Muhoozi salutes his father Museveni at Entebbe airportWhen I first wrote about facing President Muhoozi Kainerugaba – that we ought to start dealing with him as the President and not just the CDF – I received two sets of critical responses. The first was that I seemed to trump up the invincibility of the Rwakitura Kingdom. That I appeared as arguing – problematically, the criticism went – that Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba will, by all means, succeed his father. In fact, some readers claimed I was trying to position myself for recruitment into the PLU ranks and thereby ‘fall into’ things. As they say in the streets, I was “kwetega!” Not true – and I will explain. It is without doubt that Gen. Kainerugaba can indeed fail to become president after his father. He is not invincible. He might die from natural causes – God forbid – while his father is still president. A junior lieutenant might put a bullet through his chest – God forbid. Or the United States might invade Uganda – like they did in Libya or Sudan through proxy – and overthrow Museveni and his son. But the point I sought to make was that if he failed, it will not be because the actions of opposition groups. But for reasons neither of us nor the kingdom anticipated. We will celebrate his failure to get the presidency (just as we danced over the downfall of former Speaker Anita Among) but it will have nothing to do with us. Maybe except our prayers. Rwanda President Paul Kagame (L) with Muhoozi KainerugabaDear reader, it is painful to note that there is no organized group committed and ready enough to stop Museveni’s son from succeeding his father. I’m not demanding of anyone to establish such a group. I’m equally guilty for this failure. But looks like the winds are sweeping in his direction. I do not think it was even Muhoozi’s dream to succeed his father. It has always been my idea that had he been given the choice, he would have considered the performing arts – it is in the genes; both sisters are in the performing arts, one a writer of children stories, and the other a preacher. But at this point, even Muhoozi cannot stop himself from the trajectory of succeeding his father. Without a doubt, many Ugandans abhor the idea that Museveni might be succeeded by his son. I am one of those Ugandans. But our hatred and disdain for a thing does not stop it from happening. As the Baganda have said, “Ebikolimo by’enkonko, tebitta kamunye.” Our failure to organize through the forty-years, and the fact that we are still a neoliberal colonial outpost, has led us to this point. I will say one more time: Unless something magical happens – like a revolution from nowhere – all factors remaining constant, the more logical trail ends with Muhoozi Kainerugaba becoming president. DAMPENING THE SPIRITS OF STRUGGLE The second set of criticism was that my essay sought to dampen, and thereby deflate the spirits of change-seeking Ugandans telling them that their fate was already sealed. Again, this is not true. Writing on the heels of the spectacular downfall of a then powerful speaker Hon. Anita Annet Among, which was loudly orchestrated by Museveni’s son, I sought to (a) challenge Gen. Kainerugaba to stop acting from behind the curtains. Look, he is the same man who announced that Hon. Oboth-Oboth would be the next speaker. Indeed, Oboth-Oboth is the current speaker. Those are not small powers from a simple CDF. And the CDF is not simply a random Ugandan but the son of the current president. Those are presidential powers. I sought to appeal to Gen. Kainerugaba that he needs to become the man he aspires to be. But in so doing, I sought to (a) call on opposition forces – if any genuinely cared – to direct their energies towards the new Sherrif in town. Yes, this is the time to start dissecting the merits and demerits of President Kainerugaba – not just as potential, but one who has already arrived and is calling the shots. What dirt do we have on him? (There is quite a lot – and he has been snitching on himself). What type of president is he likely to be – a communist or colonial comprador? With whom will he govern? What are his weaknesses? My entire idea was to foreground this conversation. Of course, I ended up saying some really nice things about him – which I argued had little to do with the man himself, but the time. But for all criticism to bite, one has to understand my overall project: While I believe in revolution, I have seen too many revolutions corrupted along the way ending in genocide (Sudan), endless war (Somalia) and entire ruins (Libya). Perhaps, it is my present fascination with gradual incremental revolution that is difficult to take. And I appreciate this. There was a third set of responses who noted that while my assessment of the times ahead was depressing, they fully understood the picture I painted. MUHOOZI FOR THE TRANSITION First, I need to stress that the time for 40 years of a presidency is behind us. With a multipolar world emerging (China, Iran, Russia becoming more powerful), and the age of Internet and affordable Chinese smartphones, Museveni will be the last four-decade president. Relatedly, the time for absolute autocracy is also behind us. Our leaders nowadays commit all their crimes in the open and cannot even control their itchy fingers from sharing their crimes with the world. American president Donald Trump is reporting his crimes live. Israel crimes are breaking news everywhere and Israel is fast collapsing. These are different times. That Muhoozi would share a picture of a tortured Eddie Mutwe – unwittingly snitching on himself – is telling enough. Against that, it is my sobering contention that Muhoozi would not be as difficult to beat as his father. He’ll is a lesser opponent. See, unlike his father who can speak to a personal history of valor and sacrifice, Muhoozi can only speak about the sacrifices of his father. These are not the same things. Museveni direct engagement brought him alliances and connections at home and abroad; Gen. MK, with the exception of Israel and Rwanda, has no comrades in the region. (To be continued). yusufkajura@gmail.com The author is a political theorist based at Makerere University.The post Is it time to face President Muhoozi Kainerugaba? Part II appeared first on The Observer Media Ltd.