Today’s swearing-in ceremony at Kololo Ceremonial Grounds proceeded amid tight security and a visible turnout of invited guests, officials, and supporters, but reactions from the wider public appeared mixed, with limited street-level excitement compared to previous years.
While the event remains one of Uganda’s key political milestones, social media personality Gideon Nova Kwikiriza says the national mood has changed significantly, pointing to what he describes as growing public fatigue.
Kwikiriza recalled earlier years when such ceremonies sparked nationwide anticipation and collective engagement.
“Uganda was electric with excitement. People literally closed their businesses, and those who didn’t own televisions flocked to neighbors’ homes just to follow the ceremony. Everywhere you passed across the country, people were chanting,” he said.
He contrasted that period with the present, arguing that access to digital platforms has not translated into increased public enthusiasm.
“Today, despite the increase in televisions and smartphones, many Ugandans are simply going about their businesses as if nothing significant is happening. Apart from the crowds transported to Kololo, the national mood is different,” he added.
According to Kwikiriza, the shift reflects deeper frustrations among citizens over governance and service delivery.
“There are many explanations for this, but the biggest one is that people are tired, tired of the same stories, the same broken promises, the same corruption, and the same failures in health, education, and infrastructure from the same face, term in term out,” he said.