Uganda is preparing for one of the most consequential political ceremonies in its recent history as President Yoweri Museveni is sworn in on Tuesday for a seventh elected term, extending his rule over the East African nation to nearly 45 years and cementing his status as one of Africa’s longest-serving leaders.
The inauguration at Kampala’s Kololo Ceremonial Grounds is expected to draw tens of thousands of guests, including dozens of African heads of state, senior diplomats, military commanders and ruling party delegations from across the continent. Ugandan officials say at least 35 presidents and more than 30 foreign delegations are expected to attend the ceremony, which the government has framed as both a constitutional transition and a demonstration of Uganda’s political stability and regional influence.
The government has declared May 12 a national public holiday as preparations intensify across the capital under heavy security. Roads around central Kampala and Entebbe are expected to face restrictions while security agencies deploy thousands of personnel to secure Kololo, diplomatic areas, hotels hosting foreign dignitaries and major transport routes into the city.
Military rehearsals in recent days have transformed Kololo into a tightly controlled ceremonial zone. Units from the Uganda People’s Defence Forces, police and prisons services have conducted parade drills alongside military flyovers and ceremonial inspections ahead of the event. Uganda’s Chief of Defence Forces, Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, has overseen some of the final preparations, underscoring the military’s prominent role in the ceremony and in Uganda’s political landscape more broadly.
Museveni, 81, secured another five-year term in January after Uganda’s Electoral Commission declared him the winner with about 71.6% of the vote. Opposition figures rejected the outcome, alleging widespread intimidation, arrests of supporters and irregularities during the campaign and vote-counting process. Rights organizations also raised concerns over restrictions on opposition activity, media access and public assembly during the election period.
The inauguration comes at a politically sensitive moment for Uganda as critics accuse the government of tightening its grip on power while increasingly relying on security institutions to manage dissent. The ceremony also takes place just days after parliament passed the controversial Protection of Sovereignty Bill, legislation the government says is intended to prevent foreign interference in Uganda’s domestic affairs.
Opposition politicians and civil society organizations argue the law could instead be used to restrict foreign-funded groups, suppress dissent and expand state control over political activity. International rights groups have compared elements of the legislation to restrictive laws introduced in countries such as Russia and China, although Ugandan officials reject those claims and insist the measure is necessary to protect national sovereignty.
This year’s inauguration will be held under the theme “Protecting the Gains, Making a Qualitative Leap into High Middle-Income Status,” reflecting Museveni’s longstanding emphasis on stability, industrialization and economic transformation under the ruling National Resistance Movement.
Government officials say the administration’s next term will focus heavily on infrastructure expansion, regional trade, industrial growth and the development of Uganda’s emerging oil industry. The country is preparing for commercial oil production from the Lake Albert basin, a project Kampala views as economically transformative but which environmental activists and some local communities have criticized over displacement concerns and ecological risks.
The event is also expected to reinforce Uganda’s role as a regional security power. Kampala continues to play a significant military role in East Africa through troop deployments in Somalia and operations linked to armed groups in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, while maintaining influence in regional diplomatic efforts involving South Sudan and neighboring states.
Delegations associated with liberation movements and long-governing African parties allied historically with the NRM are expected to attend, including representatives linked to South Africa’s ANC, Tanzania’s CCM, Zimbabwe’s ZANU-PF and Mozambique’s FRELIMO. Ugandan officials have presented the broad attendance as evidence of the country’s enduring political and strategic importance within the region.
Museveni first took power in 1986 after leading a guerrilla war that ended years of political instability and conflict. He was initially praised internationally for restoring relative order and pursuing market-oriented economic reforms after the turbulent eras of Idi Amin and Milton Obote. Over time, however, his administration has faced growing criticism over democratic backsliding, constitutional amendments that removed presidential term and age limits, and repeated crackdowns on opposition movements.
Despite that criticism, Museveni has maintained a firm hold over Uganda’s political system through the NRM’s extensive grassroots structures, state institutions and longstanding support within sections of the military and rural population.
Attention surrounding the inauguration has also focused on the increasingly visible role of Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, Museveni’s son and military chief, whose expanding influence has fueled speculation about a possible future succession plan within the ruling establishment. Supporters within the NRM have openly promoted Muhoozi as a future national leader, though government officials continue to deny claims that a dynastic transition is being prepared.
Analysts say Tuesday’s ceremony is likely to serve not only as a constitutional inauguration but also as a carefully staged projection of continuity, military loyalty and political control as Museveni begins another term at the helm of Uganda after four decades in power.
