Tayebwa, Odonga Otto clash over Muhoozi’s presidential transition path

8 September 2026, 12:45 pm

By Frank Oyugi

During the recent Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU) digital launch in Naguru, Kampala, Deputy Speaker of Parliament Thomas Tayebwa said the growing political movement supporting Chief of Defence Forces Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba was not an ambition imposed by the military leader, but a demand originating from citizens.

Addressing the gathering, Tayebwa said Ugandans were taking the lead in calling for Gen. Muhoozi to address the country’s long-standing presidential succession question ahead of President Yoweri Museveni’s eventual retirement.

He said the public considers the general prepared for executive leadership and would continue calling for his candidacy to support what they described as a stable political transition.

Taking the podium as an invited guest, former Aruu County MP Dr Odonga Otto offered a nuanced perspective on the civic movement, balancing praise for its development agenda with a warning about governance.

While commending Gen. Muhoozi and the PLU leadership for their stance against corruption and focus on improving the national road network, Otto said respect for fundamental rights would be a decisive factor in determining the movement’s broader political legitimacy.

He argued that upholding human rights standards remains the most critical hurdle facing PLU’s path forward, noting that if its leadership addresses these concerns and guarantees democratic protections, he would readily join the effort as a field coordinator.