President Yoweri Museveni has told the National Resistance Movement’s Central Executive Committee that he will not seek another term beyond his current mandate and has proposed his son, General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, as his preferred successor, sources familiar with a closed-door meeting said on Wednesday.
The private NRM CEC session, held under strict confidentiality at State House Entebbe earlier this week, focused on succession, the economy and party organisation, according to three people briefed on the discussions who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the talks.
Museveni, 82, informed members that after four decades in power since taking office in 1986 he believed the time had come for a generational transition.
He presented a paper outlining the qualities he sought in a successor — patriotism, Pan-African orientation and a developmental focus — and indicated that Gen. Muhoozi, the Chief of Defence Forces, fitted those criteria, the sources said.
No formal vote was held. Members were given copies of the succession paper for further reflection. One senior CEC member reportedly raised concerns about whether the military chief was being imposed on the party, but the president responded that the aspirations of the majority would prevail, according to the accounts.
Participants were instructed to keep the deliberations confidential. The NRM secretariat and State House had issued no public statement by late morning on Wednesday. Officials contacted by Whisper Eye declined to confirm or deny the reports.
Analysts have for several years pointed to factors that have increased pressure for an eventual transition. Museveni’s advanced age has raised questions about the physical demands of continuous high-level leadership.
Decision-making has become heavily personalised around the president and a narrow inner circle, creating what observers describe as “key-person risk.” Uganda’s overwhelmingly young population — the majority of citizens have known only one president — has grown increasingly vocal about unemployment and limited economic opportunity. Inside the ruling system, the steady elevation of Gen. Muhoozi has shifted internal conversations toward managed succession rather than indefinite personal tenure.
Gen. Muhoozi, 52, has in recent months spoken openly about contesting the presidency in 2031 and has consolidated influence within the military. Opposition figures and some civil-society voices have long criticised the concentration of power around the Museveni family, while ruling-party loyalists argue that continuity of leadership is essential for stability.
The reported discussion is the clearest signal yet that the NRM is beginning to frame the post-Museveni period, five years ahead of the next scheduled general election.
Further details from the meeting remained scarce as participants maintained silence.
