A fringe
politician no more, First Son and Commander of the Land Forces Lt. Gen
Muhoozi Kainerugaba has catapulted himself to the national political
stage using a string of provocative tweets, speeches, a fanatic legion
of youthful supporters, and a countrywide birthday celebration.
Lt. Gen Muhoozi is many things to his
legion of youthful supporters – he is the next president, he is
presidential material, chairman MK, Gen Muhoozi my role model, Team MK,
MK 2026. All these and many other credentials are boldly inscribed on
branded T-shirts, jumpers, caps, shirts and posters, printed,
distributed and worn by his legion of supporters –loudly touting
Muhoozi’s leadership prowess.
In May 2013, Daily Monitor
published a letter in which then coordinator of Intelligence Services
David Sejusa urged the head of Internal Security Organization (ISO)
Brigadier Gen Ronnie Balya to investigate what he said were “claims” of a
plot “to assassinate people who disagree with this so-called family
project of holding onto power in perpetuity”.
In the letter, Sejusa cited himself,
Uganda’s former prime minister Amama Mbabazi, former police chief Gen
Kale Kayihura, and now deceased former army commander Gen Aronda
Nyakairima among those at risk of being assassinated for opposing the
Muhoozi’s succession plan. Sejusa also mentioned messages he claimed he
sent to the president “about the likely consequences of what the public
has dubbed the Muhoozi issue that is becoming divisive and creating
fertile ground for causing intrigue, especially in the army.”
The
renegade general was the first to lift the lid on the now famous or
infamous ‘Muhoozi Project’. Before the Sejusa missive, Muhoozi’s
succession plot was discussed in private. It has, however, spilled into
public view. What remains now is a bold declaration and that seems not
to be far away. Since Sejusa blew the whistle in 2013, Muhoozi has risen
two ranks to become a lieutenant general and commander of the land
forces with a tight grip on the Uganda People’s Defense Forces (UPDF).
Speaking to the media shortly after his
promotion to the rank of major general on May 26, 2016, Muhoozi
dismissed the ‘Muhoozi project’ dubbing it a red herring. “I don’t have
the ambition to be president. I am very happy in the military and that
is where I intend to stay for some time,” he said.
In April
2022, Muhoozi through his Twitter page announced celebrations for his
48th birthday. In the build-up, different events were organized across
the country. Shirts, caps, and other Muhoozi-branded paraphernalia were
distributed. At Kololo Ceremonial grounds, a birthday marathon was
organized, followed by a grand fete held for his loyal supporters at
Lugogo Cricket Oval. Other celebrations were held in Rukungiri,
Bushenyi, Entebbe, Fort Portal, etc. On April 29, 2022, UPDF generals
captained by the Chief of Defence Forces Gen Wilson Mbadi and a select
team of members of parliament played a football game in commemoration of
Muhoozi’s 48th birthday.
The game was graced by deputy speaker of
parliament Thomas Tayebwa. For Uganda’s crown prince, Muhoozi’s tweets
have become the law or the official government position. On May 1, 2022,
Muhoozi tweeted, “All those who want me to stand in 2026 re-tweet, all
those who don’t like”. This attracted 13,3000 likes and 4,297 retweets.
On April 24, 2022, President Paul Kagame of Rwanda attended a state
dinner hosted at State House Entebbe organized to celebrate Gen Muhoozi
Kainerugaba’s birthday.
The
Museveni and Kagame speeches at the dinner signaled a veiled endorsement
of Muhoozi by the two leaders. President Museveni said, “Muhoozi will
fight corruption, I am patient with corrupt people but Muhoozi is
impatient, he will fight corruption.”
President Kagame said that since Muhoozi
had gone out of his way to resolve a standoff between Uganda and
Rwanda, “he is ready for bigger things.”
Rwanda closed her border with Uganda
three years ago, accusing the latter of harboring political dissidents
opposed to the Kagame establishment in Kigali, torturing and detaining
Rwandans without trial. On Twitter, Muhoozi re-tweeted a video of
Kasambya MP David Kabanda captured when he appeared on NBS Barometer.
On-camera
Kabanda said; “In 2026, Lt. Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba is on the ballot
paper. Since they have been saying the man (President Museveni) is
tired, we have a youthful man, the lion of Magere. It is here walking.
The lion has become a lion. You shall now hear the father of lions.”
Asked whether Muhoozi’s birthday
celebrations were used by the serving military officer to road-test his
presidential candidacy, Makerere University law don Prof Ronald
Mayambala said, “Yes, it could be speculative. However, the UPDF has an
elaborate procedure to follow if one wishes to quit/ retire from the
army and join politics, which I think Gen Muhoozi will have to follow
should he choose to join active politics...”
Interviewed by The Observer, an
army officer who played the birthday celebratory football match between
soldiers and parliamentarians, said that within the army ranks, the
Muhoozi presidency is supported by most colonels and major generals
below the age of 60 years.
“Any ambitious person who wants change
within the army ranks will look at supporting Muhoozi. The reasoning is
that if the government changes and Muhoozi takes over, these soldiers
within these ranks (colonels and major generals) are considered to
maintain their offices or be posted to new offices,” the general said.
The
general added, “Within the army, I can guarantee you that 80 percent is
with Muhoozi, whether people want it or not. People might think his
influence is within the Special Forces Command (SFC), which could be
true but it is beyond that at the moment. SFC is already a different
thing.
That is why I can boldly say there
cannot be any coup in Uganda when Muhoozi has taken power. SFC is an
elite force. With SFC under Muhoozi’s full supervision, it’s very hard
for a section of these other UPDF to stage a coup against an elite
force. They know it is impossible, which means that Muhoozi has 80
percent of the support from the army with the top commanders already
allying themselves with him to secure or maintain their positions in his
term as the president. You could say that there is no way anyone can infiltrate or compromise the army”.
Muhoozi has been a long-serving
commander of SFC. Justifying the assertion that SFC is behind Muhoozi,
the general said the recruitment of soldiers into the elite military
force was based on recommendations from friends and families. There was a
holistic checkup on each recruit into the force. Asked whether Muhoozi
would run for the presidency in 2026, the general said, “I can’t say I
am sure 100 percent but what I can boldly say is that he has taken over
the army.
Yes, the army is now his because if he
can summon whoever he wants at any time and he can give orders to anyone
at any time including officers of a higher rank, then what can I say?
If someone has taken over the army, then what about the country?”
There are, however, pockets of opposition to Muhoozi’s succession plan, the general said.
“I support the project but I can’t
pinpoint those opposed for fear for their safety. I am very sure that we
now have a spying project within the ranks of generals. We have spies
spying on what we do and report to superiors. We think it’s one of the
reasons why many senior officers are not only demonstrating selfless
loyalty to maintain or get juicy positions in the next regime of Muhoozi
but also ease suspicion...”
Asked why some generals are supporting
Muhoozi’s presidential project, the general said, “We see him as another
Kagame. Kagame might be too tough but he is delivering for his country.
We believe that some sluggish work that is still in the army is going
to end. For someone like me who looks at a bright future for my family, I
would rather be on Muhoozi’s side. This is also risky because the
father (Museveni) still wants power. Most top officials are still
confused because we don’t know whether he [Museveni] is handing over to
the son or he is still in power. We are held up in the middle. We don’t
know who of the two [Muhoozi and Museveni] we should please. Team ‘MK’
is a very dangerous project. It is going to take down some people and
have others promoted.”
In a May 6, 2022 petition filed before
the constitutional court, lawyer Gawaya Tegulle has jointly sued Gen
Muhoozi Kainerugaba (first respondent), the Chief of Defence Forces
(second respondent), and the Attorney General (third respondent).
Tegulle argues in the petition that, “The acts of the first respondent
[Gen Muhoozi] dubbed MK@48 including national and district
birthday
celebrations as well as political pronouncements in general and the
manifest presidential campaigns in particular, on the first respondent’s
Twitter handle, @MK, are inconsistent with Article 208 (2) of the
Constitution that provides that UPDF shall be non-partisan, national in
character, patriotic, professional, disciplined, productive and
subordinate to civilian authority as established under the
constitution.”
Tegulle accuses the chief of defence
forces of failing to advise Muhoozi about the legality and tenable
nature of his actions, character, and conduct which contravene the
constitution of the Republic of Uganda and the UPDF Act. The Attorney
General is accused of failing to provide good, fitting, and proper legal
advice to the UPDF in general and Muhoozi whose acts and overtures are
manifestly unconstitutional and not tenable in a professional army.
