Gen Kainerugaba Thanks Museveni, Kagame for Support in Rebuilding Uganda-Rwanda Relations

The Commander of Land Forces and Senior Presidential Advisor on Special Operations Lt Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba expressed gratitude to President Yoweri Museveni and his Rwandan counterpart, Paul Kagame, for the support they have offered in his recent undertaking to repair relations between Kampala and Kigali.

Gen Kainerugaba, who today ended his three-day trip to Rwanda, expressed his gratitude through a tweet sent Wednesday evening.

The army commander said him and Kagame discussed wide-ranging issues regarding strengthening relations between the two East African countries but only cited the issue of border movement that has been affected by Covid-19 tests that travelers say are highly priced.

"After a very fruitful 3-day visit to Rwanda, I'd like to thank His Excellency Paul Kagame and the government and people of Rwanda for the very warm way we were received and treated. We discussed a wide range of issues. One of the issues we discussed concerned the few difficulties still connected with the border opening (the high cost of PCR tests for Covid-19 etc)... Kagame assured me all that will be sorted out," Gen Kainerugaba tweeted.

"I thank His Excellency... Museveni for giving me the opportunity to serve my nation by helping to rebuild the very important strategic relationship between Uganda and Rwanda."

The movement of trucks and people at the Gatuna/Katuna border resumed for the first time in three years on March 7 and January 31 following closure prompted by a diplomatic impasse. 

During the visit, Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba received 10 cows of Inyambo breed (similar to the long-horned Ankole cattle) from Kagame while at the latter's farm in Bugesera, a district in the Eastern Province of Rwanda.

He also paid tribute to victims of the Tutsi Genocide at the Kigali Genocide Memorial in Gisozi. The site is home to over 250,000 victims of the Genocide against the Tutsi.

Gen Kainerugaba also toured the Campaign Against Genocide Museum in Kimihurura (CAG), and the Kigali Arena, Rwanda's capital's major stadium for hosting basketball and volleyball competitions as well as concerts.