A top official of opposition Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) party says that Works and Transport Minister Gen Edward Katumba Wamala is a better military official than first son Lt Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba.
Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda, the Spokesperson of the FDC, says that Gen Katumba Wamala has exhibited a great sense of responsibility, something which Lt Gen Kainerugaba, son to President Yoweri Kaguta Tibuhaburwa Museveni has failed to do.
Speaking during a Thursday night television show, Nganda disagreed with controversial veteran journalist Andrew Mujuni Mwenda who said that Lt Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba is not the one behind the countrywide parties to celebrate the first son’s 48th birthday. Since April 22, parties have been held across Uganda to celebrate the birthday of Muhoozi.
According to Mwenda, the parties are organized by supporters of the first son, who is also President Museveni’s senior advisor on special operations. Mwenda, a sworn supporter of the so-called Muhoozi Project, says the project is a grassroots movement of people interested in change and a peaceful transition from Museveni to his son Muhoozi.
Ssemujju says that Muhoozi should not have allowed the parties in his name if he was a principled serving military officer. While Muhoozi is still serving in the army where he is the Commander of UPDF Land Forces — and therefore barred from joining politics — his birthday celebrations have been characterized with statements on his rumored 2026 presidential run.
Ordinarily, Muhoozi would need to first retire from the UPDF before he can hold such celebrations akin to political campaign rallies. Former army commander Maj Gen (Rtd) Gregg Mugisha Muntu has advised Museveni to allow his son Muhoozi to retire from the army so that he can pursue his presidential ambitions.
Comparing the way Muhoozi has handled his birthday celebrations — which Mwenda says the first son has not planned himself — with Gen Katumba Wamala’s principled response to some social media followers who had started talking of plans to celebrate him in a mega Muhoozi-like birthday bash, Ssemujju concluded that the Works and Transport Minister is a better man than the Commander of UPDF Land Forces.
Some people had started producing posters of Gen Katumba Wamala showing that they would celebrate his 67th birthday in November 2022, and unveil him as their presidential candidate under the so-called ‘Gen Katumba Wamala’ Project.
The rumored celebrations would, according to political observers, put Katumba Wamala on a collision course with Gen Museveni, who was likely to unleash the kind of tough response similar to the manner in which he has previously handled some UPDF officers such as Col (Rtd) Dr Kizza Besigye, Gen David Tinyefuuza (Sejusa), Gen Kale Kayihura and Lt Gen Henry Tumukunde, among others.
But Katumba Wamala quickly rejected all plans by anyone to organize a mega birthday party similar to Kainerugaba’s, and seemed to dismiss claims that he was behind a ‘Katumba Wamala Project’ under which he would run for president in 2026. Katumba Wamala told Uganda to ignore such claims and plans with the contempt they deserve.
It is this kind of clear response that Ssemujju thinks distinguishes Gen Katumba Wamala from the first son. “If something is organized in your name, you can stop it. This is what Gen Katumba has done, and that’s what a responsible military officer is supposed to do,” said the Kira Municipality MP.
Meanwhile, some Ugandans have told Gen Katumba Wamala not to be a coward, making it clear that they will go ahead and celebrate his birthday and promote the ‘Gen Katumba Wamala 2026 Presidential Project’ by force. (Read Story Here).
