At least 3,200 local leaders in Masaka City have appended their signatures in support of Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba’s proposed bid for the presidency in 2031, in one of the latest mobilisation activities by the Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU).

The exercise, held at Brovad Hotel in Masaka City, brought together local leaders and supporters as PLU continues with its nationwide drive to gather endorsements for Gen Kainerugaba, who is the organisation’s chairman and Uganda’s Chief of Defence Forces.

The capital times have learnt that the mobilisation was led by Hajjat Sarah Kiyimba, the Rakai Resident District Commissioner and PLU women’s leader for Greater Masaka.

According to organisers the signature collection is intended to provide an avenue through which Ugandans who support Gen Kainerugaba’s proposed candidature can formally register their endorsement and the Masaka exercise is part of a broader PLU mobilisation campaign targeting 20 million signatures across the country.

Addressing the gathering, Ms Kiyimba said the number of people who participated in the Masaka exercise demonstrated considerable interest in the endorsement campaign among local leaders and residents.

She said the process should allow ordinary Ugandans to participate in determining whether Gen Kainerugaba should enter the 2031 presidential race.

Ms Kiyimba also placed particular emphasis on the role of women in the mobilisation exercise, saying their influence in households and communities makes them important participants in political and civic processes.

“We are ready to mobilise our fellow women and ensure that their voices are heard in this process. Women should be part of every political mobilisation taking place in the country,” she said.

She urged women leaders in Greater Masaka to participate actively in the exercise and mobilise others to take part.

The meeting was also attended by Hon David Kabanda, the Executive Secretary in the Office of the National Chairman of PLU, who was the guest of honour.

Mr Kabanda called for unity among PLU supporters and urged grassroots leaders to strengthen the organisation’s structures as mobilisation activities continue.

He said the signature collection campaign was intended to give citizens an opportunity to state whether they support Gen Kainerugaba’s proposed candidature.

Mr Kabanda also sought to distinguish the exercise from claims that President Yoweri Museveni was seeking to impose his son on the electorate.

“The purpose of this exercise is to show that this is not about President Museveni imposing his son on Ugandans. Ugandans themselves should be given the opportunity to choose whether they want Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba to contest,” he said.

He urged PLU members in Masaka to maintain unity, coordinate their activities and strengthen their presence at community level.

The Masaka event also saw the opening of PLU offices in the city, providing the organisation with a local base from which to coordinate its activities in the region.

The offices are expected to facilitate PLU membership mobilisation, communication, community engagement and coordination of the organisation’s programmes.

The development comes as PLU expands its organisational structures ahead of the 2031 political cycle.

The organisation earlier launched its nationwide signature collection campaign, setting a target of 20 million endorsements for Gen Kainerugaba’s proposed presidential bid.

Under the initiative, endorsement registers have been distributed to different parts of the country, with local leaders and PLU coordinators tasked with mobilising residents to participate.

The campaign is being presented by PLU as a grassroots exercise through which citizens who support Gen Kainerugaba’s proposed candidature can formally express that support.

PLU says its activities are guided by objectives that include promoting patriotism, national unity, responsible citizenship, community service and national development.

The Masaka mobilisation therefore adds to a series of activities through which the organisation is seeking to build and consolidate its grassroots structures ahead of the 2031 political period.