Former Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) party president Dr. Col. (rtd) Kizza Besigye has rebuked the internal affairs minister Maj. Gen. (rtd) Kahinda Otafiire over his alleged political succession comments on Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba.

First Son Muhoozi is being fronted to contest against President Yoweri Museveni as president in 2026.

Besigye hinted at Otafiire’s utterances as mere lamentations without actions to show willingness to cause peaceful transfer of power from one president to another since independence from the British administrators in 1962.

His remarks come barely a month following Otafiire’s succession remarks accusing President Yoweri Museveni of trying to front Kainerugaba as the next President of Uganda in an interview he conducted with the media.

“Gen. Otafiire has been lamenting to President Museveni these days: 'How can you give leadership of Uganda to your son…This is unfair' Me, I am not going to bequeath my constituency for my son, why are you doing this?” Besigye said.

"I am glad that at least Kahinda is talking because there are many inside the Government just watching and completely silenced and can no longer talk about such sensitive matters for our country," he added.

L-R: Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago, FDC Chairperson Katonga faction Wasswa Birigwa and FDC former president Kizza Besigye during the 17th FDC National Council Meeting at Katonga Road Office. (Photo by Isaac Nuwagaba)

“It was these same people whom I told that the National Resistance Movement (NRM) government was going astray in 1999 but they refused to listen to us and continued trusting Museveni,” Besigye added.

While addressing the 17th FDC National Council Meeting at Katonga Road Offices in Kampala on Wednesday, Besigye challenged those thinking like Kahinda to start working towards joining the liberation struggle that brings sovereignty and power to all Ugandans not individuals.

“Let us fight now…let us not wait until it grows wings and horns but Kahinda and his close allies kept saying no…no, there are term limits until when term limits were removed from Constitution,” he noted.

The former presidential candidate wondered "why Kahinda who challenged the recognition of Ankole Kingdom fighting Muhoozi to succeed his father," adding that: "Kahinda has never been an advocate of democratic governance and rule of law so he has no basis to challenge Muhoozi who as any Ugandan can contest for a political office".

Besigye said: "When we came to the bush, there were mixed views about the restoration of Ankole Kingdom but Kahinda objected saying that he would go back to the bush to fight over the establishment".

“It was clear that if people wished to have their traditional kingdoms reinstated, the Government would recognise them according to the 1995 Constitution but it is Kahinda and others who fought hard to shun recognizing Ankole monarchy,” Besigye said.

Kahinda Otafiire responds

When Kahinda was contacted on phone, he said he had never been an advocate of monarchy establishments since the Bush war and that’s why he is against the Muhoozi project.

"The only thing that I object to is that people proclaim that Gen. Muhoozi should be made the President of Uganda because he is the son of president Museveni," he said, adding “Gen. Muhoozi should take power democratically in a fairly democratic competitive election but not as President Museveni’s son. I do not hate Kainerugaba as a person, but I do not want Kainerugaba to be the president. That’s dangerous”.

Nearly a fortnight ago, a group of supporters of presidential advisor and former commander land forces known as MK Movement rebranded to form Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU), a pressure group mobilising for the First Son to contest in the 2026 general election.

Still serving as an army officer, supporters of PLU are still waiting to see when President Museveni shall retire Muhoozi from the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) for him to participate in partisan politics as the Constitution mandates.