President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has declared that Uganda’s new political term will be a period of “no more sleep,” calling on citizens to actively participate in wealth and job creation as he officially began another five-year term in office.
President Museveni made the remarks shortly after taking the oath of office during a colourful inauguration ceremony held at Kololo Independence Grounds in Kampala on Tuesday.
The ceremony, which attracted several African Heads of State, senior government officials, diplomats, religious leaders and thousands of supporters, was held under the theme: “Protecting the Gains as we make a Qualitative Leap into Higher Middle Income Status.”
President Museveni was formally introduced by Electoral Commission Chairperson Justice Simon Byabakama, who declared him the winner of the January 15, 2026, presidential election after defeating seven other candidates.
Chief Justice Flavian Zeija administered the Oath of Allegiance and Presidential Oath in the presence of the Chief Registrar, the Head of Public Service, and the Secretary to the Cabinet.
“I, Yoweri Tibuhaburwa Kaguta Museveni, swear in the name of the Almighty God that I will be faithful and bear allegiance to the Republic of Uganda and that I will preserve, protect and defend the constitution. So help me God,” President Museveni swore.
After taking the oath, President Museveni received the Instruments of Power, including the National Flag, the Constitution, the Presidential Standard, the National Anthem, the Coat of Arms and the Public Seal.
He also received the instruments of national defence from the Chief of Defence Forces and Senior Presidential Advisor on Special Operations, Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, before inspecting a military parade and receiving a 21-gun salute.
In his inaugural address, President Museveni thanked the visiting leaders and foreign delegations for standing in solidarity with Uganda.
“I thank all the Excellencies who have come here, the Vice Presidents and the Prime Ministers and the Ministers, they have shown solidarity with us,” he said.
The President paid special tribute to Tanzania, Mozambique and Kenya for supporting Uganda’s liberation struggle before the National Resistance Movement (NRM) took power in 1986.
“On this occasion, I want to thank the people of Tanzania because we are here celebrating how Uganda is developing now, how UPDF is strong and so on, but the one who gave us the foundation was Mwalimu Julius Nyerere,” President Museveni said.
“Then we have got our son from Mozambique, H.E Daniel Francisco Chapo. Mozambique, working with Mwalimu, are the ones who helped us to build this force, which you see here. Then there’s Kenya, when some Ugandans were running away from here, they went to Kenya.”
President Museveni also thanked Ugandans for overwhelmingly voting for him and the NRM in the recent elections.
“I congratulate our party, the NRM, for massively winning those elections. Ugandans, thank you for voting for the NRM,” he said.
However, the President criticised what he described as violence by some opposition actors during the election period.
“I also congratulate other parties such as the DP, UPC, etc. that participated in the elections without using violence, unlike the party of NUP and a few elements of FDC that were using violence,” he stated.
President Museveni described the new term as a period focused on economic transformation and household wealth creation. “During this term, we don’t need people to sleep and then start blaming this and that, yet we have the medication,” he said.
He said the NRM government had, over the last four decades, delivered peace, infrastructure development, service delivery and access to regional and international markets. “The NRM has made seven contributions to Uganda in the last 40 years. The first one is peace… the second one is development in the form of economic infrastructure such as roads, electricity, piped water, railway,” he said.
President Museveni emphasised that Uganda’s future growth would depend on wealth and job creation through sectors such as commercial agriculture, manufacturing, ICT and services.
Citing examples of successful farmers, the President praised Johnson Basangwa of Kamuli and Richard Nyakana of Kabarole for transforming small pieces of land into profitable enterprises employing hundreds of people.
“The message of the NRM is of two words, wealth and job creation,” President Museveni said.
He also renewed calls for value addition and industrialisation, warning that exporting raw materials continues to deny Uganda jobs and revenue. “Exporting raw materials is a strategic blunder,” he said.
The President further called for reforms in education to prioritise practical skills and urged citizens to protect wetlands and forests for environmental sustainability.
He also encouraged Ugandans to actively monitor government programmes, especially Parish Development Model SACCOs, to prevent misuse of public funds.
Vice President Jessica Alupo congratulated President Museveni upon his swearing-in and attributed his victory to widespread public support.
“Your Excellency’s score of 71.65 percent in the 2026 Presidential elections is evidence of the massive support that you and the NRM enjoy in the country,” Alupo said.
The inauguration ceremony featured military drills and aerial displays by the Uganda People’s Defence Forces, including the Land Forces, Air Force, Special Forces Command and Reserve Forces.
Among the African leaders who attended the ceremony were President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud of Somalia, President Samia Suluhu Hassan of Tanzania, President Daniel Francisco Chapo of Mozambique, President Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé of Togo, President Salva Kiir Mayardit of South Sudan, President Brahim Ghali of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, President Félix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo of the Democratic Republic of Congo, President Brice Oligui Nguema of Gabon, President Évariste Ndayishimiye of Burundi and President Taye Atske Selassie of Ethiopia.