KAMPALA, Uganda — Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the National Chairman of the Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU), has unveiled a major restructuring of the organization’s top leadership, retaining several key allies, appointing a new Secretary General and bringing new figures onto the Central Committee.
In a series of posts on X on Monday, Muhoozi said the current Central Committee had fulfilled its mandate and that a new team was needed to address emerging challenges facing the movement.
“In the next few months, I will appoint a new membership of the Central Committee of PLU. We achieved what we set out for with the previous team. The new challenges that face us need a fresh team,” he said.
The next few months, however, turned out to be the next hour as the PLU chairman swiftly rolled out a series of appointments and confirmations.
As part of the changes, Muhoozi retained four influential figures in the PLU hierarchy. They are Michael Nuwagira Kaguta, commonly known as Toyota, who remains National Vice Chairman; Edwin Karugire as Director of Legal Affairs; Igara East MP Michael Mawanda as Director of Mobilization; and journalist Andrew Mwenda as Director of Communication.
The biggest change comes at the secretariat, where Muhoozi appointed former Jinja South West MP Fadil Twalla as the new Secretary General, replacing Daudi Kabanda, who has served in the role for the past three years. Kabanda has now been elevated to the Central Executive Committee (CEC).
Muhoozi directed Nuwagira to organize a formal handover ceremony and instructed all PLU ministers and Members of Parliament to attend.
“I will work closely with him to achieve our objectives. I thank Hon. Kabanda for his three years of excellent service. He set the standard high for the position,” Muhoozi said.
The restructuring also saw several new appointments to the Central Committee. Muhoozi named Minister of Agriculture Frank Tumwebaze, Attorney General Kiryowa Kiwanuka, Hussein Kashillingi and broadcaster Alan Kasujja as members of the committee. He also appointed businessman Kwame Ruyondo as the Central Committee representative for NRA historicals.
In the regional leadership structure, Balaam Barugahara retained his position as Vice Chairman for Western Uganda, while Kiryowa Kiwanuka was additionally appointed Vice Chairman for Buganda.
The appointments indicate a blend of political leaders, professionals, media personalities and long-time movement supporters in Muhoozi’s evolving leadership team.
Several prominent figures who served on the previous Central Committee have not featured among the appointments announced so far, including State Minister for Relief, Disaster Preparedness and Refugees Lillian Aber, political commentator Frank Gashumba and businessman Henry Basaliza.
What comes as a surprise is the appointment of what he referred to as “Special envoys in parliament” i.e., Rt. Hon. Oboth Oboth and Rt. Hon. Thomas Tayebwa who serve as Speaker and Deputy in Parliament respectively. The two are now appointed members of the Central Committee.
The changes signal Muhoozi’s intention to strengthen and reorganize PLU’s leadership as the organization seeks to expand its influence nationwide while maintaining its close alliance with the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM).
Muhoozi said PLU’s primary mission remains supporting President Yoweri Museveni’s economic agenda, particularly the target of growing Uganda’s economy to $500 billion by 2031.
“Our task as PLU is to achieve Mzee’s target of a 500 billion dollar GDP by 2031. I will supervise all government departments to achieve that goal,” he said.
He also called on PLU leaders serving in Cabinet and Parliament to intensify grassroots mobilization and closely monitor government programs to ensure effective implementation.
The Patriotic League of Uganda formally unveiled its first Central Committee in 2024 and has since emerged as one of the country’s most closely watched political formations. The latest shake-up is expected to pave the way for further appointments as Muhoozi continues to unveil a new-look leadership team ahead of the organization’s next phase of growth.
