By Faridah N Kulumba
Africa-Press – Uganda. Ugandans were taken by surprise on Saturday after President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni’s son, Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba revealed that he had withdrawn his 2026 presidential bid but instead endorsed his 80-year father for 7th term. The Uganda’s Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and Senior Presidential Advisor for Special Operations, Gen Muhoozi in April 2022, signalled his desire to go public about his presidential ambitions when he auspiciously turned his 48th birthday celebrations into a national event. The first son’s expression of interest in succeeding his father who has been in power for more than 38 years now, came after almost a decade of speculations. The “Muhoozi Project” was coined by one Gen David Sejusa in 2013 when he revealed that President Museveni was grooming his son Muhozi to succeed him when he retires. But President Museveni and Gen Muhoozi repeatedly denied the allegation.
Special Announcement
The controversial first made the announcement on 21 September of this year after two years of declaring his will to contest for the country’s top office. According to his withdrawal statement that he posted on X account, he explained that he wanted to concentrate on his current post as a CDF but instead, he endorsed his father who has been in power since 1986. For Muhoozi to endorse his father, is an unconstitutional move.
The Constitution of the Republic of Uganda provides that UPDF shall be non-partisan. “I would like to announce that I will not be on the ballot paper in 2026. Almighty God told me to focus on His Army first. So, I fully endorse President Yoweri Museveni in the next elections,” Gen Muhoozi posted. In another tweet that followed about an hour after the first one, the 50-year-old heir apparent to the presidency told his over 95,000 X followers that “for me nothing on this earth is Holier than UPDF! So, I cannot think of a greater honour than being in UPDF. “It is Holy Ground!! God bless Holy UPDF and Sacred Uganda forever” before warning that no civilian would lead Uganda after his ageing father, a former rebel leader. On 21st March President Museveni also a Commander in Chief of Uganda People’s Defense Force (UPDF) made changes in the military where he promoted his 49-year-old son Gen, Muhoozi Kainerugaba as the CDF.
Previously President Museveni fired Lt Gen Muhoozi as commander of the nation’s infantry forces after he tweeted provocative threats to capture the capital of neighbouring Kenya. Muhoozi’s 2026 presidential bid was mainly supported by some ruling party members the National Resistance Movement (NRM) who are mainly the youth. However the older NRM members including some founders did not support the idea of presidential inheritance, They instead launched a new campaign dubbed Stay on the main road “Tova Ku Main” requesting Museveni not to give up the top office. And in this month, prior to Museveni’s 80 years birthday celebration, his party supporters headed by the head of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) Hajjat Hadijah Namyalo launched a campaign that intends to keep Museveni in power for more years dubbed as ‘Say-No-to-Forceful-Transition,’ with the intent of urging Museveni to stay on the ballot in 2026 and beyond.
Unconstitutional ambitions
On May 1st 2022, Gen Muhoozi via his favourite social media Twitter now X channel announced his will to become Uganda’s next president. “When Team MK wins power in this country, which we will, our first action will be to increase the sports budget,” Muhoozi said on Twitter adding that Team MK will announce their political programme soon. In the same month, the Constitutional Court summoned Muhoozi the then Commander of Land Forces, to respond to a petition in which he was accused of expressing his presidential ambitions yet he is still serving army officer. This followed one Lawyer Gawaya Tegulle petitioning the Constitutional Court challenging what he called unconstitutional acts by Gen Muhoozi of engaging in political activities and pronouncements as he celebrated his birthday despite being a serving army officer. In his petition, Mr Tegulle claimed that the act of Gen Muhoozi, dubbed MK@48, among others, include; national and district birthday celebrations, as well as political pronouncements in general and manifest presidential campaigns in particular on his Twitter, handle, @MK @mkainerugaba, is inconsistent with Article 208 (2) of the Constitution that provides that UPDF shall be non-partisan, and national. The petitioner added that Muhoozi as a serving officer of the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) acted in an undisciplined manner, lacking good character when with impunity, breached the Code of Conduct for the defence forces.
Controversial Gen
Gen Muhoozi is renowned for his controversial social media posts that at times jeopardize Uganda’s diplomacy with other countries. For example, he sided with the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, when the rebel group was fighting the Ethiopian government. Uganda called for dialogue, officially. In another tweet he said he could “capture” Nairobi easily were he to decide so. The situation was put into order when President Museveni apologized to neighbouring Kenya. In August this year, Gen Muhoozi demanded the United States compensation for the Ugandan military who lost their lives in the US war on terror in Somalia. In one of his series posts on the X platform explained that the USD 100 billion is the minimum he demands from the USA. And they will pay every penny. Increasingly, it has become clear that President Museveni will again be on the ballot to seek a mandate for his 7th elective term, since 1996. Museveni, who came to power through a coup, in 1986, was first elected president under the new constitution in 1996. The 2026 polls are expected to attract the participation of singer-turned-politician Robert Kyagulanyi alias Bobi Wine and Dr Kizza Besigye among others.
For More News And Analysis About Uganda Follow Africa-Press
