Main opposition Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) Patrick Oboi Amuriat (POA) has said the recent return of first son Lt Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba to the Special Forces Command (SFC) is part of an attempt by his father Yoweri Kaguta Tibuhaburwa Museveni to stage a palace coup and have him take over as president.
On December 16, Museveni reappointed Lt Gen Kainerugaba to SFC, an elite unit whose duty is the president’s security.
Kainerugaba replaced Maj Gen James Birungi who Museveni sent to South Sudan on special assignments.
Now, Amuriat, arguably Museveni’s main challenger in the 2021 presidential election, says the return of Kainerugaba is part of a plot to help the first son take over from the 76-year-old long-serving former bush war commander.
Campaigning in Kangulumira in Kayunga District on December 19, Amuriat said Museveni was aware he would lose to him, and was desperately plotting a palace coup.
“And he made his son, and he has returned him to command the Special Forces Command (SFC) that protects Mr Museveni, and I believe Mr Museveni is planning to stage a palace coup because he cannot win this election,” Amuriat said.
The FDC presidential candidate further warned the president against using the military to suppress people’s voices for change.
“He should never dream that he can use the army against the people of Uganda because the people are more powerful than the army.”
There was also chaos as police battled with supporters of Amuriat as officers and FDC campaign team disagreed on venues for Amuriat.
The politician noted that the poloice “don’t want us to speak to the people but we will speak to the last breath.”
ABOUT MUHOOZI PROJECT
For years now, political observers have argued that Kainerugaba is building a base of allies to help him take over power from his father Museveni, in power since 1986.
Although Kainerugaba and Museveni previously denied the existence of ‘Muhoozi Project’ as former spymaster Gen David Tinyefuuza (Sejusa) claimed seven years ago, the first son recently said those who concocted the project idea had hoped to sink him but, instead, his generation had turned the plot 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!” Muhoozi captioned a photo of himself in a yellow hooded jumper with the words ‘Muhoozi Project’ in March 2020.
A group of people calling itself Friends and Supporters of Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba has been rooting for the first son. Some of them even suggest that Kainerugaba should make an attempt at the presidency in 2026.
