Published on 21/09/2024
By Hakim Kyeswa
On a cold Saturday morning, social media platform X (formerly Twitter) was left buzzing after the First Son and Chief of Defence Forces, Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba announced that he will not contest for Presidency in the forthcoming 2026 general elections and that he will fully rally behind his father, H.E Yoweri Kaguta Museveni who is undoubtedly seeking further re-election for the country’s top position.
The declaration by Gen Muhoozi who is also Senior Presidential Advisor (Special Operations), seemingly came unexpectedly to his loyalists and subscribers of the Patriotic League of Uganda civil group, to which he patrons as the Chairman. These [the supporters] had very high hopes that the 50-year-old army boss would undoubtedly become a successor to his father, whom they were very sure that he would retire very soon and pave a leeway for the First son in 2026.
The question of whether Gen Muhoozi will stand by his statement or change his mind before 2026 remains unanswered but it is with no exception that his pronouncement on the next presidential election and rallying of his “millions of supporters” to support President Museveni in 2026 is definitely an eye opener to all Ugandans, especially members of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) to embrace unity and togetherness for a common goal.
With a unified force of the three wings of the yellow movement; NRM Secretariat’s Mobilization force headed by Hon Rosemary Seninde, the Office of the National Chairman (ONC) headed by the workaholic Hajjat Hadijah Namyalo Uzeiye and now the young Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU) full of young and energetic forces patronized by the Gen himself, President Museveni is only destined for a landslide victory in the next election.
If you took a keen look at the current status of what should be the Opposition force in Uganda, you are left with no choice but to wonder if surely there’s any formidable candidate likely to throttle a combined mobilization force of this trio as we head into the last stages of this current term. The disunity inside the once big political parties and the emerging ones leaves H.E. Yoweri Museveni with a chance to exploit and use this to his full advantage as he strategizes for yet another term in office to fulfil the unachieved NRA objectives.
Museveni’s comeback was to some people a mystery after the 2021 elections, with many political scientists, commentators and analysts talking transition ahead of 2026. The talk would further extend to certain leaders within the ruling NRM party until the project to success the President with his son became the talk of the town on and off social media.
But President Museveni, a visionary leader as we all know him, saw the ambitious zeal in the young and energetic Hajjat Hadijah Namyalo Uzeiye, and after settling in the Presidency seat, appointed her as his Senior Presidential Advisor on Political Affairs and subsequently assigned her to be his Political Assistant at Office of the National Chairman in Kyambogo.
Among the tasks assigned Mr Museveni to Hajjat Namyalo while taking over the office was to bring back his Bazzukulu to the ruling party after many youths had shunned NRM and went with the falsified storm and wave of Bobi Wine’s NUP in the previous elections. The assignment was a clear indication that the President was looking at leading Uganda beyond 2026, and meant that the party support, especially in the central region had to be revived before the next elections.
The Chief Muzzukulu Hajjat Namyalo took on the assignment with full throttle and purpose, and before the self-seekers and opportunists knew, the now popular #TovaKuMain2026 campaign was launched in October 2022 at ONC Kyambogo with the full aim of ensuring that Jajja is back on the ballot by 2026. Although it seemed like the hardest task she has ever taken, Namyalo never backed down at any moment.
Along the way, many self-seekers and opportunists, who had earlier been part of the TovaKuMain campaign launch prematurely quit and resorted to decampaigning it with all sorts of blackmail, and camping up with an opposing force within the NRM that seemed to be against having Jajja back on the ballot. But the resilience in Namyalo never bowed to their pressure and stood focused on the main goal of bringing back Jajja’s Bazzukulu to the party, and ultimately to have him back on the ballot come 2026.
The unwavering determination which made her (Namyalo) navigate through the ups and downs thrown at her for spearheading the campaign of TovaKuMain cannot go unnoticed, and when you combine this with the dynamic mobilization skills she has widely portrayed through the various wealth creation initiatives has won the hearts of many Bazzukulu, most of them in the ghettos of Kampala and its metropolitan.
To date, TovaKuMain has become a symbol of the movement to extend Museveni’s presidency, emphasizing his continued leadership and the perceived need for him to remain in office to complete the unachieved objectives of the National Resistance Army (NRA), which brought him to power in 1986.
Therefore, the declaration by the First Son not to contest for Presidency has left his supporters and loyalists in political despair, but on the other hand further consolidates NRM’s efforts, positioning Namyalo’s ONC and the PLU to focus their energies on ensuring Museveni’s re-election come 2026.
The announcement also leaves the opposition forces scrambling. Many believed he would be an easier candidate to challenge than his father. Now, with Museveni firmly in the race, the opposition which seemingly lacks a clear strategy is left in disarray.
In conclusion, Gen Muhoozi’s decision not to contest in the 2026 elections has strengthened the NRM’s prospects for unity and success. With the combined efforts of key figures like Hajjat Namyalo and the unwavering support of the PLU, President Museveni’s path to re-election seems clear, while the opposition struggles to find its footing amidst internal divisions and the unexpected turn of events.
The writer is Head of Digital Media Team at ONC Kyambogo
