Keep it in the family: why succession is an obsession for leaders

For a Ugandan general trained by the British army at Sandhurst, Muhoozi Kainerugaba is an unorthodox kind of guy.

- Simon Tisdall

Last October he offered 100 cows as a bride price for Italy's prime minister, Giorgia Meloni. In another reportedly well-lubricated Twitter escapade, Muhoozi threatened to invade Kenya, which led to his removal as commander of the Uganda People's Defence Force. Bizarrely, he was simultaneously promoted to four-star rank.

In other late-night online interventions, Muhoozi has backed Russia's invasion of Ukraine and praised Donald Trump as "the only white man I have ever respected". He also has a much darker side. While leading the Special Forces Command, he was implicated in the abduction and torture of political opponents. In 2021, in a chilly echo of Idi Amin, he defended his right to take decisions after having "woken up from a drunken stupor".

As Ugandans know to their cost, Muhoozi gets away with it because he is the son and presumed heir of Yoweri Museveni, Uganda's authoritarian president. Museveni may finally step down in 2026 after 40 years in power. By securing the succession before he quits, he can argue that "continuity" best serves Uganda's interests while ensuring his own future safety.

Dynastic politics, broadly speaking, come in three main forms - dictatorial, democratic and royal - and there are signs of a resurgence. Earlier this month, Kim Jong-un, North Korea's dictator, used an anniversary parade of long-range ballistic missiles as the intimidating backdrop for a sort of coming-out party for his daughter, Kim Ju-ae, who is thought to be 10 years old.