NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 27 — Uganda’s Chief of Defence Forces Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba has directed all government ministers to obtain his permission before travelling abroad, threatening a 30 million Ugandan shilling fine for those who leave the country without his clearance.
Muhoozi announced the directive on Saturday after questioning a recent foreign trip by Minister of State for Foreign Affairs (Regional Affairs) Haruna Kyeyune Kasolo, who travelled to Türkiye for official engagements.
“All ministers need my permission and clearance before leaving the country,” Muhoozi said.
He said he would review ministers’ foreign trips on a monthly basis and require the Finance Ministry to obtain his approval.
“I will clear their trips on a monthly basis. Minister of Finance will seek my approval,” he said.
Muhoozi further directed ministers to notify him before leaving Uganda and said the proposed penalty would be channelled towards road construction.
“Every minister who leaves the country without my permission will be fined 30 million shillings. We shall use that money to build roads. Ministry of Finance will start implementing this order immediately,” he said.
The directive followed Muhoozi’s public questioning of Kasolo’s trip to Türkiye.
“I did not clear Hon. Kasolo to visit Turkey. He will explain,” Muhoozi said in a now-deleted tweet.
Kasolo responded by assuring Muhoozi that he would comply with the directive and seek his guidance and authority before undertaking future foreign travel.
“My chairman and Big Brother, order taken. Your guidance and authority will always be sought,” Kasolo said.
Muhoozi also singled out Foreign Affairs Minister Adonia Ayebare, whom he described as a disciplined cadre, while reiterating that the clearance requirement applied to all ministers.
“My address is known they must ALL notify me before they leave Uganda,” he said.
“Minister of Foreign Affairs Adonia Ayebare is a disciplined cadre. He does not go anywhere without my permission.”
What Uganda’s travel rules say
Muhoozi’s announcement comes against an existing government framework for clearing foreign travel by senior officials.
Cabinet resolved in 2017 that officials at ministerial level, including ministers, ministers of state, the Head of Public Service and Permanent Secretaries, would be cleared by the Prime Minister before travelling abroad.
Officials below the rank of Permanent Secretary were to obtain clearance from their respective ministers.
Uganda’s Constitution establishes the President as Head of State, Head of Government and Commander-in-Chief of the Uganda People’s Defence Forces, while executive authority is vested in the President.
The Constitution also provides for a Prime Minister responsible for coordinating and implementing government policies across ministries, departments and other public institutions.
Ministers are individually accountable to the President for the administration of their ministries and collectively responsible for Cabinet decisions.
Against that framework, it remains unclear what formal legal or administrative instrument Muhoozi was invoking when he announced that ministers would require his personal clearance before travelling abroad.
It is similarly unclear from his announcement what legal basis exists for imposing the proposed 30 million shilling penalty or whether the Ministry of Finance has formally adopted the measure.
Türkiye tensions
The directive comes amid a recent deterioration in Uganda-Türkiye relations, particularly over defence cooperation and the case of Ugandan activist Fred Kajubi Lumbuye, who is based in Türkiye.
On September 19, the Uganda People’s Defence Forces announced the immediate suspension of all defence and military cooperation with Türkiye, saying the measure would remain in place until outstanding issues concerning bilateral defence and military cooperation were resolved.
The UPDF did not publicly specify the issues behind the suspension.
The announcement followed a demonstration outside the Turkish Embassy in Kampala on September 18 by members of the Patriotic League of Uganda, who demanded Lumbuye’s extradition.
However, the UPDF statement announcing the suspension did not directly link the decision to Lumbuye or the embassy demonstration.
Muhoozi’s questioning of Kasolo’s Türkiye trip therefore comes against an already sensitive backdrop in Uganda-Türkiye relations.
Despite the tensions, Uganda’s wider diplomatic and commercial engagement with Türkiye has continued, including the engagements reported during Kasolo’s visit
Whether the new requirement constitutes a formal change to Uganda’s existing ministerial travel-clearance procedures remains unclear.
