Ugandan Head of State Yoweri Museveni's son, Muhoozi Kainerugaba, announced his candidacy for the 2026 presidential election, saying it was "time
for our generation to shine
", before withdrawing his tweet on Thursday.
Observers have long considered that 48-year-old Muhoozi Kainerugaba, who recently became embroiled in a diplomatic row with Kenya, was tipped to take over, even though Kainerugaba said in 2013 that "Uganda is
not is not a monarchy
.
“
In the name of Jesus Christ my God, in the name of all the young people of Uganda and the world and in the name of our great revolution, I will run for president in 2026,
” Muhoozi wrote on Twitter late Wednesday evening. Kainerugaba, before withdrawing his tweet on the social network.
Yoweri Museveni, 78, who has ruled Uganda with an iron fist since 1986, could once again stand as a candidate in the presidential election scheduled for 2026.
“Enough of the old people who rule us”
In another tweet posted on Wednesday, which he did not delete this time, Muhoozi Kainerugaba appeared to criticize his septuagenarian father, writing: “
How many agree with me that our time has come?
Enough of the old people who rule us.
Dominate us.
It's time for our generation to shine.
Retweet and like
”.
On October 18, 2022, Yoweri Museveni said that his only son - he also has three daughters - would no longer tweet about the country's affairs, after a series of controversial tweets in early October where he notably threatened to invade Kenya.
The head of state had specified that his son could always express himself on the social network, provided that he limited himself to comments on sport, for example.
But Muhoozi Kainerugaba said the next day on Twitter: “
I am an adult and no one will ban me from anything
”.
In early October, the president's son had notably suggested that he and his army would not need "
two weeks
" to seize the Kenyan capital Nairobi.
He apologized a few days later to Kenyan President William Ruto.
On October 4, he was replaced as head of the Ugandan land forces.
Already in 2022, a series of comments on Twitter by Muhoozi Kainerugaba in favor of the rebels of the Ethiopian region of Tigray, at war with the federal authorities, had also angered Addis Ababa.