First son and Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba is leaving his job as the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), the military’s top command job.
As he plans to leave military command, Muhoozi, who has spent more than two decades rising through the ranks of the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF), has outlined an ambitious vision for the country’s future, touching on infrastructure, foreign investment, urban development and poverty reduction.
Muhoozi, who also chairs the Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU), has increasingly combined his military responsibilities with public pronouncements on national affairs, including economic development and the country’s political future.
His military career began in 1999 when he joined the UPDF before proceeding to the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in the United Kingdom, where he completed officer training in 2000.
After graduating, he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant and deployed to the Presidential Protection Unit (PPU), which was responsible for protecting President Yoweri Museveni. He subsequently served in the Presidential Guards Brigade following the reorganisation of the presidential protection forces.
Muhoozi later undertook additional military training, including company and battalion commanders’ courses at the Egyptian Military Academy, as he progressed through the ranks and assumed greater command responsibilities.
In 2007, he was appointed Commander of Special Forces, having attained the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Three years later, he became the first Commander of the Special Forces Group (SFG), an elite formation tasked with specialised military operations, counterterrorism and protection duties.
Following his promotion to Brigadier General in August 2012, Muhoozi continued commanding the expanded Special Forces Command (SFC), which became one of the most prominent formations within the UPDF.
In May 2016, he was promoted to Major General, marking another significant step in his military career.
President Museveni subsequently appointed him Senior Presidential Adviser for Special Operations in January 2017, taking him away from direct operational command responsibilities.
He was promoted to Lieutenant General in February 2019 and returned to command the Special Forces Command in December 2020.
In June 2021, Muhoozi was appointed Commander of the UPDF Land Forces, a position he held until October 2022, when he was promoted to full General and relieved of the command.
His next major assignment came with his appointment as Chief of Defence Forces, placing him at the helm of Uganda’s military command structure under President Museveni, who is the Commander-in-Chief.
Beyond the military, Muhoozi established himself as a political force through the Patriotic League of Uganda, an organisation he chairs and which has attracted supporters across different parts of the country.
In his latest statements, Muhoozi outlined plans to attract at least $20 billion in foreign investments into Uganda by 2031, saying he intends to prioritise high-end international brands in Entebbe and Kampala.
He also proposed a more centralised approach to investment approvals, declaring that all foreign investments entering Uganda would require his approval and that tax holidays would only be granted to what he considers serious investors.
“All foreign investments in Uganda will be approved by me. Tax holidays will only be given to serious people. We shall prioritise high end brands in Entebbe and Kampala first,” he said.
On urban planning, Muhoozi said all development plans in Uganda would have to receive approval from his office, adding that he intended to recruit leading international urban planners.
“All urban development plans in Uganda MUST be approved by my office. I am going to employ the best urban planners in the world in my office,” he said.
He also made Kampala’s road infrastructure a priority, promising to ensure that every road in the capital is repaired.
“Every road in Kampala will be repaired. That is priority number 1. NO MORE potholes,” he declared.
Muhoozi went further to warn that potholes on roads anywhere in the country would attract prison sentences, although he did not explain how such penalties would be implemented.
His development proposals were accompanied by promises to address poverty through PLU, particularly among residents of Kampala’s informal settlements.
Invoking the biblical account of Jesus Christ feeding thousands of people with five loaves of bread and two fish, Muhoozi called on his followers to embrace a mission of feeding the poor.
“Put the loaves and the fish in the basket, and give them to the people,” he said.
He maintained that Christ would provide for PLU’s followers and announced plans to establish community kitchens in Kampala’s slums.
“It is Christ who feeds His millions of followers in PLU and they will all be satisfied. PLU shall build kitchens in all of the slums in Kampala. We shall feed the poor,” he said.
However, amid the ambitious development agenda and his religious pronouncements, Muhoozi also made a major announcement about his own future in the military.
The four-star general said his tenure as CDF was nearing its end and that he intended to hand over the office to another qualified military officer within the next few months.
“My time as CDF is coming to an end. I have accomplished all the tasks my God gave me. In a few months I will handover this office to a qualified officer. I shall dedicate my life to Christ after that,” he said.
Muhoozi did not name the officer who would succeed him or give a specific date for the anticipated handover. He also did not clarify whether his departure from the CDF position would amount to retirement from the UPDF altogether.
His declaration nevertheless points to a potentially significant change at the top of Uganda’s military, where he has served as the country’s chief military commander since taking over the office.
The announcement also raises questions about his next role, particularly given his leadership of PLU and his stated intention to dedicate his life to Christian service after leaving the military command position.
Latest update on this story
“The office of CDF requires the bravest lion in UPDF. Not a lamb. Not a diplomat. That is what I have tried to be in my time,” Muhoozi later wrote.
“Don’t worry I’m still around. At least for another year.”
The announcement by Muhoozi on leaving the CDF job came days after his father Museveni told ruling party NRM top leaders that his son was his preferred successor. (See Details Here and There).
