Uganda’s politics have grown louder and more dangerous in recent weeks. The Uganda succession crisis is now playing out in public, with generals in detention and the vice president under open threat from the president’s own son.
A tweet storm with real consequences
General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, Uganda’s Chief of Defence Forces and the son of President Yoweri Museveni, took to X to threaten Vice President Jessica Alupo. He suggested she had backed Peter Elwelu, a former deputy military chief who was arrested this month over claims of activities aimed at destabilising the country. Muhoozi said she would “account for it”, threatened to remove her from government, and said she would be arrested if proven involved.
Alupo remains in office and has not publicly responded. Muhoozi later deactivated his X account. This was not new for him. In 2022 he was removed as land forces commander after threatening to “capture Nairobi” online.
Generals behind bars
The threats come as senior officers disappear into detention. The Daily Monitor reports that at least a dozen generals and senior officers have been held since April 2025. Political scientist Gerald Baribi links the arrests to the political fight over who follows Museveni.
Museveni, now 81, has ruled Uganda since 1986 and has begun a seventh term. Muhoozi has already said he wants to run for president in 2031, and his Patriotic League of Uganda movement is gathering support.
What Ugandans are asking
Analysts say the president’s son is widely seen as the frontrunner. Critics argue that one set of rules seems to apply to ordinary officers and another to him. On the streets of Kampala, some citizens worry about a father-to-son handover in a country that fought long wars over power.
Uganda is not alone. From Togo to Gabon to Equatorial Guinea, Africans are watching leaders and their families in what many call dynastic politics. Uganda’s case stands out because the army, not just the ballot box, sits at the centre.
The road ahead
The constitution says the vice president would take over temporarily if the president left office suddenly. That is why threats against Alupo matter so much. They hint at a struggle over who controls the transition, not just gossip.
For now, Museveni has kept his own views mostly private. His silence leaves room for rumour, and rumour feeds fear. Many Ugandans simply want a peaceful, orderly future where institutions, not family ties, decide who leads.
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