‘Muhoozi and I go way back,’ Nameere defends endorsement of First Son

State minister for Local Government Justine Nameere has endorsed Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba for president, ending days of public hostility between the two government figures.

Nameere visited the Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU) offices on September 23, 2026, and signed a book supporting Kainerugaba’s anticipated presidential bid.

The endorsement came on the day Kainerugaba’s deadline for Nameere to apologise was due to expire. However, Nameere did not make a direct public apology in her remarks after the signing.

Instead, the Masaka City Woman MP defended her decision by citing her long relationship with the Chief of Defence Forces.

“Today is a special day for me. The first time I got to interact with Gen Muhoozi was when I was at university, and we used to do a number of assignments together for H.E. the president,” Nameere said.

She said she began defending Kainerugaba before he became vocal about national politics. At the time, some people within the government accused him of receiving quiet preparation to succeed his father, President Yoweri Museveni.

“The first time I became his defender was at a time when he wasn’t even that vocal, when he was being harassed by some people in the system who said he was being stealthily prepared to become president,” she said.

Nameere said she joined Shafik Ssebunnya, Jordan, Frank Mwesigwa and others to defend Kainerugaba. Their efforts, she added, helped them build a close political relationship.

She described the endorsement as a considered decision based on personal, patriotic, national and international reasons.

“I am a very convicted person. I don’t just follow like a fool. I ask why and why not, and I ask fearlessly,” Nameere said.

“By the time I took the decision to come and endorse my brother for a position as serious as the presidency, I had informed reasons.”

Nameere maintained that her support for Kainerugaba did not conflict with her loyalty to Museveni. She described the First Son as Museveni’s leading “foot soldier” and said their previous assignments had served the president.

“Of course, I still support Jajja Museveni, and as long as he is still here, we are still moving with him,” she said. “I know that there is no clash whatsoever.”

The endorsement followed a bitter exchange that started after a shortened video appeared to show Nameere warning Kainerugaba against fighting NRM legislators.

A longer recording showed that Nameere was addressing PLU secretary general Daudi Kabanda, not Kainerugaba.

Kainerugaba responded by threatening to have Nameere removed from cabinet if she “misbehaved”. He later gave her seven days to apologise, warning that “nothing will save her” if she refused.

He also threatened to visit Masaka and campaign for a preferred candidate against her. Kabanda joined the dispute and questioned Nameere’s victory in the Masaka City Woman MP election.

The row followed an earlier disagreement over another edited video that linked Nameere to a planned celebration for former Speaker Anita Among. Nameere rejected that interpretation and accused unnamed people of using manipulated clips to turn Kainerugaba against her.

Her visit to the PLU offices now signals an attempt to close that dispute and restore her political relationship with Kainerugaba.