Uganda Ruling Party Rejects Muhoozi Kainerugaba Presidential Bid

Uganda’s ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) executive committee halted a vote on General Muhoozi Kainerugaba’s candidacy for president after members opposed the proposal.

The closed-door meeting on Tuesday, November 10, involved 28 committee members; four voted in favour and three against before the exercise was stopped, according to five party sources who spoke to AFP.

Sources said the army chief’s confrontational style had created uneasiness among some members, and one participant told AFP, "The combative nature of the army chief has created uneasiness among some people. He is fighting and threatening people on social media. Let him start convincing people but not using coercive means to compel the population to capitulate."

President Yoweri Museveni, 82, had presented a paper to senior party officials in late October arguing that his son had the credentials to succeed him, but party insiders said some members suggested Museveni remove his son from the military and give him a civilian role to understand the population.

Muhoozi Kainerugaba, 52, who heads the Uganda army, announced on November 6 that his tenure as chief of defence forces would end in a few months and that he would hand over the office to a qualified officer, adding he would then dedicate his life to Christ. He has also declared his intention to contest the 2031 presidential election.

The succession debate carries regional interest; Kenya is Uganda’s largest export market within the East African Community, with bilateral trade valued at about KSh126 billion, and the two countries signed eight cooperation agreements in July 2025 building on 17 existing arrangements covering transport, agriculture, investment, tourism, fisheries and mining.

Defence cooperation continues, with the fifth Joint Defence Committee meeting held in January 2025 focusing on terrorism, armed groups, cross-border crime, human trafficking and intelligence sharing.

Muhoozi has recently attracted attention on X by threatening Vice President Jessica Alupo with arrest over alleged involvement in a plot to overthrow the government.