In a closed Kampala meeting, the ruling party's leadership appears to have stalled a move to hand power to the president's son, a quiet crack in a system that has long bent around one family and one man. Here, a long-serving leader's wish to pass the torch to a combative army chief has met resistance from within, and the outcome remains uncertain. It is one more chapter in the old human question of who inherits power, and whether institutions can say no.
Uganda's ruling party reportedly rejects Museveni's plan to hand power to his army-chief son
Political rivals have reportedly been imprisoned and opposition leader Bobi Wine threatened with beheading, according to the article.
A vote on the president's son was called off mid-count
Mark
Why does a vote that never finished matter so much?
Mimi
Because nobody in the NRM has openly crossed Museveni like this before. The attendees called it unprecedented, and the cheers for the dissenters were part of that.
Mark
What exactly was being decided?
Mimi
Who the party would back as successor. Museveni floated his son in a paper to party grandees in late October, and Tuesday's executive committee meeting was convened to settle it.
Luke
Before we go further, how solid is this? It's five unnamed sources.
Mimi
That's the limit. AFP's sources say four voted for Muhoozi and three against before it was halted, but no one has put their name to that.
Luke
And the vote didn't actually fail. It was called off, so we don't know how the remaining members would have voted.
Mark
What were the objections?
Mimi
Mostly his behaviour: threats on social media, jailed rivals, the threat against Bobi Wine, the media group shut for weeks. One source said he should persuade people, not coerce them.
Mark
And Echodu's suggestion?
Mimi
Move Muhoozi to a civilian role and let Museveni run again in 2031, since his son isn't ready.
Luke
That's one participant's account of what Echodu said, reported secondhand. And whether Museveni accepts any of it is unknown.
Le Pouls
- A closed-door vote on naming Muhoozi Kainerugaba as heir was abruptly abandoned after members voiced open objections.
- Party insiders describe the defiance as unprecedented, with cheers breaking out as opponents spoke against the plan.
- Muhoozi's aggressive online threats, including against Vice President Jessica Alupo, keep the tension at a boil.
- The path forward is unclear: Museveni may override the committee, rework his plan, or let the succession fight reshape the 2031 election.
In a closed Kampala meeting, the ruling party's leadership appears to have stalled a move to hand power to the president's son, a quiet crack in a system that has long bent around one family and one man. Here, a long-serving leader's wish to pass the torch to a combative army chief has met resistance from within, and the outcome remains uncertain. It is one more chapter in the old human question of who inherits power, and whether institutions can say no.
On Tuesday, inside the closed doors of the National Resistance Movement's executive committee, a vote meant to settle who would succeed President Yoweri Museveni was abandoned before it could finish. Five people in the room described it to AFP. The question was whether to designate the president's son, Muhoozi Kainerugaba, as heir.
By the time the vote was called off, four members had voted for Muhoozi and three against, with several others speaking out against the plan to loud cheers. Those present called it an unprecedented act of defiance against a leader who has ruled since 1986.
Muhoozi, 52 and head of the army, has vowed to stand in the 2031 election. Much of the unease focuses on his conduct: his social media boasts about kidnapping and torturing opponents, reports of rivals jailed, threats to behead opposition leader Bobi Wine, and a leading independent media group forced to shut for weeks. Critics inside the party said his combative manner should give way to winning people over.
The controversy has not slowed him. This week he again threatened Vice President Jessica Alupo with arrest on X. The account rests on unnamed sources and a private meeting, so the tally and quotes remain unconfirmed. What comes next is whether Museveni overrides the committee or reworks his plan.
On Tuesday, inside a closed-door meeting of the National Resistance Movement's executive committee, a vote that was supposed to settle who would one day succeed President Yoweri Museveni was abandoned before it could finish. Five people who were in the room described it to AFP on Wednesday. The question on the table was whether to designate the president's son, Muhoozi Kainerugaba, as his heir.
The committee has 28 members. According to the sources, several of them spoke against the plan, and their remarks were met with loud cheers. By the time the vote was called off, four people had voted in favour of Muhoozi and three against. The attendees described the episode as an unprecedented show of defiance against a president who has held power since 1986.
Muhoozi is 52 and currently heads the army. The report says he wields large and growing influence while his 82-year-old father plays a diminishing role in running the country. He has vowed to stand in the presidential election scheduled for 2031. Museveni first raised the succession question in late October, when he presented a paper to party grandees suggesting his son had the right credentials for the job.
Much of the unease centres on the son's conduct. He is known for boasting on social media of kidnapping and torturing opponents, and has referred to a "basement" where he claims to do so. In recent months, according to the report, he has had political rivals imprisoned, threatened to behead opposition leader Bobi Wine, and forced the country's leading independent media group to close for several weeks. Many in the party, the report says, are unnerved by his disregard for the law.
The sources gave a sense of how the objections were framed. One said the army chief's combative manner had created uneasiness, adding that he is fighting and threatening people online, and should win people over without coercion. Another participant said NRM vice-chairman Calvin Echodu urged Museveni to retire his son from the army and give him a civilian assignment, so he could get to know the population and prepare properly for leadership. Echodu also reportedly advised the president to stand again in 2031, because his son is not yet ready.
The controversy has not paused Muhoozi's online activity. In recent days he has again drawn attention with aggressive posts on X, threatening Vice President Jessica Alupo with arrest over claims that she was involved in a plot to overthrow the government.
A caveat applies to all of this: the account rests on five unnamed party sources speaking to AFP, and the meeting was private. The vote tally and the quoted remarks have not been independently confirmed in the source's reporting. What to watch next is whether Museveni overrides the committee or reworks his plan, and how the fight over succession shapes the run-up to the 2031 election.
Citations marquantes
He should stand again in 2031 because his son is not yet ready, and the son should be moved to a civilian role first.— Calvin Echodu, NRM vice-chairman, as relayed by a meeting participant to AFP
Envie de l'histoire complète ?
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