Gender, Labour and Social Development Minister Lt Gen Henry Tumukunde has dismissed a long-standing claim that he is a brother of First Lady and Education Minister Janet Museveni.
Tumukunde has previously addressed the claim publicly, saying he has no blood relationship with either President Yoweri Museveni or his wife Janet. In 2020, while speaking to supporters in Amuria District, he challenged the public to distinguish between the political and family relationships surrounding the First Family.
“I am neither Museveni nor his wife’s relative,” Tumukunde was reported to have said, explaining that his connection to President Museveni dates back to his participation in the NRA bush war.
The speculation about a family connection has persisted partly because Tumukunde is married to Stella Tumukunde, who has been described by several publications as a cousin or niece of Janet Museveni.
This marriage has sometimes led to Tumukunde himself being described as part of the wider Museveni family network, despite his repeated clarification that he is not Janet Museveni’s brother.
Tumukunde, a former head of the Internal Security Organisation (ISO) and former Security Minister, has had a long and sometimes complicated political relationship with President Museveni. He also contested the 2021 presidential election before later returning to government service.
The clarification therefore draws a distinction between marriage-based family ties and the claim that Tumukunde and Janet Museveni are biological siblings.
