Muhoozi Kainerugaba, son of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, has announced his intention to contest the country’s presidency in the 2031 elections.
Kainerugaba, who commands Uganda’s army and leads the Patriotic League of Uganda, a political pressure group, made the declaration in a series of posts on X on Tuesday.
“I will stand for the highest office in the land in 2031. And we will win by the grace of Almighty God,” he said.
The announcement ends years of speculation over whether the 52-year-old military officer would seek to succeed his father, who has ruled Uganda for more than four decades.
Kainerugaba also expressed confidence that he would secure 90 percent of the vote, saying he would have his father’s support during the campaign.
“Mzee will be my campaign manager,” he said, using “Mzee”, an honorific commonly used in Uganda to refer to Museveni.
Kainerugaba had previously indicated that he planned to contest the 2026 presidential election but later withdrew from the race and deferred to his father.
Museveni subsequently won the election and continued his long tenure in office.
The 81-year-old president has been in power since 1986 and has overseen constitutional changes that removed presidential term and age limits, allowing him to remain in office.
It remains unclear whether Museveni intends to seek another term in the 2031 election, potentially setting the stage for a succession contest involving his son.
Kainerugaba’s announcement, however, provides the clearest indication yet of his ambition to eventually take over the presidency from his father.
Boluwatife Enome
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