Internal rifts within the Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU) have burst into the public domain following the acrimonious resignation of Kasambya County MP David Kabanda from his powerful position as the movement’s General Secretary.
Mr Kabanda announced his departure on Sunday, June 14, 2026, launching a blistering attack on fellow insiders whom he accused of selfishness, financial greed, and extortion.
“There are some people in PLU who think that I am the one blocking their chances of getting what they want. Many are there for other interests like money-to con people,” Mr Kabanda stated during his exit announcement. “They say, ‘You give me money, I take you to Muhoozi,’ but now they see it is Kabanda blocking them. They can even kill you.”
The fallout inside the civic-turned-political movement triggered a swift and sweeping response from the PLU Chairman and Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba. By Monday morning, June 15, Gen. Muhoozi had not only accepted Kabanda’s resignation but announced a radical overhaul of the PLU Central Committee, replacing Kabanda with Tingey County MP Fadil Twalla.
The leadership shuffle comes at a critical juncture for Uganda’s political future. Originally founded as the “MK Movement” before rebranding into the PLU, the group has served as the primary vehicle mobilizing support for Gen. Muhoozi-President Yoweri Museveni’s son.
While the PLU has consistently maintained that it operates as a civic organization allied with the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM), political analysts view it as a powerful pressure group navigating a complex presidential succession landscape.
In his statement, Gen. Muhoozi sought to frame the restructuring as a strategic evolution rather than damage control, indicating that the movement is pivoting toward stricter governance and state oversight.
“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,” Gen. Muhoozi announced.
He notably expanded the group’s political footprint by appointing heavy-hitting government officials to the PLU Central Committee. In a move that blurs the lines between state machinery and the mobilization group, Gen. Muhoozi appointed Speaker of Parliament Jacob Marksons Oboth alongside Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa as his “special envoys to Parliament.’
Other key political figures drafted into the new central committee include the Minister of Defence and Veterans Affairs Kiryowa Kiwanuka (appointed Vice Chairman for Buganda), Agriculture Minister Frank Tumwebaze, and newly appointed Trade Minister Sanjay Tanna, who will represent the business community.
Despite the corruption allegations raised by the outgoing General Secretary, Gen Muhoozi directed PLU’s National Vice Chairperson, Michael Nuwagira (Toyota), to immediately organize a formal handover ceremony from Mr Kabanda to Mr Twalla, mandating that all PLU-leaning Ministers and Members of Parliament attend.
Gen. Muhoozi also dropped a clear hint about his expanding role in civil governance, declaring that the PLU’s ultimate mandate aligns with the presidency’s grand economic targets.
“PLU’s strategic alliance with NRM is based on achieving results for our people. Our members in the cabinet and parliament must follow the President’s instructions to return to the grassroots and effectively monitor government programmes,” Gen. Muhoozi stated. “Our task as PLU is to achieve Mzee’s target of a $500 billion GDP by 2031! I will supervise ALL government departments to achieve that goal.”
For months, political observers have debated whether the PLU would clash with the traditional NRM establishment or smoothly integrate into it. By absorbing top parliamentary leaders and cabinet ministers into its core committee, the PLU appears to be consolidating its grip on the state apparatus.
While Mr. Kabanda has been retained as an ordinary member of the Central Committee, his public complaints of extortion and “gatekeeping” within the first family’s political circle expose the high-stakes financial and political lobbying happening behind the scenes.
As Uganda edges closer to the next political cycle, the total re-engineering of the PLU signals that Gen Muhoozi is tightening discipline and positioning his closest allies to dominate both the legislature and the executive.