KAMPALA, Uganda
Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni on Thursday appointed his son as top commander of the military, a controversial move in a country where many have long believed Museveni is grooming his eldest child for the presidency.
Museveni’s son, General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, has recently been holding rallies around the country,
in violation of a law barring serving army officers from engaging in partisan
politics. But Kainerugaba says his activities — including the recent launch of
an activist group known as the Patriotic League of Uganda — are nonpartisan and
aimed at encouraging patriotism among Ugandans.
Kainerugaba was promoted to
his new post late Thursday, according to a military statement. Two of his
closest advisors have been given ministerial posts in a reshuffle of government
ministers, also announced late Thursday, fueling speculation that Museveni
supports Kainerugaba’s political activities.
Museveni, who first took power
by force in 1986 and has been elected six times, has not said when he would
retire. He has no rivals within the ruling National Resistance Movement party —
the reason many believe the military will have a say in choosing his successor.
Kainerugaba’s allies are strategically deployed in command positions across the
security services, according to observers.
Uganda’s next presidential
election will be held in 2026.
Kainerugaba’s
supporters say he offers Uganda the opportunity of a peaceful transfer of power
in a country that has not had one since independence from British colonial rule
in 1962. But opposition leaders, critics and others eager for change say his
rise is leading the East African country toward hereditary rule.
Kainerugaba joined the army in
the late 1990s, and his rise to the top of the armed forces has been
controversial, with critics dubbing it the “Muhoozi Project” to prepare him for
the presidency.
Museveni and Kainerugaba have
long denied the existence of such a scheme, but it appears a
transition is underway as Museveni, 79, serves what could be his last
term without a recognizable successor within the civilian government.
Kainerugaba has most recently
been serving as a senior presidential advisor in charge of special operations,
after his father removed him as infantry commander in 2022. At the time,
Kainerugaba was responsible for a
series of offensive tweets, including an unprovoked one in which he
threatened to capture the capital of neighboring Kenya. He has previously
served as the commander of an elite group of special forces protecting the
first family.
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