Speaking to the media at Uganda Media Centre, Minister Babalanda informed the public that anniversary celebrations will be held on Monday, 26th January 2026, at the Kololo Ceremonial Grounds under the theme: “Tribute to The Patriots who ushered in a fundamental change”.
Uganda will on January 26, 2026, commemorate the 40th anniversary of the National Resistance Movement/Army (NRM/A) Liberation Day, with national celebrations scheduled to take place at the Kololo Ceremonial Grounds, the Minister for the Presidency, Ms Babirye Milly Babalanda, has said.
In a statement issued ahead of the event, Ms Babalanda said the celebrations will be presided over by President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni as the chief guest and attended by distinguished guests from within Uganda and abroad.
The anniversary will be held under the theme “Tribute to the Patriots who ushered in a fundamental change.”
“This year’s celebrations will be unique because they are happening at a time when Candidate Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has just been voted into office as the President for his fifth term with a resounding win of 71 per cent,” Babalanda said.
She congratulated the President, Members of Parliament and local government leaders elected for the 2026–2031 term, noting that the milestone anniversary comes at a defining moment in the country’s political history.
The celebrations will feature a special military parade involving the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF), the Uganda Police Force, Uganda Prisons Service and the Uganda Wildlife Authority, alongside other entertainment activities.
President Museveni is also expected to confer medals in different categories on 33 Ugandans in recognition of their service and sacrifice to the nation.
“These are distinguished Ugandans who have sacrificed for their motherland in different ways for it to reach where it is today,” Babalanda said.
Liberation Day marks January 26, 1986, when National Resistance Army fighters captured Kampala, bringing to an end the military government of the late Gen Tito Okello Lutwa. Museveni was subsequently sworn in as Uganda’s ninth President.
Recalling Museveni’s inaugural address, Babalanda quoted his now-famous declaration: “No one should think that what is happening today is a mere change of guards: it is a fundamental change in the politics of our country.”
She said the statement signified a deep ideological shift, promising new governance, democracy and development after years of instability.
“Since Independence to 1986, Uganda had changed leaders eight times, all removed from office through coups or war, which slid the country into total anarchy,” she said.
According to the minister, Uganda’s security situation has significantly stabilised over the past four decades, with secure borders despite regional spillover effects from conflicts in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan, Sudan and Somalia.
She said the economy has also registered strong growth, noting that Uganda was recently ranked seventh among the world’s fastest-growing economies by the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Highlighting infrastructure development, Babalanda said Uganda’s electricity generation capacity has grown from 150 megawatts in 1986, supplied solely by Nalubaale Dam, to more than 2,000 megawatts today following investments in large hydropower plants and renewable energy sources.
In health, she pointed to investments in specialised institutions such as the Uganda Cancer Institute, now with 38 regional centres, the Uganda Heart Institute, and the expansion of intensive care units and imaging centres in referral hospitals.
On education, Babalanda cited the introduction of Universal Primary Education in 1997 and Universal Secondary Education as key milestones that expanded access, alongside the growth in public universities from one in 1986 to 12 today. She also highlighted the rollout of a competence-based curriculum aimed at practical skills development.
The minister said access to clean water has improved significantly, with the 2024 National Population and Housing Census showing that eight in ten households now have access to improved water sources.
She also noted government efforts to drive digital transformation through the Digital Transformation Roadmap (2023–2027), expand transport infrastructure, revive Uganda Airlines, and support agriculture, which she said has made Uganda Africa’s leading coffee exporter.
“Uganda’s transformation journey is unstoppable, and the massive gains so far attained can only be consolidated for the great good of Ugandans,” Babalanda said.
