Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba
HABARI DAILY I Kampala, Uganda I Chief of Defence Forces Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba has formally declared that he will seek Uganda’s presidency in 2031, putting a date to his long-standing ambition to succeed his father, President Yoweri Museveni.
Gen Muhoozi made the declaration through a series of posts on X on August 25 and 26, 2026, ending years of speculation over whether he would eventually enter the presidential race.
“I will stand for the highest office in the land in 2031. And we will win by the grace of Almighty God,” Gen Kainerugaba wrote.
In a subsequent post, he linked his anticipated victory to the backing of his father, saying: “With my great father, Mzee’s, support I will get 90% in the elections in 2031.”
The declaration is significant because Gen Muhoozi had previously been widely expected to contest the 2026 presidential election. His supporters had spent years building a political mobilisation network around his potential candidature, first through the MK Movement and later through the Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU), a political pressure group that he chairs.
However, Gen Muhoozi ultimately opted out of the 2026 contest, saying he had received divine guidance to concentrate on his military responsibilities before pursuing the presidency.
Instead, he backed President Museveni for another term, effectively postponing rather than abandoning his political ambitions.
His latest announcement therefore provides the clearest indication yet that the 2026 decision was a strategic delay.
The timing of the declaration is also notable because it comes as PLU is stepping up grassroots mobilisation across the country following the 2026 general elections.
Last weekend, the organisation held its first post-election baraza at Humura Playground in Kyegegwa District. The gathering brought together PLU leaders and supporters from Tooro, Bunyoro, Greater Mubende and surrounding areas.
PLU leaders presented the gathering as the beginning of a renewed grassroots mobilisation campaign, suggesting that the organisation intends to maintain its structures and political presence well ahead of the next presidential election.
The group has also been rebuilding its internal structures following leadership changes announced by Gen Muhoozi in June.
Gen Muhoozi’s political journey has for years attracted intense public attention because of his position as one of the most senior officers in the Uganda People’s Defence Forces and his status as President Museveni’s son.
His supporters have portrayed him as a potential generational transition within the ruling establishment, while critics have questioned the implications of a serving military commander openly pursuing presidential ambitions.
The 2031 declaration now gives PLU and its supporters a longer political horizon around which to organise.
It also places Gen Muhoozi’s relationship with his father at the centre of the emerging succession debate. By publicly predicting that he will win 90 percent of the vote with Museveni’s support, the CDF has signalled that he expects the influence and political machinery associated with his father to play a major role in his eventual campaign.
President Museveni has ruled Uganda since 1986 and remains the dominant figure within the ruling National Resistance Movement.
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