Salim Saleh’s post-Museveni game plan

What the report says

Gen Salim Saleh, President Yoweri Museveni’s younger brother, is drawing attention in Uganda for advancing a new political settlement he says could help address the country’s long-running divisions. The Observer reports that Saleh, working with Prof. Ogenga Otunnu, has backed a 128-page proposal calling for a national agreement to confront political exclusion, regional inequality, sectarian tensions and other grievances that have shaped Ugandan politics for decades.

The paper says the plan differs from past elite bargains by urging a public, written process involving political parties, civil society, religious and cultural leaders, and ordinary citizens. The document also calls for reforms to make elections more credible, strengthen institutions and reduce the role of money in politics. Saleh and Otunnu argue that Uganda’s education system and economy have not done enough to narrow gaps between regions and social groups.

The timing of Saleh’s push has fueled speculation, with opposition figures and other observers questioning whether it reflects a broader effort inside the ruling establishment to shape Uganda’s eventual succession after Museveni. The Observer notes that these suspicions do not prove Saleh is positioning himself as a successor or that Museveni has endorsed any alternate plan.

Saleh’s public role has also grown through his involvement in efforts around detained opposition leader Dr Kizza Besigye, whom he said he helped move from prison medical care to a clinic for treatment. That intervention adds to the significance of his recent appearances, as Uganda debates how to manage political transitions and whether past methods of elite accommodation can still hold the system together.