Posts falsely claim US ambassador apologised to Ugandan president
- Published on October 14, 2024 at 12:30
- 6 min read
- By Mary KULUNDU, AFP Kenya
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“BREAKING NEWS; The Us Ambassador William W. Popp has officially issued a Diplomatic Apology to President Museveni following the directive of the Senior Presidential advisor on special operations Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba (sic),” reads a post on X published on October 7, 2024.
The post features two images: in the first, Popp and Museveni, both masked, jointly hold a large envelope. In the second image, Popp stands alongside Museveni inside the presidential residence.
Several posts on X featuring the two images repeated the same claim (archived here and here).
In another post on X, a user shared a clip of Popp signing papers in the presence of the Ugandan leader. In the top righthand corner of the video is a logo with the words Ben Live.
“Due to immense pressure from @mkainerugaba Mr William Wayne Popp has decided to sign out of Uganda via entebbe state house. We wish William and his people all the best in their future endeavors (sic),” reads the post.
The claim comes days after Museveni’s son and Uganda's military chief, General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, demanded Popp apologise for “disrespecting” his father and “undermining” the country's constitution, in a post published on X on October 4.
“If this current US Ambassador does not apologize to Mzee personally by Monday morning (9.00am) for his undiplomatic behaviour in our country we will demand he leaves Uganda,” read the post, which has since been deleted.
According to local reports, Kainerugaba’s demands followed US sanctions against four former top police officers in Uganda’s armed forces (archived here, here and here).
While the military head's post may have stirred diplomatic tensions, the images and videos circulating of Popp purportedly handing an apology letter to Museveni or “signing out” of Uganda are false.
Unrelated visuals
A reverse image search of the photo showing Popp and Museveni holding a white envelope traces it to news reports from 2023 (here and here).
“Museveni sending a letter to US president Joe Biden through Popp. President Museveni sends special message to United States leader Joe Biden,” reads one headline. Another reads: “Museveni responds to Biden over AGOA deal”.
AGOA is a trade programme that offers duty-free access to the US market for sub-Saharan African countries that meet specific democratic criteria (archived here).
A keyword search on State House Uganda’s official X account located the same picture published on December 5, 2023 (archived here).
The caption reads: “President Museveni has written a reply to his American counterpart, the @POTUS , regarding the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) issue. He confirmed this on Monday while meeting H.E. William Popp, Head of the @usmissionuganda at State House Entebbe.”
This is contrary to claims that Popp was handing an apology letter to Museveni.
President Museveni has written a reply to his American counterpart, the @POTUS, regarding the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) issue. He confirmed this on Monday while meeting H.E. William Popp, Head of the @usmissionuganda at State House Entebbe. pic.twitter.com/I8pCsuRY85
— State House Uganda (@StateHouseUg) December 5, 2023
AFP Fact Check also found the image of Popp standing alongside Museveni at the presidential residence on State House Uganda’s website, published in September 2023 (archived here).
According to the press release, the photo was taken during a ceremony where Museveni received the credentials of four newly appointed envoys, including Popp.
Using InVID WeVerify, AFP Fact Check conducted a reverse image search on a keyframe from the clip claiming to show Popp "signing out" of Uganda.
The search revealed that the same video had previously been published on a YouTube channel branded Ben Live, matching the footage in the false post (archived here).
“MUSEVENI welcomes US Ambassador H.E. William W. Popp to State House, new envoys present credentials (sic),” reads the caption of the footage published on September 20, 2023.
A day later, local publication New Vision also reported on the official event and posted the video on YouTube (archived here).
No request
The US Mission in Uganda on X dismissed the claims as false, noting the embassy has not received “any formal request to apologize” (archived here).
On its official X account, the U.S Mission Uganda stamped as “fake” one of the posts claiming Popp apologised alongside a photo of Museveni and the US ambassador.
“This narrative is completely false. Neither the U.S. Embassy nor #AmbPopp have received any formal request to apologize from the Ugandan government on any matter, nor has he apologized. All official statements are posted on our platforms,” reads the US Mission in Uganda’s X post.
Uganda’s foreign minister Henry Okello Oryem confirmed to AFP that no “official demand has been made,” adding such communication would be conducted through diplomatic channels.
"No official demand has been made by Ugandan government for the US Ambassador to leave the country. Similarly, we haven't received official communication to the purported apology by the Ambassador of US to Uganda,” Oryem said.
"If there is any communication to be made between Uganda and US, like other countries, it is done through diplomatic channels, not through the media."
This is not the first time Kainerugaba has published outlandish posts on X. In 2022, he went on a social media tirade, including sharing a threat to invade Kenya after the country's presidential elections (archived here).
His father Museveni later issued an apology to Kenya (archived here).
Following his recent remarks about the US ambassador, the US Foreign Relations Committee said, "any further confrontation will be problematic and met with serious response".
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