Muhoozi Kainerugaba, son of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni and current head of the Ugandan Army, has made public his intention to run as a candidate for the Presidency in 2031, the date when the next general elections in the country are scheduled.
"I will run for the highest office in the country in 2031. And we will win by the grace of Almighty God," he stated in a message shared on his social media.
In subsequent posts on his account, Museveni's son pointed out that the veteran leader will be his "campaign manager." Furthermore, he takes for granted that he will have the political backing of the current president: "With the support of my great father, Mzee, I will get 90% of the votes in the 2031 elections," Kainerugaba has predicted.
The head of the Uganda People's Defence Forces (UPDF) had previously expressed his aspiration to lead the country, although this time he has specified for the first time the time frame.
If he ultimately takes office, he would replace his father, Museveni, who was re-elected in January, at 81 years old, for a seventh term, which could extend his nearly four decades in the head of state until 2031. For now, the government led by the veteran leader has not publicly reacted to his son's announcement.
Kainerugaba, who has been in charge of the Army for just two years, has become a controversial figure, largely due to his intense activity on the social media platform X. From that platform, he has threatened to invade Kenya; promised to "capture" Khartoum (in Sudan) and, in June, ordered the main independent media group in Uganda to cease its operations. "I do not believe in press freedom," he wrote then.
In that same vein, he has demanded that Turkey pay one billion dollars to Uganda, joking that he wanted a convoy with the most beautiful women in the country, and has expressed his intention to marry Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and, on several occasions, the artist Beyoncé.