Apologize to Me or Lose Your Job: Muhoozi Warns Minister Babalanda as 2031 Presidential Bid Confusion Escalates

A fresh clash has erupted over Uganda’s 2031 presidential race after Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba demanded an apology from Presidency Minister Milly Babirye Babalanda and threatened that she could lose her job.

The dispute follows Muhoozi’s declaration that he will contest for president in 2031, which has triggered competing claims about whether President Yoweri Museveni intends to seek another term or back his son’s bid.

David Kabanda, a strong supporter of Muhoozi, has claimed that Museveni endorsed his son’s 2031 ambitions.

Kabanda’s claim has, however, collided with Babalanda’s position that Museveni remains interested in the presidency in 2031 and beyond.

The conflicting statements have created uncertainty within the ruling establishment over whether the next presidential transition will involve Museveni seeking another term or Muhoozi taking over the presidential campaign.

Muhoozi has now directly challenged Babalanda’s account, accusing her of spreading falsehoods and demanding that she apologise.

“I want an apology from Minister Babalanda for spreading falsehoods. Otherwise, she will lose her job!”

The warning places Babalanda, a senior government official, at the centre of the increasingly contentious debate over Museveni’s political future.

Muhoozi announced his intention to run for president in 2031 and has indicated that he has his father’s support.

Kabanda subsequently claimed that Museveni had endorsed the bid, strengthening expectations among Muhoozi’s supporters that the younger Kainerugaba is being positioned as the ruling establishment’s preferred successor.

Babalanda’s statements point to a different scenario, in which Museveni could remain a presidential candidate beyond the current political cycle.

Neither position has yet been publicly reconciled by Museveni, leaving the question of his 2031 intentions unresolved.

The dispute is significant because Babalanda serves as Minister for the Presidency, while Muhoozi is Chief of Defence Forces and chairman of the Patriotic League of Uganda.

Their opposing statements have therefore turned the succession debate into an increasingly public dispute among figures close to the centre of power.

For Muhoozi, the immediate issue is Babalanda’s alleged claim about Museveni’s intentions.

His demand for an apology—and threat of job loss—marks a sharp escalation in the disagreement as attention increasingly shifts towards who will carry the ruling establishment’s presidential project in 2031.

Appointed to cabinet in 2021, Babalanda is one of the most powerful ministers in Museveni’s government, based on the number of agencies she supervises, as detailed Here.

Kabanda, Muhoozi’s ally, has previously alleged sale of RDC jobs (RDCs are supervised by Babalanda). See Details Here.