Uganda’s Deputy Speaker of Parliament Thomas Tayebwa has made a significant statement on the country’s political succession, saying members of the National Resistance Movement (NRM) have decided to rally behind Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba as the person they want to inherit the presidency after the administration of President Yoweri Museveni.
Speaking during activities surrounding the growing mobilisation in support of Muhoozi’s potential 2031 presidential bid, Tayebwa reportedly said: “As the NRM family, we have decided to choose from among ourselves a Musuuga who will inherit the presidency after the Museveni administration, and that is @mkainerugaba.”
The statement adds to a series of increasingly public declarations by political figures supporting Muhoozi, who currently serves as Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and is President Museveni’s son.
Tayebwa has been involved in mobilisation activities associated with the Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU), a movement closely associated with Muhoozi and his supporters. The mobilisation has included efforts to collect public endorsements for Muhoozi ahead of the 2031 elections.
The latest comments from Tayebwa place the succession question more directly within the NRM political conversation.
The reference to Muhoozi as the person who will “inherit the presidency” is particularly significant because President Museveni has been in power since 1986, making the question of who could eventually succeed him one of the most closely watched issues in Uganda’s politics.
Muhoozi’s possible presidential ambitions have been openly discussed by his supporters, with PLU-linked mobilisation activities taking place in different parts of the country.
Supporters have portrayed the campaign as a grassroots demand for Muhoozi to take over the leadership of the country, while Muhoozi himself has not yet formally taken over the NRM leadership from Museveni.
Tayebwa’s remarks also come at a time when discussions about political succession have become increasingly prominent within the ruling establishment.
The succession debate has generated attention because Muhoozi occupies a unique position in Uganda’s political landscape. He is both a senior military officer and the son of the sitting president, circumstances that have made his political future a subject of sustained national debate.
His supporters argue that his growing public profile reflects increasing demand for generational change within the ruling movement. Critics, however, have questioned the relationship between his military position and his political activities.
Muhoozi currently serves as Chief of Defence Forces, meaning that any transition from the military into active electoral politics would have to take into account the legal and constitutional requirements governing serving members of the armed forces.
The remarks by Tayebwa therefore raise broader questions about how the NRM intends to handle leadership transition after Museveni.
For decades, Museveni has remained the dominant figure within the NRM and Uganda’s political system. His eventual departure from the presidency would represent a major political transition for the ruling movement and the country.
Tayebwa’s statement suggests that sections of the NRM are already thinking beyond the Museveni era and have identified Muhoozi as their preferred figure for the next phase.
The political significance of the statement is likely to attract further debate as Uganda moves closer to the 2031 electoral cycle.
For now, Muhoozi remains a serving military commander, while supporters continue building public momentum around his possible political future.
Whether the current mobilisation eventually develops into a formal presidential campaign will depend on the decisions of Muhoozi, the NRM leadership and the legal processes governing presidential elections.
But Tayebwa’s declaration has added fresh weight to the succession debate, openly placing Muhoozi’s name at the centre of discussions about who could lead Uganda after the Museveni administration.
