Members of Parliament from the Tooro sub-region have thrown their political weight behind Chief of Defence Forces Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, formally endorsing him to seek the presidency in 2031.
The legislators, led by Agriculture Minister and Kamwenge County MP Frank Tumwebaze, visited the Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU) leadership in Kampala and signed the endorsement book in support of Gen Muhoozi’s presidential bid.
The development adds the Tooro Parliamentary Caucus to a growing list of political leaders and organised groups publicly declaring support for Gen Muhoozi, who in September formally announced his intention to contest for President in 2031.
The Tooro MPs’ endorsement was received at the office of the PLU National Chairman, where the delegation met Daudi Kabanda, the head of the Chairman’s Office and Kasambya County MP, as well as other PLU officials. Kabanda described the visit as a significant expression of regional support for the CDF.
“I was pleased to receive a delegation of Members of Parliament from Tooro, led by Hon. Frank Tumwebaze, who came to officially endorse Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba Museveni for President 2031 and beyond,” Kabanda said.
“The delegation assured us of full support, with all votes from Tooro for Gen. MKM,” he added.
The endorsement comes at a time when PLU is conducting a nationwide mobilisation and signature campaign around Gen Muhoozi’s 2031 presidential ambitions.
PLU has been receiving delegations from different parts of the country, with supporters and political leaders signing endorsement books and publicly declaring their support for the CDF.
Earlier in September, five MPs from the Ankole sub-region also endorsed Gen Muhoozi during a visit to the PLU headquarters. The legislators were Amos Kankunda, Amanya Cohen Kyampene, Mwine Mpaka Rwamirama, Boaz Atwijukire and Zadock Mutekanga.
Members of the NRM Buganda Parliamentary Caucus have also been reported to have endorsed Gen Muhoozi’s 2031 bid, adding another parliamentary bloc to the expanding list of supporters.
Tooro MP Support
The decision by the Tooro MPs gives the 2031 campaign another regional parliamentary endorsement and comes shortly after the coronation of Omukama Edward Rukidi Nyabongo I at Karuziika Palace.
Tumwebaze, who represents Kamwenge, is one of the senior political figures from the Tooro region and currently serves in Cabinet as Minister of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries.
The MPs’ visit to the PLU office is also significant because it demonstrates that the debate over the 2031 succession is already extending beyond the PLU’s own structures into parliamentary and regional political networks.
For PLU, such endorsements provide a platform through which the organisation can demonstrate support from different parts of Uganda.
The organisation has established an online endorsement platform and physical endorsement exercises across the country. Its website currently records tens of thousands of endorsements, although the figures are maintained by PLU itself and should therefore be understood as figures from the organisation’s own campaign. The endorsement drive has also attracted senior political figures.
Former Vice President Edward Kiwanuka Ssekandi has publicly endorsed Gen Muhoozi for 2031, while State Minister for Local Government Justine Nameere also joined the endorsement campaign in September.
Muhoozi’s Military Status
The growing political activity around Gen Muhoozi, however, comes with a significant legal question because he remains the serving CDF of the Uganda People’s Defence Forces.
The Constitution provides that the UPDF shall be non-partisan and national in character. Article 208 specifically requires the armed forces to be “non-partisan” and subordinate to civilian authority. The UPDF Act also addresses the question directly.
Section 97 of the Uganda People’s Defence Forces Act provides that a serving officer or militant who wishes to seek political office must first resign or retire from the Defence Forces in accordance with regulations made by the Defence Minister.
This means that Gen Muhoozi’s transition from military service into an elective presidential contest would require him to leave active service through the process provided for under the law.
The distinction is important because political mobilisation around his candidacy is already taking place while he remains CDF.
Retirement Question
Sources have told The Investigator that Gen Muhoozi could be among senior generals who retire from the military next year, potentially creating room for him to participate directly in civilian politics.
However, there has been no publicly confirmed announcement establishing that Gen Muhoozi will retire next year specifically to pursue the presidency. The possibility should therefore be treated as a report rather than a settled decision. Two years ago, veteran journalist Andrew Muwenda confirmed the CDF is on course to retire from the army by 2028. Muwenda is a close ally of the CDF.
If such a retirement were to occur, it would mark a significant transition in the political career of the CDF, who has increasingly become the focus of political mobilisation ahead of the 2031 elections.
Gen Muhoozi announced his intention to seek the presidency in 2031 through PLU leadership in September. Kabanda said at the time that President Yoweri Museveni had sanctioned the bid.
PLU And NRM
Another question surrounding the 2031 project is the relationship between PLU and the ruling National Resistance Movement. PLU has operated as a political pressure group associated with Gen Muhoozi, while he has also served as CDF.
The growing participation of NRM MPs in the endorsement campaign has raised questions about how the two political structures could relate to each other as the 2031 contest approaches.
PLU itself has promoted messages of cooperation and unity with NRM. Its recent activities include endorsements from MPs, ministers, former senior government officials and regional political leaders.
There have also been calls within PLU circles for closer cooperation between the two formations.
However, the precise organisational arrangement for 2031 remains a matter of political development and has not been formally settled in the material publicly available.
For now, Gen Muhoozi’s political machinery is concentrating on building a broad network of endorsements. The Tooro MPs are the latest parliamentary group to join that effort.
The Road To 2031
The Tooro endorsement adds another chapter to a political process that has begun well ahead of the 2031 election.
Across the country, political figures are increasingly making public declarations concerning Gen Muhoozi’s presidential ambitions.
The endorsements have come from different regions and political backgrounds, including serving MPs, ministers, former national leaders and organised groups.
PLU has presented the endorsements as evidence of growing support for its chairman, while individual political leaders have given their own reasons for backing his candidacy.
The Tooro MPs’ decision now places the sub-region prominently within that national conversation.
For Tumwebaze and his colleagues, the immediate message is contained in their signatures in the endorsement book: they support Gen Muhoozi for the presidency in 2031 and beyond.
For PLU, the endorsement strengthens its regional mobilisation effort.
For Gen Muhoozi, the development adds another bloc of elected political leaders to the list of those publicly associated with his planned presidential campaign.
But before the 2031 contest takes formal shape, several questions remain unresolved—including Gen Muhoozi’s military future, the eventual relationship between PLU and NRM, and the organisational structure through which his presidential bid will ultimately be pursued.
For now, however, the Tooro MPs have made their position clear by putting their names behind Gen Muhoozi’s 2031 presidential ambitions.
Author Profile
- Charles Gazza Kodili is a seasoned journalist with over 20 years of experience in the media industry. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mass Communication. He’s currently the Chief Editor at the Investigator.
Charles can also be reached via; Tel: +256 774 108978
Email: [email protected]
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