Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, who has been in power for the last four decades, on Tuesday, once again takes the oath, extending his presidency over a further five-year term that may well be his last — although not necessarily the last for the Museveni family. Museveni is 81 years old.
The president's son and presumptive heir, Army Chief Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, oversaw days-long rehearsals of the military parade that will animate the eighth inauguration of Museveni, with Russian-made Sukhoi fighter jets flying noisily over official ceremonial grounds in Kampala, the Ugandan capital.
Museveni took the oath of office and received the ceremonial instruments of power while being cheered by thousands attending the event in the Kampala suburb of Kololo.
Many Ugandans now accept that Museveni's presidency — the only one that millions of people have known — is nearing its end. What remains uncertain is the nature of the transition and how orderly things would be in the time he has left in office.
Meanwhile, Kainerugaba looks poised to take over. He has declared his wish to succeed his father and said recently that the mission is unstoppable. Still, his path is narrow and could follow one of two ways: either a bloodless but unconstitutional takeover by Kainerugaba or a constitutional amendment that allows lawmakers with the ruling party — who have an overwhelming majority — to pick him as Museveni's successor.
An electoral win is seen as a hurdle too high for Kainerugaba, whose challengers would include opposition leader Bobi Wine, the popular entertainer who has twice run for president and rejected the outcome of the January election that gave Museveni his next term.
Anita Among, the parliamentary speaker, said last month that legislators would do everything possible to assist Kainerugaba in his pursuit of the presidency.
“For the sake of MK, just assure MK that we will do whatever it takes,” Among told a group of lawmakers celebrating the general's birthday, mentioning Kainerugaba's initials. “In the 11th parliament, the opposition got swallowed. In the 12th parliament, it is going to be walloped.” In addition to the speaker, many other leaders have been scrambling to show allegiance to Kainerugaba. While their moves display a quest for political survival, they also underscore Kainerugaba's rise as Uganda's de facto leader as his father ages and relies more on the army chief to exercise authority.
“Many Ugandans close to power have learned this lesson. That the president is old and exhausted, both intellectually and physically,” Andrew Mwenda, a close ally and friend of Kainerugaba, wrote last month in The Independent online newspaper. “He has a limited ability to monitor many things across a large spectrum of sectors.” Kainerugaba, 52, joined the army in the late 1990s, and his rise to the top of the armed forces has been controversial, with critics dubbing it the “Muhoozi Project” to prepare him for the presidency.
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