# Uganda Succession Race Intensifies as President’s Son Purges Army

- Link: https://the-timenews.com/uganda-succession-race-army-purge/
- Published: 2026-11-15T01:01:16+00:00
- Author: The Time News

Over the past 15 months, senior commanders in Kampala discovered that their three-
star rank offered zero shield once President Yoweri Museveni’s son turned against
them. The wave of arrests and public humiliations has thrown the Uganda succession
race into turmoil, exposing an aggressive campaign for control over the armed forces
and the state.

Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, 52, is the chief of defence forces and the clear heir apparent
to his 82-year-old father, who has ruled Uganda since 1986. Museveni took the oath
for a seventh elected presidential term earlier this year, but his son has openly
declared his ambition to take the top job in 2031.

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The standoff carries immediate consequences for Uganda’s 45 million citizens. If
power transfers through military coercion rather than civilian party consensus, 
the country risks trading four decades of single-leader rule for an unchecked dynastic
regime backed by the first family.

## Stripping ranks on social media

The internal conflict burst into public view on Nov. 2, when authorities detained
former deputy army chief Lt Gen Peter Elwelu. Officials accused him of plotting 
unrest in the eastern Teso region, but Kainerugaba bypasses military tribunals to
pass sentence online.

“The traitor Peter Elwelu is hereby stripped of his ranks. He is **demoted to Private**,”
Kainerugaba posted on X, adding that security personnel had detained more than 20
soldiers tied to the general.

Ugandan military regulations do not permit rank revocations through internet posts,
but troops confiscated 15 guns, military uniforms and two pickup trucks linked to
Elwelu regardless. His family dismissed all the allegations as baseless.

Elwelu is one of **at least a dozen generals and senior officers** detained since
April 2024. The net has swept up three former military intelligence chiefs who once
ran Uganda’s most sensitive security desks.

Maj Gen James Birungi faced court-martial charges of treason and terrorism before
Kainerugaba announced he had personally “forgiven” him. Maj Gen Abel Kandiho remains
in detention on treachery accusations, while Brig-Gen Charles Bakahumura was freed
only after another public pardon from the commander.

## Night threats against the vice-president

Kainerugaba did not stop at military targets. On the night of Nov. 9, the general
directed his fury at Vice-President Jessica Alupo.

In a string of late-night posts, he questioned Alupo’s loyalty, threatened her with
dismissal and possible arrest, and claimed her seat for himself. He warned that 
the cabinet would operate “on military terms” once he assumed his father’s deputy
post.

“Whoever is in that office should prepare to hand it over soon,” Kainerugaba wrote,
before deleting the messages hours later.

By the following morning, his account of nearly 1.4 million followers went dark.
It remains unclear whether he deactivated the profile himself or platform moderators
suspended it.

Government spokesperson Allan Kasujja dismissed talk of a succession fallout as “
hogwash.” Even so, the sight of an active army chief openly threatening the vice-
president shocked the civilian administration.

## How the Uganda succession race split the ruling party

Behind closed doors, the ruling National Resistance Movement is fracturing over 
the son’s aggressive push for power. During a senior leadership meeting on Nov. 
10, members argued over a formal motion to endorse Kainerugaba as Museveni’s designated
successor.

Party insiders revealed that multiple members spoke against the measure, forcing
leadership to abandon a planned vote. Some officials proposed retiring the general
from active service to give him civilian administrative training. Others suggested
that Gen Salim Saleh, Museveni’s younger brother, was far better suited to lead 
civilian politics.

NRM Secretary General Richard Todwong Awany pushed back against reports of a rebellion,
insisting the party had made no final decision and would communicate choices through
regular channels at the right time.

Dr Gerald Bareebe, a political scientist at York University, connects the recent
Ugandan military arrests directly to the political manoeuvres known locally as the“
Muhoozi Project.”

> Senior officers believed not to support the project have been arrested, detained
> or charged with corruption and treason.

Bareebe said several targeted commanders had their charges dropped only after private
negotiations with Museveni and his son, during which they agreed to support the 
general’s presidential bid.

## Elite commandos and silenced opponents

Security analyst Freddie David Egesa defended the arrests, arguing that detaining
suspects protects witnesses and advances a genuine anti-corruption sweep. He stressed
that Kainerugaba acted in consultation with the commander-in-chief rather than executing
a unilateral purge.

Yet the internal balance of the armed forces reveals deep structural divisions. 
Kainerugaba built his authority as head of the Special Forces Command, the well-
funded unit guarding the presidency and strategic infrastructure. While regular 
army officers face sudden dismissal, the elite guard answers directly to the first
family.

Kainerugaba is pairing military control with political muscle through his Patriotic
League of Uganda. His own son, Ruhamya, recently graduated from Britain’s Sandhurst
military academy, suggesting the family plans to preserve its military grip across
generations.

Civic opponents have found little room to push back. Veteran opposition leader Kizza
Besigye is in detention awaiting trial on treason charges, while Bobi Wine fled 
into exile in the United States after facing personal threats from Kainerugaba.

The Uganda succession race now hinges on whether senior party veterans can rein 
in the army chief before the NRM formally adopts its candidate list for the 2031
election.

_Source: [BBC](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cmlydy0xw45wo)_

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