President Museveni's son supports Ugandan dictator for seventh term

Issued on: 21.09.2024 – 13:18Changed: 21.09.2024 – 13:17

2 minutes

The announcement is a tacit admission that Museveni, who has been in power since 1986, is seeking a seventh term.

“I want to announce that I will not be on the ballot paper in 2026. Almighty God has told me to focus on His army first,” his son Muhoozi Kainerugaba said on X.

“That is why I fully support President Yoweri Museveni in the next elections.”

Museveni, 80, has not yet officially announced whether he wants to remain in power.

But his son's announcement appeared to confirm widespread expectations that he would run again, and his party has already endorsed him as a presidential candidate.

Many in the East African country see Kainerugaba as his father’s dynastic successor.

Trained at the elite British military academy Sandhurst, he has had a meteoric rise. Today he is commander-in-chief of the Ugandan armed forces and thus the highest-ranking soldier in the country.

“After President Museveni, no civilian will rule Uganda. The security forces will not allow that. The next leader will be a soldier or a policeman,” Kainerugaba added.

“Not surprising”

In an earlier post announcing his intention to run in the 2026 elections, Kainerugaba said it was time for fresh blood in Ugandan politics.

Museveni has ruled Uganda with an iron fist since he overthrew President Milton Obote in 1986.

According to official results, he was re-elected for a sixth term in 2021 with 58 percent of the vote. The opposition called this a masquerade.

The election campaign was marked by intimidation and arrests and resulted in over 50 deaths.

Ugandan opposition leader Bobi Wine, who has always been a thorn in Museveni's side, told AFP that Kainerugaba's decision was “not surprising”.

“His father is still interested in running in the next election, regardless of his age,” said the singer-turned-politician.

“These are political machinations designed to distract the people of Uganda from the real problems: human rights violations, dictatorship, unemployment, poverty, deteriorating health care and a declining economy due to Museveni's poor governance,” he said.

Wine, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi, challenged the experienced politician in the 2021 presidential election.

He has been arrested or placed under house arrest several times and his party's rallies have been violently broken up.

© 2024 AFP