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Museveni's dauphin – General Muhoozi – comes out of the closet
Africa Confidential
That Yoweri Museveni’s son, General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, plans to succeed his father as President of Uganda was an open secret before confirmation came on 26 August. The First Family is not united in its support for the plan but it is hard to see any significant opposition to a Muhoozi presidency.
Muhoozi’s rise to power as head of the Ugandan army, with his own political movement, the Patriotic League of Uganda, is troubling in a region where authoritarian rule is gaining sway. Muhoozi says that he can win the 2031 election with 90%, but his main challenge will be legitimacy. Opinion surveys suggest that he has only a fraction of his father’s public support.
His status as army chief means the already blurred distinctions between the military and partisan politics will fade further. Ahead of January’s elections, Muhoozi threatened to jail or murder opposition leader Bobi Wine. Muhoozi was so intent on killing Wine that a member of the First Family had to ensure the opposition leader’s safe passage out of the country. The media and foreign diplomats have also been targeted.
Muhoozi has used his social media platforms to threaten to invade neighbouring Kenya, but he later apologised and promised to give some cows to President William Ruto. In June, he ordered troops to halt operations at the Nation Media Group facilities in Kampala, claiming he had the power to shut down any media house.
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