President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has mounted one of his strongest defences yet of Uganda’s security agencies, insisting that recent arrests and security operations are not a return to the dark days of state repression but a necessary campaign to eliminate impunity, corruption and criminality that he says have slowed the country’s progress.
In a nationally televised address delivered Saturday from State House Nakasero, Museveni dismissed accusations that Uganda is sliding backwards on human rights, instead arguing that the government’s actions are intended to consolidate peace, democracy and the rule of law established during the National Resistance Movement’s (NRM) four decades in power.
The President’s lengthy address came amid growing criticism from religious leaders, opposition politicians and civil society organisations over alleged enforced disappearances, illegal detentions and the expanding role of security agencies in civilian affairs.
Museveni revealed that the concerns were first raised during recent meetings with the Inter-Religious Council, whose leaders questioned whether Uganda’s celebrated gains in peace and respect for human rights were being undermined by reports of disappearances and unlawful detentions.
Rather than concede wrongdoing, however, Museveni used the address to provide what he described as the historical context behind the government’s approach to justice and security.
Defending security operations
Museveni argued that recent operations by security agencies should not be interpreted as repression but as corrective measures designed to close long-standing gaps in governance.
According to the President, Uganda’s remarkable transformation over the past four decades—from insecurity and economic collapse to stability and lower-middle-income status—had been undermined by corruption, weak law enforcement and abuse of legal processes.
He insisted that recent interventions by security agencies were “long overdue” and necessary to reinforce peace, wealth creation and accountability.
Museveni further claimed that Uganda’s progress had been deliberately undermined by individuals who spread what he termed false narratives that discouraged tourism and foreign investment.
“Some investors and tourists are scared away from coming to Uganda on account of those false stories,” he said, arguing that visitors are often surprised by the country’s development once they arrive.
Justifying tougher action against opposition figures
The President also defended continued action against opposition politicians and activists, suggesting that some have abused Uganda’s legal system.
Without naming fresh charges, Museveni cited the case of opposition leader Kizza Besigye, questioning why he had allegedly resisted standing trial despite portraying himself as a champion of democracy and human rights.
Museveni argued that genuine democrats should welcome court proceedings as an opportunity to prove their innocence.
He also questioned why courts should permit accused persons to refuse trial, arguing that such practices encourage mob justice because citizens lose confidence in formal legal institutions.
The President further accused sections of the opposition of promoting violence through slogans and confrontational politics, claiming such conduct had forced security agencies to intervene to preserve public order.
He maintained that individuals arrested in connection with such activities may legitimately be denied bail if they pose risks to witnesses or ongoing investigations.
Rejects claims Uganda has returned to past abuses
Museveni also rejected assertions that Uganda had returned to the political violence associated with previous governments.
Responding to the increasingly popular slogan “Bizeemu”—used by critics to suggest that past abuses have resurfaced—the President insisted the comparison was false.
He argued that unlike previous regimes, suspects today appear before courts of law instead of disappearing or being killed.
Those seeking the truth about current prosecutions, he said, should wait for judicial processes to conclude before passing judgment.
Indigenous justice versus colonial law
A substantial portion of Museveni’s address focused on his philosophy of justice, contrasting what he described as indigenous African systems of accountability with inherited colonial legal traditions.
He argued that traditional justice prioritised establishing the truth and ensuring accountability, unlike modern adversarial systems where defence lawyers seek to challenge prosecution evidence.
To illustrate his point, Museveni revisited an incident from the 1982 bush war involving NRA fighter Zabuloni, who allegedly killed three civilians while intoxicated.
The President said some legally trained colleagues argued that alcohol—not Zabuloni—was responsible for the killings, an argument he dismissed as absurd.
Instead, Museveni said Zabuloni and another combatant were publicly executed because they had personally chosen to drink and commit murder.
According to Museveni, that decision enhanced public confidence in the National Resistance Army because communities believed justice had been served.
He also criticised aspects of Uganda’s current criminal justice system, including the granting of bail to suspects who could interfere with investigations and the release of repeat offenders accused of terrorising rural communities.
Corruption inside government
Museveni also disclosed details of an anti-corruption operation that allegedly dismantled criminal networks operating within State House.
According to the President, individuals seeking to have documents presented to him had allegedly been asked to pay bribes of up to Shs30 million.
He credited Minister Fred Byamukama with exposing the scheme, which he said resulted in arrests.
The President described the operation as evidence that government had launched a broader counter-offensive against corruption, crime and impunity.
Museveni also acknowledged persistent corruption in health centres and within the Parish Development Model, urging Ugandans to report corrupt officials through government structures, religious leaders or local authorities.
He encouraged citizens to use the forthcoming Local Council elections to elect leaders committed to fighting corruption.
Explains military evolution
Museveni also reflected on changes within the Uganda People’s Defence Forces, saying many original commanders who fought during the liberation struggle died shortly after the NRM took power.
Their deaths, he argued, allowed careerists and opportunists to rise through the ranks, leading to corruption involving military fuel, food supplies and finances.
He said this partly informed efforts to recruit and ideologically train younger officers, including those mobilised under the leadership of Muhoozi Kainerugaba, whom he credited with helping strengthen discipline within the armed forces.
Orders continued crackdown on street hawking
Beyond security matters, Museveni defended the government’s ongoing campaign against street hawking.
He dismissed arguments that hawkers were merely trying to survive economically, likening such reasoning to defending businesses that profit from disease outbreaks.
According to Museveni, hawking undermines legitimate businesses because street vendors avoid taxes and rent while exposing food and other products to unsafe environmental conditions.
He also said hawkers obstruct pedestrian walkways, forcing people onto roads and increasing the risk of accidents.
Museveni directed local governments to identify alternative workspaces for displaced vendors but insisted all traders must operate from registered premises, obtain licences and pay taxes.
Wetland encroachers warned
The President also reiterated his uncompromising position on wetland restoration, accusing some Ugandans of deliberately destroying ecosystems despite decades of government warnings.
Museveni rejected claims by encroachers that they did not know they were occupying wetlands, arguing that their physical characteristics make them impossible to mistake.
He blamed colonial-era policies for encouraging settlement in some swamp areas but insisted the environmental damage could no longer be tolerated.
The President warned that restoration operations would continue regardless of protests.
He also questioned government officials who authorised developments in wetlands, saying they would have to account for their decisions.
Museveni cited scientific estimates suggesting that nearly 40 percent of Uganda’s rainfall depends on local wetlands and neighbouring ecosystems in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan, arguing that destroying wetlands threatened Uganda’s future water security.
Rallying support ahead of local elections
As he concluded the address, Museveni urged Ugandans to actively participate in upcoming NRM barazas, Local Council elections and Women’s Council elections scheduled throughout July.
He portrayed the local polls as an opportunity for citizens to strengthen accountability by electing leaders committed to fighting corruption and improving service delivery.
The address signals that the government is unlikely to soften its current security posture despite mounting domestic and international criticism. Instead, Museveni presented recent security operations, anti-corruption drives and environmental enforcement as interconnected pillars of what he described as a broader campaign to consolidate Uganda’s stability, economic transformation and rule of law after four decades of NRM governance.
