Internal Affairs Minister Maj Gen (Rtd) Kahinda Otafiire’s son Che Otafiire has finally spoken out on rumors that he was planning to run for president in 2026 and beyond so as to give President Yoweri Kaguta Tibuhaburwa Museveni’s standby generator son Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba a run for his money in the poll.
Gen Kainerugaba, aged 49, has in recent years expressed interest in succeeding his 78-year-old father Museveni in the next presidential election. Museveni, who took power in 1986 following a bloody five-year war that left hundreds of thousands of Ugandans dead, has ruled Uganda for nearly four decades.
On his ascent to power, Museveni diagnosed the problem of Uganda as leaders who overstay in power but the former rebel leader has twice backed unpopular constitutional changes to remove term and age limits to cling onto power in impoverished pseudo-democratic nation.
His overstay in power has created worries on the possibility of a messy transition of power. Since she got her independence from Britain six decades ago, Uganda has never had a peaceful transfer of power.
With no clear transition – and ambiguity on if Museveni plans to leave power soon – a succession plan has been on the grapevine since 2013 when then spymaster Gen David Sejusa (Tinyefuuza) first warned of a Muhoozi plan – a plot that would see Muhoozi succeed his father. Gen Sejusa got in trouble with the Museveni regime for claiming that the plot would involve the elimination of political and military leaders opposed to the succession.
Muhoozi has since come out and made it clear that he will run for president and succeed his father, come rain or thunder. Weeks ago, Muhoozi said he was tired of waiting forever, and told his father Museveni to give way for him to rule Uganda. (See Details Here).
But Sejusa and some other generals from the NRA bush war have expressed their opposition to Muhoozi’s presidential ambitions. Former army commander Maj Gen (Rtd) Mugisha Muntu has insisted that the first son must get out of the UPDF uniform before talking of running for president while Gen Sejusa and Col (Rtd) Dr Kizza Besigye have made it clear that they would only salute Gen Muhoozi over their dead bodies – even if he became president. (See Details Here and There).
The other vocal bush war veteran opposed to Muhoozi’s succession plot is Minister Kahinda Otafiire, a man known for speaking is mind. Otafiire was recently quoted as saying that there is no need for a faulty standby generator because there is still a reliable electricity supply in Gen Museveni. This comment put Otafiire in trouble with supporters of Muhoozi’s MK Army and MK Movement and their social media mob.
It was, therefore, not surprising that social media tried to drag Che Otafiire, one of Kahinda Otafiire’s son, into the 2026 presidential race. Che is a soldier – just like his father, Museveni and his son Muhoozi. A tweep identifying himself as Gen Activist (@kyagulanyist) attempted to put words into Minister Otafiire’s mouth so as to make it clear that he would front his son Che to challenge Museveni or Muhoozi in the upcoming presidential election. “I didn’t sacrifice my life in the bush in 1986 to be led after 40 years by Muhoozi… I can lead too, my son is over qualified and well trained than this genetically modified General. – Otafiire,” the Twitter user wrote.
But Che, a well-educated youth and trained soldier, came out and trashed this claim, making it clear that his father has never made such a statement. Che went on to advise this so-called Kyagulanyist to avoid being used to fight wars being engineered by others.
“My friend @Kyagulanyist, Gen Otafiire has never uttered such a statement. My kind advice to you is to abandon the people who are manufacturing this, if it’s yourself, then don’t get caught up in other people’s wars. Muchas Gracias!” he responded.
Che has since made it clear that he is a soldier and not fascinated by Ugandan elective politics. He also sought to debunk the misconception that only soldiers or their children have capacity to lead the country.
“It isn’t written anywhere that Generals or sons of Generals have exclusive rights to be presidents of Uganda, any Ugandan citizen who the people vote for whether competent or not, can be President. I am a soldier not a politician, kindly don’t involve me in your nonsense,” he said.
It should be remembered that months ago, another general, a current minister and former commander was forced to come out and clarify after some of his alleged supporters put up posters announcing plans for his mega birthday party in which he would express his interest in standing for president. (See Details Here).
You can also see the four members of Museveni’s First Family who have been rumored to either be interested in or capable of succeeding him HERE.
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