Fear, uncertainty, anger and resignation have come to define the mood among Uganda’s political opposition, sections of civil society and even some members of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM), following what many describe as an increasingly open display of power by the Chief of Defence Forces, Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, who is also President Yoweri Museveni’s son.
The Observer spoke to six prominent opposition figures from three political parties. However, only two agreed to speak on the record about the unfolding situation. The newspaper also contacted three senior civil society leaders and three senior NRM members. None was willing to comment publicly.
“I want to tell you the truth, we are really scared. At first, we thought this guy was joking, but everything he said he was going to do, he has actually done. So, he is not bluffing,” said a National Unity Platform (NUP) member of parliament, who, like others quoted in this story, requested anonymity to speak freely.
Another former NUP legislator said recent events had fundamentally changed how some opposition members viewed Uganda’s political landscape.
“I never thought there would come a time when I would look at Museveni positively. But now I think we were better off with Museveni than with his son. At least Museveni would do bad things and deny them. This one breaks the law and is happy to tweet about it. We are living through very dangerous times.”
A senior NUP leader said the situation had become so unsettling that he had begun considering leaving the country.
“Frankly, I never thought I would ever consider going into exile, but there isn’t a day that passes without me thinking about it. You either allow yourself to be arrested and locked away in prison for years, stay quiet about what’s happening, or go into exile. For now, those seem to be our only options. We are in a very precarious situation.”
Concern over Gen Muhoozi intensified last week following the reported abduction of former minister and women’s rights activist Miria Matembe and the closure of Nation Media Group outlets, including NTV, KFM, Dembe FM and the Daily Monitor.
Gen Muhoozi had previously threatened to shut down the media outlets after they published reports questioning the legality of his actions. Following the reported abduction of former Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago and his subsequent charging, both NTV and the Daily Monitor carried stories highlighting what they described as Gen Muhoozi’s heavy-handed conduct.
In response, he vowed to close the outlets, accusing them of persistently reporting negatively about his father’s government.
“He’s not bluffing when he says, ‘I’m coming for you.’ I still have children to look after, my friend. I don’t want to comment on Muhoozi’s issues,” said a prominent civil society leader who has previously spoken publicly on major political developments.
A senior NRM member, who also requested anonymity, said the atmosphere of fear was already influencing how people expressed themselves.
“Muhoozi has already achieved what he wanted. Even when I want to post something on X, I read it several times to make sure it won’t get me into trouble. You write as you delete. This is unprecedented.”
He added that what many found most unsettling was President Museveni’s silence.
“The man is assigning ministers PLU numbers. He led the onslaught against the powerful former speaker of parliament, Anita Among. He installed his preferred choice as speaker. The President has said nothing. It’s difficult to believe he doesn’t know what’s going on. Before you say anything publicly, you first think about the consequences.”
Among those contacted, only David Lewis Rubongoya and Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda agreed to speak on the record.
Rubongoya is secretary general of the National Unity Platform, while Ssemujju serves as secretary general of the People’s Front for Freedom (PFF) and is the former MP for Kira Municipality.
Ssemujju is currently in Saudi Arabia, where he travelled to perform Umrah, the Islamic pilgrimage to Makkah and Madinah. Muhoozi appears to have concluded that it is possible to rule with an iron fist without consequences.
The international community is consumed by its own crises, Trump, the war in Ukraine, Iran and Gaza. There will be no meaningful pressure from outside. You can terrorise the population and subdue it.
With a frightened population and an unbothered international community, his father can calmly hand over power. I think Museveni is testing his son’s ability to hold power,” Ssemujju said, noting that Muhoozi had also threatened to take him to his basement.
Rubongoya said the implications now extend far beyond opposition politics.
“He first arrested our people-Eddie Mutwe, Waiswa Mufumbiro and many others. Then came the arrests of Dr Besigye, Erias Lukwago and now Miria Matembe. Now he has moved against Nation Media. The country must understand that we are living through unprecedented times. We must come together and find a solution. This is no longer an NUP or opposition issue. It is a Ugandan issue that requires a collective response.”
The state continues to maintain several active case files under which additional suspects are charged. Within the NUP, one file relates to alleged unauthorised military drilling, under which the party’s deputy spokesperson, Waiswa Mufumbiro, was charged. Another concerns aggravated robbery, under which Eddie Mutwe, president Robert Kyagulanyi’s personal bodyguard, and others were charged.
Within the PFF, the treason and misprision of treason case involving Dr Kizza Besigye and Hajj Obeid Lutale remains active. It is under the same case file that former Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago was charged last week.
