Uganda: Fake Screenshot - Uganda's Military Chief Muhoozi Kainerugaba Has Not Overthrown His Father, President Museveni

Lt Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba (file photo)

By Grace Gichuhi

IN SHORT: A fabricated screenshot circulating on Facebook falsely claims Uganda's chief of defence forces announced on X that he had overthrown his father, president Yoweri Museveni. There is no trace of the post on his verified account, and no credible media outlet has reported such a coup.

A Facebook post claims that Uganda's chief of defence forces, Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, announced on X that he had overthrown his father, president Yoweri Museveni, and taken power.

The post includes what appears to be a screenshot from Kainerugaba's X account. It reads: "I have overthrown my father and I am now the President of Uganda. I am tired of pretending."

Museveni has ruled Uganda since 1986. Kainerugaba is known for his prolific and often controversial posts on X about politics, military affairs and regional issues.

This screenshot has also been shared here, here, here, here, here and here.

But did Kainerugaba really make this shocking announcement? We checked.

Fake tweet

We searched Kainerugaba's verified X account but did not find any such post.

The screenshot itself also shows signs of manipulation. The X handle beneath Kainerugaba's display name has been cropped out. In genuine screenshots of X posts, the handle is normally visible, allowing users to verify the account that published the post.

We also found no reports from credible Ugandan or international news outlets. A military coup in Uganda or a public claim by the country's army chief that he had overthrown the president would be major international news and receive extensive media coverage.

All evidence points to the screenshot being fabricated. Kainerugaba has not announced that he has overthrown his father.

Read the original story, with links and other resources.
Africa Check is a non-partisan organisation which promotes accuracy in public debate and in the media. X @AfricaCheck and www.africacheck.org

Copyright © 2026 Africa Check. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.