Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni’s son, who had said he would run in the 2026 presidential election, announced Saturday he would not stand and would back his father instead.
Museveni, 80, has been in power since 1986. Many in the East African nation saw his son, Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the head of the Ugandan defense forces, as his successor.
“I would like to announce that I will not be on the ballot paper in 2026. Almighty God told me to focus on His Army first,” Kainerugaba said on X.
“So, I fully endorse President Yoweri Museveni in the next elections.”
Museveni has not said explicitly if he will seek a seventh term.
“No civilian will lead Uganda after President Museveni. The security forces will not allow it. The next leader will be a soldier or policeman,” Kainerugaba said.
Kainerugaba had said in an earlier post announcing his intention to contest the election that it was time for fresh blood in Ugandan politics.
The soldier has had a meteoric rise in the armed forces.
Museveni has ruled Uganda with an iron fist since he toppled President Milton Obote in 1986.
He was reelected for a sixth term in 2021 with 58% of the vote, according to official results, which the opposition branded a masquerade.
The election campaign was marked by intimidation and arrests and led to more than 50 deaths.
