Yoweri Museveni, 81, was sworn in on Tuesday for a seventh consecutive term as Uganda's president, extending a rule that began in 1986 and has made him one of Africa's longest-serving leaders. The ceremony took place at the Kololo Independence Grounds in Kampala, the East African nation's capital, and was declared a public holiday. Thousands of supporters attended, while Russian-made Sukhoi fighter jets flew overhead and armoured tanks were deployed around the city in what police described as measures to maintain public order.

Museveni was declared the winner of January's presidential election with more than 70% of the vote, a result his main rival, pop star turned politician Bobi Wine — whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu — flatly rejected as fraudulent, citing widespread ballot-stuffing. Election authorities denied the allegation. Wine, 44, who leads the opposition National Unity Platform party, subsequently fled Uganda, saying he feared being killed by the government, a claim security forces denied. The crackdown following the vote drew sharp international criticism: Amnesty International reported that at least 16 apparently unarmed people were killed by security forces between January 15 and 18. Another prominent opposition figure, Kizza Besigye, remains imprisoned after being abducted from Kenya in late 2024 and brought back to Uganda, where he faces weapons charges he denies.

In his inauguration address, Museveni urged Ugandans to treat the new term as a time for