BIG STORY: Why Otafiire Will Never Kneel Down For Muhoozi

Major General Kahinda Otafiire, one of the original fighters who launched Uganda’s National Resistance Army (NRA) bush war in 1981, has put his wartime credentials at the centre of a fresh and increasingly heated debate over political disagreements, military power and the use of force.

Otafiire, who has spent decades moving between the battlefield, Parliament and government, delivered a pointed message in Parliament on September 30, 2026, warning that disagreements should not automatically become confrontations.

His remarks have since attracted widespread attention after Chief of Defence Forces Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba publicly demanded an apology from the veteran general over statements made in Parliament and elsewhere. Muhoozi reportedly gave Otafiire one week to apologise, although Otafiire had not mentioned him by name in the parliamentary address.

Otafiire told MPs that disagreement was a normal part of human relations and political life, arguing that the real test was how such differences were handled. “I always say, Mr Speaker, honourable Speaker, sir, that when you see two people living together and they don’t disagree for a month, it means one of them is a fool,” Otafiire said.

“Meaning, disagreement is not the problem, but how to resolve the contradiction is the problem,” he said.

The veteran commander then delivered the statement that has generated the biggest controversy.

Visit UHRC Sponsored “The hallmark of civilization is how people resolve contradiction without violence,” Otafiire told Parliament.

He went further, warning against military leaders who regard force as the preferred solution to disagreements.

“When you see a general who prefers violence as the best means of solving problems, then there is a problem,” he said.

Otafiire added: “The greatest generals I know of are those who resolve problems without shooting a bullet.”

The comments were particularly striking because of Otafiire’s own history. Born in present-day Mitooma District in 1950, he became one of the 27 fighters associated with the launch of the NRA rebellion in 1981. He has said he spent about five years in Luweero during the conflict that eventually brought President Yoweri Museveni to power in 1986.

His journey from bush fighter to senior government official has included service as a legislator and minister. In the 2026 Cabinet, he was appointed Minister of Water and Environment and formally assumed the portfolio in June.

But Otafiire’s latest intervention went beyond military history. He appealed for political tolerance and urged members of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) to recognise the value of opposition voices.

“You never see how beautiful your face is or how ugly your face is until you look into the mirror,” he said, describing the opposition as the NRM’s “mirror of reflection.”

He also argued that political winners should be magnanimous while those who lose should respect the outcome but retain the right to be heard.

The comments came at a politically sensitive moment and have since been interpreted by some observers as an indirect message to other senior generals, particularly Muhoozi. However, Otafiire did not identify Muhoozi in the parliamentary speech, making the interpretation a matter of political debate rather than an explicit accusation.

The dispute nevertheless marks another dramatic episode involving two prominent military figures whose careers are deeply connected to Uganda’s ruling establishment.

For Otafiire, the message was framed as a lesson from a veteran of war: political and social contradictions may be unavoidable, but violence should not be the automatic answer.

And his most striking warning remains unmistakable: in his view, the measure of a great general is not simply the ability to fire a bullet, but the ability to solve a crisis without firing one.

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