President Yoweri Museveni seen preparing successor as he appoints son as senior adviser
Ugandan President Yoweri’s Museveni’s appointment of his son as a senior advisor seems to be a move to stem dissent in the governing party as well as prepare a successor to his 30 year rule.
Muhoozi Kainerugaba, a 42 year old head of an elite military group was named Museveni’s advisor for special operations after Museveni secured a fifth term in the 2016 vote.
“The appointment may be to propel him into politics,” Mwambutsya Ndebesa, a professor at Uganda’s Makerere University, said by phone of Kainerugaba. “He can make political statements as an adviser, unlike in the military.”
Museveni 72, is one of the longest serving presidents in Africa alongside Mugabe of Zimbabwe, Jose Dos Santos of Angola and Teodoro Obiang Nguema of Equatorial Guinea, having ruled Africa’s largest coffee exporter since 1986. However, his win last year was not without challenge as Kizza Besigye rejected the results and staged a mock swearing-in ceremony; an incident that landed him in police cells as he was charged with treason.
“For Museveni, last year’s election was a way of cementing his power and legacy and allowing him some time to consolidate,” Ahmed Salim, an analyst at Dubai-based Teneo Intelligence, said by e-mail. “Now we’re going to see more creeping adjustments in terms of who is going to succeed him.”
Army spokesman Ankunda wasn’t available to answer calls seeking comment on the appointment, but however commented in twitter saying, “changes are normal and good for institutional growth.”
“The biggest issue with Muhoozi has been his meteoric rise within the military ranks,” said Salim. “For a number of conservative military ranks in the army, that’s been a point of contention between the government and the military apparatus. His appointment seems more political because being appointed a senior adviser moves him away from the military ranks into advising on the political government areas.”
Uganda’s $27 billion economy has had companies such as London-based Tullow Oil Plc and France’s Total SA developing its estimated 6.5 billion barrels of crude oil resources. While a foreign-aid recipient, Uganda plays a prominent role in the region, contributing troops for the African Union force fighting al-Qaeda-linked militants in Somalia and militarily backing South Sudan’s government when civil war erupted in late 2013. The country’s gross domestic product contracted 0.2% in the third quarter.
“Museveni is just trying to make sure his son is in a strong position to make sure there’s no mutiny in the ruling party,” Salim said.
(Courtesy Bloomberg Africa)
