that the Ugandan Army Spokesman Colonel Chris Magezi also yesterday announced that the country had suspended all ongoing defence and military cooperation activities with Germany, but Deschauer said that there is no formalized military cooperation with Uganda, so there is nothing to cancel.
European diplomats reportedly raised criticisms about Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba behaviour in a meeting with President Museveni’s brother, Gen Salim Saleh Akandwanaho earlier in a meeting with him in Northern Uganda City of Gulu and local media reported that Gen Saleh vowed to handle the Army General.
Gen Kainerugaba, who is considered most likely to succeed his father as President, is known for his colourful social media posts, but human rights groups have said that the government has accelerated its crackdown on opponents and critics ahead of elections in January 2026, in which President Museveni hopes to extend his 40-year rule.
