RUHAMYA PROJECT? Talk of ‘Ruhamya Succeeding Muhoozi as President in Future’ as Museveni Commissions Grandson

MUBENDE — President Yoweri Museveni on Tuesday commissioned 280 Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) officer cadets at the Uganda Military Academy in Kabamba, Mubende District. Among them was his grandson, Second Lieutenant Ruhamya Kainerugaba, whose entry into the military has prompted some supporters of his father, Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, to speculate about a possible third generation of political succession.

The speculation has introduced a new question into Uganda’s long-running debate about political succession: could the controversy once known as the Muhoozi Project eventually acquire a successor of its own?

There is, so far, no public evidence that Ruhamya intends to seek the presidency or that Museveni or Muhoozi has announced a plan for him to do so. The remarks are those of PLU supporters, but their timing is notable as the movement campaigns for Muhoozi to contest the presidency in 2031.

From Sejusa’s Muhoozi Project allegations to an open campaign

The phrase Muhoozi Project entered Uganda’s national political debate in 2013, when Gen. David Sejusa, then coordinator of intelligence services, raised allegations about a suspected plan to prepare Museveni’s son to succeed him.

In a confidential letter to the director general of the Internal Security Organisation, Sejusa called for investigations into claims that senior military and government officials perceived as opponents of Muhoozi’s possible succession were being targeted.

The allegations, published by Daily Monitor in May 2013, triggered a political storm. Police raided the newspaper’s premises and those of its sister radio stations, KFM and Dembe FM, which were temporarily shut down.

The government denied that a succession scheme existed.

“I assure the House that there is no such a Muhoozi project in the army,” then Defence Minister Crispus Kiyonga told Parliament in May 2013.

Sejusa’s allegations were never established as proof of a coordinated plan to transfer power to Muhoozi. Nevertheless, the controversy made the question of whether Museveni was preparing his son to succeed him a lasting feature of Uganda’s political debate.

More than a decade later, the circumstances have changed. Muhoozi, who rose through the UPDF ranks to become Chief of Defence Forces, has publicly declared his intention to contest the presidency in 2031.

His political ambitions are now being advanced by the PLU, which he chairs, through a nationwide endorsement campaign.

The movement has announced plans to distribute endorsement registers across 146 districts, targeting 20 million signatures in support of Muhoozi’s anticipated presidential bid.

The campaign has attracted endorsements from politicians and other public figures.

The campaign has made Muhoozi’s political ambitions more visible than they were during the controversy surrounding Sejusa’s letter.

Ruhamya?

The possibility of Ruhamya eventually succeeding his father, however, remains speculation and mere wishful hints from supporters of Muhoozi’s PLU.

“And by the way, Ruhamya will be our president after his father, Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba. If you disagree with me, groom your own child to challenge him. Ffe Tusimbudde!” wrote Frank Mwesigye, Patriotic Officer Number PO 020 in the Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU).

David Kabanda, the executive secretary in the Office of the National Chairman of the PLU, also drew attention to the family’s future when he posted a photograph of Museveni, Muhoozi and Ruhamya with the caption: “Present and the future.”

He added: “God bless Uganda.”

Three generations in the military

Ruhamya’s commissioning placed three generations of the Museveni family within the UPDF’s history.

Museveni, who has served as Commander-in-Chief since becoming president in 1986, presided over the ceremony. His son, Muhoozi, is the serving Chief of Defence Forces. Ruhamya, Muhoozi’s son, has now joined the ranks of commissioned officers.

The newly commissioned officers belonged to Officer Cadets Intake 09/26 and Bachelor of Defence Studies Intake 05/23–26. They included 11 women and six cadets who had trained abroad.

Ruhamya and Andrew Bakira trained at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in the United Kingdom, while four other cadets trained in India.

The ceremony was commanded by Lt. Col. John Mugarura. Outstanding cadets received awards before the officers took their oaths of allegiance and secrecy.

Addressing the parade, Museveni congratulated the officers and their families, while emphasising the connection between national security, economic development and military professionalism.

“A strong defence requires a strong economy, well trained soldiers, investment in science and technology, and cooperation with our brother African countries. The UPDF must also protect wealth creators and help combat crime and sabotage in our communities,” he said.

The President also praised the Chief of Defence Forces and other commanders for addressing corruption and improving soldiers’ welfare.

“To the new officers, remain disciplined, stay close to the people and serve Uganda with honour,” Museveni said.

Ruhamya had previously completed officer training at Sandhurst, the same military academy attended by his father.

His commissioning has attracted attention on social media, where supporters have highlighted the presence of the President, his son and grandson in the same military institution.

Is there a Ruhamya Project?

The suggestion that Ruhamya could eventually become president goes beyond the publicly announced ambitions of his father.

Muhoozi’s supporters are currently organising around the 2031 election. Mwesigye’s statement imagines a further transition in which Muhoozi first becomes president and his son subsequently succeeds him.

That scenario assumes two political outcomes that have not been established: Muhoozi’s election as president and Ruhamya’s eventual entry into presidential politics.

Ruhamya’s commissioning establishes his status as a second lieutenant in the UPDF. It does not establish a political ambition or a succession arrangement.

The distinction matters because the original Muhoozi Project controversy concerned allegations of a plan that the government denied. The present debate includes an organised campaign for Muhoozi’s declared presidential ambitions, but no comparable public announcement has been made about Ruhamya.

Still, Kabanda’s description of the three generations as “Present and the future” and Mwesigye’s prediction that Ruhamya would succeed his father show how some PLU supporters are extending the succession conversation beyond 2031.

For now, the official purpose of Tuesday’s ceremony was to commission newly trained military officers. The political meaning attached to Ruhamya’s presence has come from supporters looking beyond his military career.

More than 13 years after Sejusa’s allegations brought the Muhoozi Project into the public debate, a new generation of the family has entered the UPDF.

Whether the phrase Ruhamya Project develops into anything beyond political speculation remains to be seen.

Meanwhile, a fearless politician has predicted that Museveni and Muhoozi Will not be in Power by June 2027, as reported Here and There.