By Abbey K. Semuwemba

19^th Sept 2011: It was good for Museveni’s son Lt. Col. Muhoozi to come out and clarify on the comments reportedly made by Mike Mukula as revealed by WikiLeaks.  Muhoozi hides behind the curtain like ‘omugole’ [a bride] and yet people want to know what he is thinking.

Centre: Succession debate turns to Muhoozi.

There was a time [when] I believed that Muhoozi will automatically be Uganda’s next president.  But from what I have observed in the last 9 months, I think this [Muhoozi] project will prove to be disastrous for President Museveni if he goes ahead with it.  I am not saying it’s not going to happen.  But it will bury him if he is not careful.

The world has changed so much.  Everyone is looking for an excuse to attack someone and there will be no better excuse for the “big boys” to kick Museveni’s butt if he goes ahead and promotes his son to the presidency.  One does not become a President in Uganda because of mere elections. That could change in the next 10-20 years.  So if anyone thinks elections will stop Muhoozi from becoming our next President, [then] think again.

Museveni knows that he will meet resistance within NRM, the UPDF, and parliament if he imposes Muhoozi on Ugandans.  But this will not stop him if he is determined to pursue this project. Of all the institutions that may resist this “Muhoozi Project”, it is only the army he is afraid of.  Muhoozi will not be fielded as NRM candidate if Museveni senses that the UPDF may cause problems.

Apart from the UPDF, international pressure or intervention could also stop the “Muhoozi Project”. Otherwise there is nothing on the ground that can stop Muhoozi from becoming the President of Uganda if Museveni wants him to. And here is why:

The opposition is weak, parliament can be easily twisted, the media is under his [Museveni’s] control, the old NRM historicals have accumulated a lot of wealth and have no appetite to wage more wars, and the man with the “hat” on his head controls almost everything in the country.

Muhoozi is President Museveni’s project.  Captain Mike Mukula was right in his remarks to the Americans although I read somewhere that he had started backtracking for fear of the “big eyes” from the “big fella” in State House angrily rolling all over him.  Having Muhoozi in State House is like having Museveni in another form.

We need to find a break from all this Musevenism.  Muhoozi will definitely be up there if Museveni remains a big influence in the country.  END.  Please login to www.ugandacorrespondent.com every Monday to read our top stories and anytime mid-week for our news updates.