Ugandan President Gen Yoweri Kaguta Tibuhaburwa Museveni has nearly 150 advisors who are supposed to offer him counsel, guidance and advice on a number of issues related to national development and the running of government and state.
Most of these advisors are political ‘failures,’ having lost elections while others belong to the category of those who have been dropped from cabinet and other agencies and departments of government where they had juicy jobs. In other words, the advisor jobs are handed to these people to save them from katebe.
For example, Museveni appointed six of the ministers he dropped from his cabinet in 2021 as a way of consoling them. (See Details Here).
The other group of presidential advisors is that of loud-mouthed propagandists such as singers Catherine Kusasira and Buchaman.
In most cases, a number of these presidential advisors wield no power and influence, are broke and struggle to meet the president to offer him advice. In this report, we reveal Museveni’s most powerful and feared advisors.
GEN MUHOOZI KAINERUGABA
The president’s only known son, Gen Kainerugaba is 49 years old. Known for his controversial tweets in which he vows to attack foreign capitals and trumpet his presidential ambitions, the youthful and politically ambitious general is his father’s senior presidential advisor on special operations – most of them being of security nature.
From his assignments in Northern Uganda, Rwanda (where he is credited for helping restore relations between Kigali and Kampala as well as between President Museveni and his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame), and Sudan where he was responsible for the safe evacuation of Ugandans stuck in the war-torn country.
Gen Kainerugaba was recently in Rwanda for his 49th birthday celebration hosted by his ‘uncle’ Kagame. On this trip, he was accompanied by two full cabinet ministers: Maj Gen (Rtd) Jim Muhwezi, the Minister in charge of Security, and Norbert Mao, the Minister in charge of Justice and Constitutional Affairs. A presidential advisor accompanied by cabinet ministers is a scenario similar to when a powerful Museveni Minister ordered the country’s Vice President to represent her at an event. (See Details Here).
So powerful is the president’s son that contrary to military and other laws, he has been moving around the country popularizing his presidential ambitions yet he is still a serving military officer who should not be engaging in such manner of politics – and he gets away with such a violation of the laws of Uganda.
In fact, weeks ago, Museveni seemed to endorse Muhoozi’s MK Project ahead of the 2026 presidential election. (See Details Here).
ODREK RWABWOGO
The President’s son-in-law – husband to Museveni’s daughter Patience, the Pastor of Covenant Nations Church, is a businessman who runs several businesses under his Tomosi Group. One of these is the Gideon’s Men (GM) Security Company which was recently suspended. (See Details Here).
Rwabwogo, who heads the Presidential Advisory Committee on Exports and Industrial Development (PACEID), is more than just an ordinary presidential advisor on special duties. He is the guy always meeting investors and travelling to sell Uganda’s brand as a great investment destination.
Recently, there was noise on the budgetary allocation of Shs37bn to Rwabwogo’s PACEID. The money was meant for the coffee value chain, export and industrial development promotion. The Shs37bn was initially placed under the Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) vote and later put under State House as classified expenditure, a move that opposition MPs opposed in their minority report.
“He [Mr Rwabwogo] has been allocated $10 million (Shs37 billion) in the budget. This amount for private investment was directly charged to the Consolidated Fund. In the subsequent corrigenda, it has been shifted to State House under classified expenditure,” the legislators wrote in their report.
“We dissent with the majority decision to provide and shift funds amounting to Shs37 billion to Mr Odrek Rwabwogo under the guise of coffee value chain development from Vote 167 – Science, Technology, and Innovation, to classified expenditure (for logistical support and security) under Vote 002 State House as indicated in the addendum to the corrigenda for the Draft Budget Estimates for FY 2023/24,” the report said. Adding: “Classified expenditure should not be abused to hide irregular, personal, and illegal expenditures on the Consolidated Fund.”
Rwabwogo is not only a powerful and a feared presidential advisor but is a man said to have potential to succeed his father-in-law as president. (See Details Here and There).
GEN SALIM SALEH
Perhaps the president’s most powerful and feared brother, Caleb Akandwanaho aka Gen Salim Saleh was a fearless commander in Museveni’s National Resistance Army (NRA) bush war. He is said to have told his nephew Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba that the people he killed are waiting to happily welcome him in heaven. (Read Story Here).
The current presidential advisor on defence and the National Coordinator of Operation Wealth Creation (OWC), Gen Saleh is the president’s Mr Fixit, the man who has turned his Kapeeka home into a political mecca where he meets top ministers and heads of departments and agencies to discuss management issues. His name prominently came up during discussions on the scandal at NSSF.
He was also previously in the news for camping in Gulu to woo artistes to join his brother Museveni’s NRM party.
By and large, Salim Saleh is more powerful than ministers and CEOs of many MDAs. Some have described him as the unofficial number two. He can only submit to Gen Museveni.
Their disagreements can only be resolved by an influential member of the first family. Gen Salim Saleh himself once revealed how Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba saved him when Museveni wanted to throw him in prison. (See Details Here).
HAJJAT HADIJAH UZEIYE NAMYALO
A senior presidential advisor on political affairs and special personal assistant to the national chairperson of the ruling NRM, Namyalo is the head of the Kyambogo-based Office of the NRM National Chairman (ONC).
This position gives Namyalo, who prefers to call herself the Chief Muzzukulu, a multi-billion budget to run mobilization activities. The ONC office is increasingly becoming more influential than the Richard Todwong-led secretariat. Namyalo, who is also the chief campaigner for Museveni’s 2026 reelection bid under the ‘Jajja omalako, tova ku main’ slogan, has been traversing the country donating items on behalf of the president.
Months after Namyalo took over from Presidency Minister Milly Babirye Babalanda, Museveni seemed to suggest that ONC money meant to protect his votes in Kampala was stolen. ONC has also been facing some storms, including one that saw the firing of the spokesperson. (See Details Here and There).
CONCLUSION
The difference between these four presidential advisors – Gen Kainerugaba, Rwabwogo, Gen Saleh and Namyalo – is that they do not beg for appointments with Museveni. In fact, Museveni has designated days he meets each one of them, and they can easily have access to him in case of any emerging issues that cannot wait.
This is unlike presidential advisors like Catherine Kusasira who recently cried to the president to give her an appointment, complaining she had been blocked from meeting him. (See Details Here).
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