NAKASERO.
President Museveni on Friday met and held a strategic discussion with the Ambassador of Germany to Uganda, His Excellency Matthias Schauer at State Lodge, Nakasero.
The meeting focused on exploring ways to enhance collaboration in key sectors such as trade, investment, technology, sports development, among others.
The two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening the longstanding partnership between Uganda and Germany.
President Museveni emphasized the importance of partnerships based on mutual respect and shared development goals, highlighting Uganda’s commitment to sustainable progress.
Ambassador Schauer thanked President Museveni for the warm reception and the opportunity to engage in a meaningful dialogue, expressing optimism about the continued growth of Uganda–Germany relations.
At the same day H.E Schauer met President Musevnei , supporters of Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, staged a demonstration at the German Embassy in Kololo, accusing the former of engaging in “subversive activities.”
Wearing Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU) branded T-shirts emblazoned with Muhoozi’s image, the group, led by PLU director of mobilization Michael Mawanda, marched from the PLU offices in Naguru to the embassy premises along Philip Drive in Kololo.
They carried placards and chanted slogans such as “The colonial era ended” and “The ambassador must go.”
The protesters accused the German envoy of colluding with unnamed enemies of peace and undermining Uganda’s sovereignty. Although the demonstration was closely monitored by police and some roads leading to Kololo were temporarily closed, the protest ended peacefully.
The group, however, was unable to access the embassy, which they found closed.
Addressing the crowd outside the embassy, Mawanda said they respected diplomatic protocols and would not attempt to enter the premises.
He however said a petition had been left at the embassy for delivery.
“We responded to the call of our chairman [Muhoozi], because whoever touches the security of this country touches him. Their target is to discredit our chairman, and we shall not allow that,” Mawanda said.
He further accused the embassy officials of avoiding accountability.
Last month , the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) announced the immediate suspension of all defence and military cooperation with Germany, citing alleged subversive activities by Berlin’s top envoy in Kampala, in a move that has sharply escalated diplomatic tensions between the two countries.
The UPDF accused H.E Schauer—who has served in Uganda since July 25, 2020—of interfering in the country’s internal affairs and backing groups opposed to the government ahead of next year’s general elections.
“UPDF has with immediate effect suspended all ongoing defence and military cooperation activities with the Federal Republic of Germany,” said Colonel Chris Magezi, the acting director of Defence Public Information in a statement last month .
“The decision is in response to credible intelligence reports that the current German Ambassador to Uganda, His Excellency Mathias Schauer, is actively engaged in subversive activities,” he alleged.
Col Magezi alleged that some European embassies in Kampala were “funding and mobilising” dissident groups, with German ambassador Schauer identified as a key actor.
“The intelligence services are aware about his clearly undiplomatic practices… which go against the spirit of the 1961 Vienna Diplomatic Conventions,” he said.
The announcement on X (formerly Twitter) followed a fiery closed-door meeting in Gulu City Between veteran President Museveni’s brother, Gen Salim Saleh, and European diplomats.
During the talks, H.E Schauer criticised the conduct of Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, Museveni’s powerful son and current UPDF chief.
Schauer reportedly warned that Gen Muhoozi’s social media tirades were inflicting “reputational damage” on Uganda and called for senior officials to disavow them publicly.
“What we have tried to convey is we are worried about the reputational damage that this is causing in this country,” the ambassador was quoted as saying in viral videos.
Meanwhile, Gen Saleh appeared to downplay the controversy over Muhoozi, calling him a “Gen-Z” officer and suggesting he would “get him on board” if necessary.
“The UPDF… strongly condemns foreign influence meddling in Uganda’s internal affairs and will take decisive action against those who seek to destabilise the country,” Col Magezi warned.
The suspension of defence ties threatens to unravel a years-long military partnership and marks one of the most serious diplomatic rifts between Kampala and a European power in recent memory.
Germany later dismissed Uganda’s allegations against its ambassador in Kampala as “absurd and without any merit,” following Kampala’s announcement that it was severing military cooperation with Berlin.
“We reject them in the strongest terms,” a foreign ministry spokesperson told reporters in Berlin, without commenting further on the nature of the accusations.
What International Law says
Under the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, diplomats are expected to “respect the laws and regulations of the receiving State (in this case Uganda)” and are explicitly prohibited from “interfering in the internal affairs” of that State (Article 41).