By Sam Mwesigye
At the weekend, the Chief of Defense Forces, Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, made a strong statement: I would like to announce that I will not be on the ballot paper in 2026.
Not many of his supporters expected this.
But obviously, whether the four-star general goes on to give his short at the country’s top job or not, some of his supporters have already benefitted, while some have badly lost.
Winners
Balam Barugahara
Professional marketer and events guru, Balam, is a big beneficiary of the Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU) initiative. Balam sold Gen. Muhoozi more than he did to his events and marketing company. This, to the point that he caught the attention of President Yoweri Museveni. As part of a move to get him busy, he was appointed the Minister in Charge of Children and Youth Affairs in the Ministry of Gender, Labor, and Social Development.
Lilian Aber
The Kitgum Woman Member of Parliament, Aber, too, is a huge beneficiary of the PLU. Like Balam, Aber spent all her energy promoting Gen. Muhoozi in the northern region. Although she was known to the President, she had to be occupied by a ministerial position.
Phionah Nyamutoro
Nyamutoro is a Member of Parliament representing the youth of the West Nile region. But as if this position did not get her busy enough. She added the role of popularizing Gen. Muhoozi’s message, especially in the West Nile region. In a bid to neutralize her, she was silenced with a ministerial position in the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development (State for Energy). By extension, singer Eddie Kenzo, too, is a beneficiary of the PLU agenda. On top of being Nyamutoro’s husband, the President recently appointed him as a presidential advisor on creatives.
Arguably, though, Barugahara, Aber, and Nyamutoro are the biggest beneficiaries of the PLU agenda.
But above all, Gen. Muhoozi is the biggest beneficiary of his PLU idea. By the time he was appointed as CDF, he was not deployed anywhere. In fact, after the appointments of Nyamutoro, Barugahara, and Aber, Gen. Muhoozi was appointed as the army chief.
Losers
Frank Gashumba
Without Gashumba’s social media handles and media appearances, Gashumba cannot afford a meal. He uses his mouth to earn. However, even when he supports Gen. Muhoozi, there was a time he was summoned for disciplinary action by the PLU. Since then, he has been cautious about what he shares on his social media handles.
Dr. Twaha Kagabo
Kagabo risked it all, literally abandoning his party, the National Unity Platform (NUP), to join a pressure group, the PLU. He currently represents the people of Bukoto South in Lwengo district. But he could have been thrown out of the NUP had PLU been a political party. But even then, his relationship with the NUP is soiled. However, he has benefited from nothing by being in bed with the PLU.
Andrew Mwenda
Although Mwenda is a very close friend of Gen. Muhoozi, he expected not less than the weekend announcement. His whole hope was that Gen. Muhoozi makes it to State House. However, the weekend announcement means Mwenda has to take his energy back to the Independent Magazine rather than speak for the four-star general.
In short, Kagabo, Gashumba, and Mwenda have to return to whatever it is they were doing before the LU came into being.
Watch out for Part II of this list.
