Uganda President’s son Muhoozi announces 2031 presidential bid

Uganda's military chief Muhoozi Kainerugaba has announced plans to run for president in 2031, signalling a possible bid to succeed his father, President Yoweri Museveni.

Kainerugaba, 52, said in a series of posts on X on Tuesday that he would seek Uganda's highest political office in the next presidential election.

"I will stand for the highest office in the land in 2031. And we will win by the grace of Almighty God," he wrote.

He also said he expected to win 90% of the vote with the support of his father, referring to Museveni as "Mzee", an honorific commonly used for the president.

Kainerugaba has for years been viewed as a possible successor to Museveni. He heads the Patriotic League of Uganda, a political pressure group.

He had previously said he planned to contest the 2026 presidential election but later withdrew from the race.

Museveni begins another term

Museveni, 81, has governed Uganda since 1986 and leads the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM).

He won a seventh term in the January 2026 election, extending his nearly four-decade rule.

The election was held amid tensions between the government and opposition. Opposition leader Bobi Wine left Uganda for the United States earlier this year, saying he feared for his safety.

Another prominent opposition figure, Kizza Besigye, has been held in prison since 2024 and is facing a treason trial.

It remains unclear whether Museveni intends to seek another term in 2031.

Asked by Reuters whether the president would run again, government spokesman Alan Kasujja said Museveni and the NRM would decide "when the time comes".

Kainerugaba's announcement nevertheless puts the question of succession at the centre of Uganda's political debate ahead of the next presidential election.