As the clock ticks to 2021 general elections, the ongoing Covid19 pandemic seems to have been the greatest disadvantage to Uganda’s opposition presidential hopefuls, especially new ones like singer turned politician Robert Kyagulanyi Sentamu aka Bobi Wine.
Although there are rumours of a possible postponement due to the Covid19 crisis, Bobi Wine (or even seasoned politician Dr Kizza Besigye) is less likely to beat President Yoweri Museveni if the elections are held either in 2021 or extended for a year. Even when Bobi Wine seems to have given hope to urban youths that it is possible to remove Museveni through the ballot box, the claims of vote rigging in the past elections may turn that hope into disappointment.
But as the debate on 2021 elections rages on and as pundits continue to weigh which candidate is better placed to beat Museveni, one man seems to be building his base in preparation for the 2026 presidential election. That man is President Museveni’s son also Senior presidential advisor on special operations Lt Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba.
Muhoozi has not come out openly to express interest in running for president in 2026 but he has of late been hinting on his political ambitions. From praising his father and uncle Gen Salim Saleh who now heads Operation Wealth Creation (OWC) to saying he pities those who oppose him and his father, and to recently claiming that nobody can defeat him and his father because they are descendants of the Bachwezi, Muhoozi has left pundits talking.
A few months ago, the First Son also said his friends have turned the curse that his enemies thought they would bring upon him by alleging the so-called Muhoozi Project, into a blessing.
“Some evil people coined this phrase to try and destroy us! But trust my generation to convert every curse into a blessing! Thank you, Ugandans!” said Muhoozi in a post in early March to which he attached a photo of himself donning a yellow hooded jumper reading ‘Muhoozi Project’.
In 2013, former spy chief Gen David Sejusa got in trouble with Museveni after he claimed that there was an alleged plan to eliminate senior government and military officials opposed to the Muhoozi Project where he alleged the First Son would succeed his father as President once Museveni leaves office.
A group that includes events promoter Balaam Barugahara and Frank Tumwebaze, the Minister of Gender, Labour and Social Development, has been marketing Muhoozi’s 2026 presidential project. Among other things, they have made donations to the Covid19 national taskforce on behalf of Muhoozi (under the name Friends of Muhoozi), and recently donated food items to starving online influencers such as Ashburg Katto who crossed from People Power pressure group of Bobi Wine, the Kyadondo East MP, to NRM.
Since he joined NRM after meeting Museveni who gave him five cows and promised to implement his ghetto development proposal after Covid lockdown, Ashburg Katto has been using the laptop donated to him by Balaam to promote Museveni’s 2021 presidential bid and Muhoozi’s 2026 election project.
Therefore, with Covid19 currently giving Museveni an upper hand over his political opponents, some political analysts argue that it would be better for Bobi Wine to focus on the 2026 where it now looks like he may face Muhoozi, a fellow youthful candidate. If Muhoozi and Bobi Wine appear on the same ballot paper in 2026, the election would be a tight race where voters would choose between two relatively young candidates.
Other critics argue that telling Bobi Wine to ignore the 2021 election for the one with Muhoozi may be a plot to divert him and discourage his supporters. These argue that there would not be any difference between facing Museveni in an election and contesting with Muhoozi in another since both will have the backing of State machinery.
Previously, Muhoozi has suggested talks with Bobi Wine whom he called his former friend. Muhoozi also claimed that his supporters had begged him to try and advise the singer turned politician not to use violence but to seek peace. Some interpreted Muhoozi’s interest in holding talks with Bobi Wine to mean that he saw him as a great opponent to his presidential ambition. It is such interpretations that are making some believe that Bobi Wine should abandon the 2021 race and prepare to face Muhoozi in 2026 for which even the First Son already considers him a big threat.
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