Uganda’s ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party has dismissed reports claiming that its senior leaders rejected a proposal for Army Chief Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba to succeed his father, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, as the country’s next leader.
NRM Secretary-General Richard Todwong said on November 12, 2026, that reports suggesting the party’s Central Executive Committee (CEC) had refused to support Muhoozi during a meeting in Entebbe on November 10 were false.
“In that story, the writer claimed that the NRM party rejected a proposal to prepare Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba to become President of Uganda. That story is completely false,” Todwong said.
He explained that the NRM’s Central Executive Committee regularly meets to discuss matters concerning the country and that its resolutions are communicated through official channels.
Todwong’s statement came after Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported that a proposed vote on whether to support Muhoozi’s possible succession had been abandoned following objections from some NRM leaders.
According to sources cited by AFP, the vote was halted after several members challenged the proposal. Four members had reportedly voted in favour and three against before the process was stopped. These accounts have not been confirmed by the party.
However, sources who spoke to ChimpReports said that most officials who contributed to the discussion supported Muhoozi’s potential presidency, although some raised concerns about the timing of a possible transition and his continued service in the military.
NRM Vice Chairperson for Eastern Uganda David Calvin Echodu reportedly suggested that Muhoozi should be given a civilian role to prepare him for possible leadership of the country.
Other officials, including State Minister Haruna Kasolo Kyeyune and Kampala NRM chairman Salim Uhuru Nsubuga, reportedly backed his potential presidential bid, citing his military record and efforts to fight corruption and crime.
Discussions about who could succeed Museveni gained momentum after the President presented NRM leaders with a paper on October 27, 2026, outlining considerations for choosing Uganda’s next leader beyond 2031.
In the document, Museveni praised his son’s abilities and said he believed Muhoozi met many of the requirements for leadership.
“As Muhoozi’s father, a resistance fighter and the person who encouraged him to join the army, I know that he excels in many of the required qualities,” Museveni wrote.
Museveni, who has been in power since 1986, has not announced whether he intends to step down in 2031, when his current presidential term is due to end.