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Yoweri Museveni is 79 years old and one of the longest-serving African presidents. At the weekend, he named his 49-year-old son General Muhoozi Kainerugaba as chief of defense.
The son has caused problems several times with comments on X/Twitter. In 2022, he was ousted as army chief because he had threatened to invade neighboring Kenya. Kainerugaba later said it had only been a joke.
In another message, he offered 100 cows as a bride price for Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
The father is a former guerrilla leader, but has been Uganda’s president since 1986. In 2021, he began his sixth term in power after an election in which there were allegations of fraud. Since then, pressure on civil society from the country’s security forces and Museveni’s party NRM has increased.
For years, critics and the opposition have accused the president of promoting his son quickly in the military to prepare him for a future takeover. Kainerugaba has also been able to attend political meetings organized by the NRM’s youth party without hindrance, despite the fact that the law prohibits officers from engaging in political activity. In the past, other officers have been arrested and prosecuted when they have ventured into politics.
Museveni is also accused of placing relatives in key roles. His brother Salim Saleh is an important security adviser, while his wife Janet Museveni is the Minister of Education and Sports.
(© NTB)
