Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the son of Uganda’s sit-tight leader, Yoweri Museveni, has revealed his intention to contest for the country’s presidency in 2026.
It is the first time the outspoken general has given a timeline for replacing his father, who has ruled the east African country for 37 years.
Kainerugaba, who is currently a special presidential advisor for special operations, is known for firing off controversial tweets that have earned him reprimands from his father.
The 48-year-old general on Wednesday made a post on Twitter where he revealed his aspiration for the presidency but later deleted the messages.
“You have wanted me to say it forever! Okay, in the name of Jesus Christ my God, in the name of all the young people of Uganda and the world, and in the name of our great revolution, I will stand for the Presidency in 2026,” Kainerugaba wrote.
“The Prime Minister of the UK is 42 years old, and the Prime Minister of Finland is 37 years. Some of us are hitting 50 years old. We are tired of waiting forever,” he said.
A trend of the sit-tight syndrome in political leadership amongst African leaders. Notably in Togo, Rwanda, Congo, Burundi, Equatorial Guinea, Chad, Djibouti, Zimbabwe, Uganda, and Cameroon. Guinea and Cote D’Ivoire also have a recent history of long-serving presidents while in Eritrea has been no presidential election since independence in 1993,