By Alituha Aaron
Kampala —The ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) will on January 26, 2026 commemorate 40 years since the National Resistance Army (NRA) captured power, with celebrations scheduled to take place at Kololo Ceremonial Grounds, Minister for the Presidency Babirye Milly Babalanda has announced.
Addressing a press conference at the Uganda Media Centre on Monday, Babalanda said the milestone anniversary will be presided over by President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni as Chief Guest, alongside high-profile dignitaries from within Uganda and abroad.
The 40th NRM/A Liberation Day celebrations will run under the theme “Tribute to the Patriots who ushered in a fundamental change”, a phrase that reflects the ideological foundation upon which the NRM seized power in 1986 after toppling the UNLA military junta led by the late Gen Tito Okello Lutwa.
Babalanda noted that this year’s commemoration carries added political significance, coming at a time when Museveni has just been re-elected President for a fifth term with a reported 71 percent victory, which she described as a resounding endorsement of his leadership and legacy.
She extended congratulations to the President, Members of Parliament and local government leaders elected for the 2026–2031 term, saying the vote reflected continued public confidence in the NRM’s governance record.
According to the Minister, the celebrations will be characterised by a special joint military parade involving the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF), Uganda Police Force, Uganda Prisons Service and the Uganda Wildlife Authority, alongside cultural and entertainment showcases befitting the occasion.
Museveni is also expected to confer national medals upon 33 Ugandans in recognition of their distinguished service and sacrifices toward Uganda’s liberation and post-war reconstruction.
Tracing the historical significance of January 26, Babalanda recalled Museveni’s 1986 inauguration pledge that Uganda’s liberation was not “a mere change of guards” but a “fundamental change” in the country’s politics — a declaration that has since become central to the NRM’s ideological narrative.
She argued that the NRM’s ascent to power ended decades of political instability marked by coups, economic collapse, mass displacement and loss of life, and ushered in relative security and institutional continuity.
Babalanda said Uganda’s current security environment remains largely stable, with only spillover challenges arising from conflicts in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan, Sudan and Somalia, including refugee influxes and illicit arms proliferation.
On the economic front, she cited Uganda’s recent ranking by the International Monetary Fund as among the world’s fastest-growing economies, attributing this to liberalisation policies, institutional reforms and enhanced domestic revenue mobilisation initiated under NRM rule.
She highlighted major infrastructure gains in the energy sector, noting that Uganda’s electricity generation capacity has grown from 150 megawatts in 1986 to over 2,000 megawatts today, driven by large hydroelectric projects such as Nalubaale, Kiira, Isimba and Karuma, alongside solar installations.
The Minister further pointed to substantial investments in health infrastructure, including the Uganda Cancer Institute and its 38 regional centres, the Uganda Heart Institute, and the expansion of intensive care and imaging facilities at referral hospitals.
In education, Babalanda credited the NRM with introducing Universal Primary Education in 1997 and Universal Secondary Education thereafter, dramatically expanding access, increasing enrollment, and growing the number of public universities from one in 1986 to twelve today.
She also referenced ongoing reforms such as the competence-based lower secondary curriculum introduced in 2020, as well as improved teacher recruitment and remuneration.
Babalanda said access to clean water has significantly improved, with the 2024 National Population and Housing Census indicating that eight in ten Ugandan households now use improved water sources.
She further outlined government efforts to drive digital transformation through the Digital Transformation Roadmap 2023–2027, targeting broadband expansion, e-government services, digital skills, innovation and sectoral digitisation.
Additional investments, she said, continue in road and railway infrastructure, air transport through Uganda Airlines, water transport, and agricultural modernisation — with Uganda now Africa’s leading coffee exporter.
Babalanda concluded that Uganda’s transformation trajectory under the NRM is irreversible, urging citizens to rally behind the gains achieved over four decades of NRM rule.
The country will officially mark the 40th NRM/A Liberation Day on January 26, 2026.
