Uganda’s Descent into Familial Rule and State Capture » The Hoima Post –

By Kasirye Ronald | Journalist, TV Producer & CEO, Ronkas Media

Uganda is no longer governed; it is managed like a private estate by a family that has replaced institutions with loyalty networks. What was once the Ugandan state has been hollowed out and repurposed into a criminal syndicate masquerading under the banner of the National Resistance Movement (NRM).

This regime survives through a brutal trinity: the systematic betrayal of its own loyalists, state-sanctioned violence, and the relentless looting of public resources to enrich the ruling family.

> “Uganda’s power structure is not political, it’s patrimonial,” observes a Kampala-based political analyst who requested anonymity. “The state exists to serve one family’s survival project.”

The Graveyard of Loyalists: Museveni’s Cycle of Betrayal

President Yoweri Museveni’s longest-standing political strategy has never been leadership it is manipulation. Over nearly four decades, he has perfected the art of using, discarding, and destroying his most loyal insiders once they outlive their usefulness.

General David Sejusa (formerly Tinyefuza): Once a trusted bush war comrade, Sejusa’s political death warrant was signed the moment he exposed the Muhoozi Project the plan to install Museveni’s son as successor. Forced into exile and publicly vilified, Sejusa became a living warning to others who might challenge the dynasty.

General Henry Tumukunde: A key architect of the regime’s security state, Tumukunde’s downfall came when he expressed political independence. Arrested on treason charges, he was neutralized not for betrayal but for ambition.

Colonel Dr. Kizza Besigye: Once Museveni’s personal physician and a pillar of the NRM, Besigye’s defection was born of moral conviction. “He saw the rot from within,” says a retired UPDF officer. “When he chose conscience over complicity, the regime treated him as a mortal enemy.”

Today, Besigye’s persecution has reached its most chilling stage yet. In early 2025, he was abducted from Kenya in a covert cross-border operation, reportedly carried out under the watch of both Ugandan and Kenyan intelligence operatives. He was illegally extradited to Uganda and arraigned before a military court, despite being a civilian a move condemned by human rights observers as a gross violation of international law.

> “These are trumped-up charges meant to silence a lifelong critic,” says Sarah Nankunda, a Kampala-based human rights attorney. “It is a message to all dissenters: no border, no law, and no foreign soil can protect you from this regime’s reach.”

This cycle of betrayal has become the NRM’s core survival mechanism.

> “The NRM functions like a mafia family,” notes Dr. Grace Atuhairwe, a Ugandan political sociologist. “Loyalty is rewarded only as long as it serves the patriarch. The moment it doesn’t, it becomes a liability.”

The Muhoozi Project: A Dynasty in Uniform

The appointment of General Muhoozi Kainerugaba as Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) confirms what many Ugandans have long feared: the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) has ceased to be a national army it is now the Museveni Family Militia.

Muhoozi’s meteoric rise, despite erratic public behavior and limited professional achievement, was a calculated act of dynastic consolidation.

> “This was never about merit,” says a retired senior officer. “It’s about bloodline, not battlefield.”

Under Muhoozi’s command, the Special Forces Command (SFC) became synonymous with brutality executing abductions, torture, and extrajudicial killings under the guise of “national security.”

Human rights groups, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have linked Muhoozi’s forces to the 2020 “Bobi Wine” protest massacres, where over 50 unarmed citizens were gunned down, and to a series of enforced disappearances of government critics.

> “The command responsibility for these crimes lies squarely with the First Family,” says an international human rights lawyer familiar with Uganda’s military files. “It’s a textbook case of state terror.”

Within military circles, Muhoozi’s coronation as CDF has sparked quiet outrage. Many of the “historical” bush war officers like General Mugisha Muntu and Major General Pecos Kutesa (RIP) have long resisted what they call the “monarchization” of the army. Most have been sidelined, retired, or forced out, replaced by younger officers loyal to Muhoozi personally.

The Wazalendo Scandal: Robbing the Soldiers Who Bleed for the State

Perhaps the most brazen symbol of Uganda’s systemic decay is the Wazalendo SACCO scandal a cooperative meant to safeguard the welfare of the very soldiers who defend the regime.

Billions of shillings have allegedly been siphoned from the SACCO’s accounts under the guise of “classified operations,” with funds redirected toward the lavish lifestyles of regime elites and their business fronts.

> “It’s betrayal in its purest form,” laments a serving UPDF officer, speaking anonymously for fear of reprisal. “We die in Somalia and Congo, yet our savings are feeding those who never face a bullet.”

The Wazalendo theft encapsulates the essence of the Museveni era: a system that robs even its protectors to sustain the comfort of its rulers.

Investigative audits by independent financial watchdogs (2024) suggest the SACCO’s irregularities form part of a larger state capture scheme involving the Ministry of Defence, the Office of the President, and key members of the First Family’s business network.

A Family, Not a Government

Uganda today is not governed by institutions it is ruled by a family cartel. Orders for violence flow from Museveni; enforcement is handled by his son; and the spoils are distributed through the family’s trusted circle of generals, ministers, and business proxies.

> “This is no longer a republic,” concludes a former intelligence officer. “It’s a monarchy wearing a democratic mask.”

The stakes for Uganda’s future could not be higher. Unless the system of familial capture, impunity, and corruption is confronted, the nation risks complete institutional collapse.

Conclusion: The Price of Silence

The Museveni regime represents the final stage of political decay: a kleptocracy sustained by fear, blood, and dynastic entitlement.

> “The tragedy of Uganda,” writes one East African columnist, “is not merely its stolen wealth—but its stolen future.”

Until Uganda dismantles the machinery of fear and familial power, the country will remain hostage to a single clan’s ambition, while the dream of democracy continues to die in silence.

References (for editorial attribution)

Amnesty International (2025). Uganda: Human Rights Crackdown and Extrajudicial Detentions Report.

Human Rights Watch (2024). Uganda: Systematic Abductions and Torture of Political Opponents.

The EastAfrican (2025). Besigye’s Capture and Uganda–Kenya Intelligence Collusion.

Independent Financial Watch (2024). Audit Leak: Wazalendo SACCO Irregularities.

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