Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni says his new term in office will be a period of “no more sleep for all Ugandans.”
President Museveni made the comments on Tuesday 12 May as he started his seventh term in office, extending his four-decade rule. His current term is expected to run until 2031.
Museveni said his administration will focus on strengthening Uganda’s economy, expanding regional cooperation and promoting stability across East Africa.
He also pledged to continue infrastructure development, vowing to improve the living conditions of Uganda’s more than 52 million people with revenues from oil production due to start later this year.
The government expects to earn about $590 million from oil sales in the first year, between 2026 and 2027, as a multi-billion-dollar pipeline for oil exports through Tanzania’s Port of Tanga nears completion.
‘Moving forward together’
Museveni said Uganda and its citizens “must protect what has been achieved, correct what still needs improvement and move forward together as one country.”
However, the 81-year-old president said that while his government will focus on job and wealth creation, every Ugandan individual and company must step up to ensure poverty alleviation in the country, urging them not to “sleep.”
He cited the recent launch of locally produced electric vehicles for public transport as one of the examples of the country’s efforts at self-reliance.
Museveni’s swearing-in ceremony on Tuesday at the Kololo Ceremonial Grounds in Kampala was attended by foreign dignitaries, including Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu Hassan, the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Félix Tshisekedi, South Sudan’s Salva Kiir and Somalia’s Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.
Economic growth
Museveni, one of Africa’s longest-serving leaders, secured a seventh term in office after winning January’s presidential election with 71% of the vote under the ruling NRM party.
His main challenger, Robert Kyagulanyi, widely known as Bobi Wine, who received 24%, rejected the results for alleged irregularities, which the authorities denied.
Museveni came to power in 1986 and extended his time in office after Uganda removed presidential term limits in 2005 and later, in 2017, abolished the presidential age limits of a maximum 75 years and a minimum 35 years.
He is widely credited with the country’s peace and stability as well as economic growth, which reached 8.5% at the end of 2025 compared with 5.4% in the previous year, according to official figures.
