President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has saluted peace-loving Ugandans and the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) for ensuring sustained stability across the country, describing peace as the foundation upon which Uganda’s progress stands. Speaking during the 63rd Independence Day celebrations today at Kololo Ceremonial Grounds, the President said that all achievements the country is experiencing today are largely attributed to the prevailing peace and security.
The national event was graced by the Deputy President of Kenya, ambassadors, government officials, religious leaders, and cultural leaders, among other dignitaries who joined Ugandans in celebrating the country’s continued journey of peace and development. “I need to salute the peace-loving Ugandans and the UPDF for ensuring peace in Uganda. All that is happening is, first and foremost, on account of the peace that is available. This peace is lubricated by the long-standing NRM policy of reconciliation and forgiveness, on top of our firm stand against crime,” President Museveni said.
The President emphasized that the National Resistance Movement’s (NRM) policy of forgiveness and reconciliation has played a vital role in uniting Ugandans, rebuilding relationships, and fostering national stability over the years.
In a significant moment of the day, President Museveni welcomed his former comrade, Col. Samson Mande, who has been living in exile for years after falling out with the government. The President praised Col. Mande for choosing to return home, describing his decision as a testament to Uganda’s open and reconciliatory approach. “Even today, I am happy to welcome back into peaceful Uganda, Col. Samson Mande, who had fled into exile on account of, apparently, some internal intrigue,” President Museveni said. “While in exile, he tried to engage in some rebel activities. When, however, our cadres contacted him in Sweden, he happily agreed to come back and disconnect himself from the rebel activities.”
The President recalled Col. Mande’s contribution to Uganda’s liberation struggle, noting his service as a volunteer scout for the Task Force Division of the TPDF under Major General Silas Mayunga in 1979, and later as commander of the 15th Battalion during the Siege of Masaka in 1985. “I remember Samson Mande in 1979 operating as a volunteer scout for the Task Force Division of the TPDF under Major-General Silas Mayunga in Mbarara. I was commanding the 9,000-strong Fronasa fighting force. Later, Mande did a good job as commander of the 15th Battalion in the Siege of Masaka in 1985 and in subsequent assignments. We welcome him,” he said.
The President also reflected on Uganda’s journey over the last six decades, saying that by the country’s 10th Independence Anniversary, Uganda was under “envious dictatorship,” and by the 20th anniversary, the once small economy based on three Cs and three Ts — coffee, cotton, copper, and tobacco, tea, and tourism — had completely collapsed. He said Ugandans were surviving on magendo (black-market trading) and forex rackets before the NRM came in to rescue the country. “I am happy to inform Ugandans that by June 2026, the economy of Uganda will have grown to USD 66.9 billion in size using the forex exchange method, or USD 197.9 billion using the purchasing power parity method,” the President said. “In this financial year, the economy will grow by seven percent, and after the flow of oil, it will grow by double digits.”
He added that with the rise of many factories and the production of goods within the country, Uganda is now unstoppable. “No one will stand in our way to development,” he said.
The President explained that Uganda has gone through five phases of transformation — from minimum recovery, to expansion, to diversification, to value addition, and now moving into technology — noting that institutions like Kiira Motors represent the next phase of industrial advancement.
He further emphasized that the country must now focus on two critical fronts: economic integration and political integration of the East African Community (EAC). “What we need to work on now are two issues — economic integration of East Africa to ensure a big market, and political integration of East Africa resulting in a political federation of our region and the whole of Africa,” he said. “The remaining part is to engage with our brothers and sisters from Tanzania, Rwanda, Kenya, South Sudan, Burundi, Congo, and Somalia to strengthen our market.”
President Museveni reiterated that Uganda’s development and progress are rooted in the peace and reconciliation nurtured by the NRM government, and he urged all Ugandans to protect and build upon it.
Col. Mande, in turn, expressed gratitude to the President and government for welcoming him back, pledging to work with the government in promoting peace and national unity.