Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba has said the political journey he is preparing for has already begun, announcing an ambitious target of collecting 20 million endorsement signatures by September next year. The senior military officer made the remarks while thanking Members of Parliament who recently came out to express support for the Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU), shortly after he publicly announced his presidential ambitions.

Muhoozi used his social media platform to appreciate the legislators who he said had shown their support for PLU. In his message, he presented the parliamentary support as an important development in the political activities surrounding the movement and indicated that he now expects the campaign to expand beyond MPs to millions of ordinary Ugandans across the country.

“I want to thank all the members of Parliament who came out to support PLU. The journey has begun,” Muhoozi said in his post. He then revealed the target of collecting 20 million endorsement signatures by September next year, suggesting that the exercise will be a major part of the political preparations ahead of the next presidential election cycle.

The announcement comes shortly after Muhoozi made his intentions to seek the presidency more openly known. His declaration has generated considerable political discussion because he is one of the most prominent figures associated with Uganda’s emerging political succession debate and has for some time been linked to discussions about the country’s future leadership.

By setting a target of 20 million signatures, Muhoozi has outlined a mobilisation exercise that would require a massive nationwide effort. The figure is considerably larger than the number of signatures that would ordinarily be needed simply to demonstrate political support, making the announcement appear designed to show the scale of backing that he hopes PLU can build.

The PLU movement has increasingly presented itself as an organisation seeking to mobilise supporters around a new political generation. Muhoozi’s latest statement suggests that the movement intends to use its structures and supporters to conduct a broad endorsement exercise that reaches different groups, regions and communities across Uganda.

His decision to publicly thank MPs also highlights the importance he attaches to political leaders who have chosen to associate themselves with PLU. Members of Parliament can play an influential role in connecting national political movements with communities in their constituencies, and their participation could provide PLU with additional visibility as the mobilisation effort grows.

However, Muhoozi’s announcement was not limited to the general endorsement campaign. He specifically mentioned women, saying that they would have their own endorsement book. According to him, this is intended to give women a distinct platform through which their support can be recorded and their views incorporated into the wider political process.

“Furthermore, women will have their own endorsement book. The women’s voice will be heard,” Muhoozi said. The statement places particular emphasis on women and suggests that his mobilisation strategy will seek to create dedicated mechanisms for recording their participation rather than treating their support simply as part of the general endorsement exercise.

The focus on women is significant because women make up a large part of Uganda’s electorate and are involved in political, economic and community activities across the country. By promising a separate endorsement process, Muhoozi appears to be signalling that women will be given a specific place within the mobilisation structure he is describing.

The 20 million target also gives supporters a clear numerical objective around which to organise. Instead of speaking generally about building support, Muhoozi has placed a specific figure and deadline before his followers, potentially turning the endorsement exercise into a nationwide organisational challenge for PLU structures.

September next year is therefore likely to become an important deadline for supporters involved in the exercise. Reaching such a large figure would require PLU organisers to establish effective mobilisation networks capable of reaching people in different parts of Uganda and recording endorsements in an organised manner.

Muhoozi’s remarks may also energise his supporters, particularly those who have been waiting for a clearer indication of his political plans. His announcement that “the journey has begun” gives the impression that he considers the political process to have moved from speculation and discussion into a more organised phase.

The latest development also comes at a time when Uganda’s political landscape is attracting increased attention over possible future presidential contenders and succession arrangements. While the country’s next election remains ahead, politicians and political movements are already positioning themselves, building networks and seeking to establish strong support bases.

For PLU supporters, the endorsement campaign could become an opportunity to demonstrate the movement’s strength at the grassroots level. The collection of millions of signatures would not only provide a numerical measure of support if successfully completed, but could also help organisers identify areas where the movement is strong and places where more mobilisation may be required.

Muhoozi’s message to MPs also shows that he wants political leaders to play a role in the process. By publicly recognising legislators who supported PLU, he is encouraging other political figures to pay attention to the movement and potentially consider participating in its activities.

At the same time, the enormous 20 million target is likely to attract scrutiny as the campaign develops. Supporters will be watching how the endorsement exercise is organised, how signatures are collected and how the final figure is established. The credibility of any large-scale mobilisation exercise will depend heavily on the way the process is conducted and documented.

The women’s endorsement book could similarly become a notable feature of the planned mobilisation. If implemented as announced, it would provide a separate record of women’s participation and could allow PLU organisers to assess the level of support coming specifically from women in different parts of the country.

For Muhoozi, the latest announcement represents another step in publicly defining the political project he has been associated with for years. His decision to announce both a specific endorsement target and a separate women’s mobilisation mechanism suggests that he wants his supporters to begin thinking in terms of organisation, numbers and deadlines.

The coming months will therefore be important for determining whether the ambitious target can translate into an effective nationwide mobilisation campaign. With September next year set as the deadline mentioned by Muhoozi, PLU supporters now have a clear numerical goal to pursue and a substantial organisational task ahead of them.

For now, Muhoozi has thanked the MPs who supported PLU and declared that the journey has begun. His call for 20 million endorsement signatures, together with his promise that women’s voices will have a dedicated place in the process, marks a significant escalation in his public political mobilisation as he prepares for the ambitions he has recently announced.