Veteran lawyer and former minister Miria Matembe has issued a strong rebuke against senior military officer Muhoozi Kainerugaba, accusing him of acting above the law amid rising concerns over abductions and controversial arrests in Uganda.
Matembe, speaking during a public address on the country’s political climate, questioned why no action has been taken against Muhoozi despite repeated public remarks and incidents that have sparked national debate.
“Museveni’s son has become like God, for what?” she said. “He speaks, he eats, he says whatever he wants… no one arrests him, no one imprisons him, yet the whole country is terrified.”
She linked the current situation to what she described as a breakdown in accountability, arguing that institutions appear unwilling to act against powerful figures.
“This is what you have done to us, President Museveni. Is that the legacy you want to leave behind?” she posed.
Matembe also revisited past political conversations, recalling a 2003 meeting in Kyankwanzi where concerns were raised about constitutional changes.
“I remember in 2003 when we were in Kyankwanzi with Mugisha Muntu,” she said. “We told President Museveni that the issue of removing term limits should be dropped. Muntu told him, ‘Father, remember your legacy.’”
She added that Museveni’s response at the time was dismissive of the warnings about legacy.
“You said, ‘Leave my legacy alone, I am handling it myself now,’” she recounted.
Matembe then directly questioned the direction of leadership in Uganda.
“I want to ask President Museveni, my dear brother whom I embraced with all my heart, what legacy are you leaving behind? What does it look like?” she said. “Is it handing us over to your son who lacks wisdom?”
She further criticised what she described as concentration of power within the First Family and close political networks.
“Uganda is not personal property,” she said. “You cannot just hand us over into the hands of your son.”
Matembe also pointed to what she described as inequality in governance and access to state resources.
“We are here, we have nothing,” she said. “But I have Jesus, and that is enough.”
She urged President Yoweri Museveni to address public concerns directly and restore confidence in state institutions.
“Come out and speak to the country,” she said. “Stop handing us over to your son who lacks wisdom. If there was wisdom, things would be different.”