Uganda: Museveni reportedly endorses Muhoozi for 2031 Presidential race

President Yoweri Museveni has reportedly endorsed his son, General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, for Uganda’s 2031 presidential election, potentially intensifying debate over political succession in the East African country.

The development was announced on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, by Daudi Kabanda, a Member of Parliament for Kasambya and executive secretary in the Office of the National Chairman of the Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU).

Kabanda said Museveni endorsed the Chief of Defence Forces during a meeting of the ruling National Resistance Movement’s (NRM) Central Executive Committee at State House Entebbe.

However, the precise nature of the reported endorsement and whether the party formally adopted Muhoozi as its candidate remain unclear.

Neither State House nor the NRM had independently confirmed the endorsement in the reports available at the time.

The announcement follows months of political mobilisation around Muhoozi’s presidential ambitions.

On September 1, Kabanda announced that the general intended to contest the 2031–2036 presidential term, claiming that Museveni had approved the plan and would support his campaign.

The PLU subsequently launched a nationwide drive to collect endorsements for the prospective candidature.

Muhoozi, 52, publicly declared his intention to seek the presidency in August, saying he expected to win with his father’s support.

He has also led efforts to build a political following through the PLU, an organisation associated with his ambitions to succeed Museveni.

In September, he adopted his father’s name, becoming known as Muhoozi Kainerugaba Museveni.

Muhoozi has spent much of his career in Uganda’s armed forces, rising through the ranks to become Chief of Defence Forces.

His position has placed him at the centre of national security leadership while his increasingly visible political statements have fuelled speculation about his future in civilian politics.

He has previously expressed presidential ambitions, but stepped aside from a potential 2026 contest and backed his father instead.

His renewed declaration for 2031 has intensified scrutiny of the relationship between military leadership, political organisation and succession planning.

Museveni, who came to power in January 1986 after a guerrilla war against the government of Tito Okello, has dominated Ugandan politics for four decades.

His National Resistance Movement initially promoted political stability and national reconstruction following years of conflict.

However, Museveni prolonged presidency has also attracted criticism over democratic governance, human rights and restrictions on political opposition.

Constitutional changes removing presidential term limits in 2005 and the presidential age limit in 2017 enabled him to continue seeking re-election.