In this article on how Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba and the PLU are reshaping Uganda’s political space, let us ground ourselves in the words of Ugandan social and political critic Prof Oweyegha-Afunaduula. During an interview with the Department for Critical Thinking and Alternative Analysis at the Karamoja Anti-Corruption Coalition, Oweyegha-Afunaduula stated: “PLU has absorbed, overshadowed, or taken over a significant part of the political space.” He continued: “It has taken over some structures, supporters, or prominent figures in Uganda.”
This statement forms the basis of our argument that Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba and the PLU are reshaping Uganda’s political landscape. The question we pose is: with PLU taking over many prominent figures in Uganda, will the political landscape remain the same?
Along the same line of argument, George Wilson Kanyeihamba, in Constitutional and Political History of Uganda, highlighted that the National Resistance Movement (NRM) and the National Resistance Army (NRA) introduced a system in which Ugandan men and women of all ages, backgrounds, professions, and trades, including the handicapped and unemployed, participate fully in the political and administrative affairs of their country, from the village to the parish, sub-county, county, and district, all the way to the national government and Parliament (Kanyeihamba, 2010).
As critical thinkers and a team committed to alternative analysis, we argue that if people at all levels and from all categories can participate in politics, and given the extent to which PLU is mobilizing Ugandans across different subregions to endorse Muhoozi Kainerugaba for the presidency, the political landscape will change by 2031.
What Ugandans should not forget is that Muhoozi Kainerugaba has also shaped public opinion around the succession question in Uganda, contributing to changes in the political landscape and encouraging some people to believe that he could become the next President of Uganda.
Indeed, a 2026 study on political succession in Uganda by professors Luke Melchiorre and Moses Khisa argues that Uganda has reached an important moment in determining who might eventually succeed President Yoweri Museveni. The authors observe that political power has increasingly been moving toward General Muhoozi Kainerugaba (Melchiorre & Khisa, 2026).
This is an indicator that Uganda’s political landscape is changing—and has already changed, and may continue to evolve in the coming years.
Ayub Mukisa, PhD, writes from the Department for Critical Thinking and Alternative Analysis at the Karamoja Anti-Corruption Coalition (KACC).
The post Dr. Ayub Mukisa: How Gen. Muhoozi and the PLU Are Reshaping Uganda’s Political Landscape appeared first on Watchdog Uganda.