Odrek Rwabogo, chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee on Exports and Industrial Development (PACEID), has issued a strong defence of the institution’s legitimacy and called for due process in the arrest of his aide, Matthew Bagonza, following a series of sharp social media statements by Chief of Defence Forces Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba.

In a statement responding to comments by Gen. Muhoozi, Rwabogo emphasised that any case against an individual must be handled by a competent court and tried fairly and impartially.

“Both the arrest and the treatment of a presumed offender should follow the law, be humane not humiliating and give the constitution, the people and God the dignity and humanness one deserves. Let the evidence be tested,” he said.

“Matthew Bagonza can defend himself and the institution he works for. And let the law take its course.”

On the status of PACEID itself, Rwabogo was equally firm.

He stated that the body is fully operational and lawful, reporting directly to President Yoweri Museveni.

“All our quarterly and annual reports are consistent on what we have achieved and the ideas we have brought forward for our country, its entrepreneurs and exports sector,” he noted.

PACEID was commissioned on 16 March 2022.

Institutions, he stressed, begin through a proper process, and any change to a mandate must also follow due process.

“An anonymous message on social media is not that process.”

Rwabogo urged international partners, holders of export orders, global trade representatives, logistics partners and those financing value chains in 13 priority products to remain calm and continue activities as usual.

The statement comes after Gen. Muhoozi, who is Rwabogo’s brother-in-law, posted a series of messages on X declaring PACEID an “illegal organisation” and announcing the start of arrests of its members.

On 24 August, he wrote: “PACEID is an illegal organisation. We shall start arresting its members immediately.”

The following day he added that arrests of “the criminals in PACEID” had begun, claiming President Museveni had instructed him to “get all of them.”

He also directed all ministries, departments, agencies and local governments to suspend dealings with what he called a “criminal organisation,” warning of consequences for non-compliance.

Bagonza, head of the PACEID secretariat and a close aide to Rwabogo, was arrested from his home in Entebbe.

Gen. Muhoozi later confirmed the detention by posting a shirtless photograph of Bagonza with the caption “We have this one. Learning Kiswahili,” and made further comments about the detainee’s treatment while in custody.

He also warned Rwabogo against contacting security officers without his approval.

PACEID was established under the Office of the President in March 2022 to promote Uganda’s exports and industrial development.

Rwabogo, who is married to President Museveni’s daughter Patience, has previously stated that the President was unaware of Bagonza’s arrest and had not ordered it.

The public exchange highlights ongoing tensions within the first family between the President’s son and son-in-law.

As of the latest reports, details of any formal charges against Bagonza, his place of detention, and access to legal counsel remain limited.

Rwabogo’s statement insists that the matter should now proceed through established legal channels.