President Museveni has appointed his son as the Chief of the Ugandan Armed Forces
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has appointed his son, General Muhoozi Kainerugaba as the Chief of Army Staff of the East African country.
Uganda's Ministry of Defense has announced the news today Friday without providing detailed information. The statement of the ministry said that General Kainerugaba has replaced Wilson Mbasu Mbadi, who was removed from the post yesterday and appointed as a low-level minister in Museveni's Cabinet.
48-year-old General Muhoozi Kainerugaba has been the Commander of the Ugandan Army, but he was removed from that position in 2022 by President Museveni, after he threatened to attack the neighboring country of Kenya through messages he sent on social networks.
Although Ugandan laws do not allow army officers to get involved in politics, Muhoozi has been sparring with opposition leaders, and has already formed a political lobby group to promote him.
Museveni, the fourth longest-serving African president, has been accused by the opposition and human rights groups of using the military to weaken his opponents by threatening, beating or jailing them.
Analysts say that the 79-year-old leader, who came to power at gunpoint in 1986, may not run for the presidency for a seventh term in the next election scheduled for 2026, and that the move to appoint his son as the chief of the armed forces is to prepare him to succeed his bags.
