10 presidents jet in as Museveni swears in

A total of 10 heads of state jetted into the country on Tuesday to witness the swearing-in ceremony of President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni.

It was a busy day for the State Minister for Foreign Affairs who received the guests at Entebbe Airport for the largest part of Tuesday.

The 10 presidents who arrived on Tuesday included Évariste Ndayishimiye (Burundi), Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed (Somalia), Emmerson Mnangagwa (Zimbabwe), Salva Kiir (South Sudan), Hage Gottfried Geingob (Namibia),Alpha Conde (Guinea), Salva Kiir Mayardit(South Sudan),Nana Akufo-Ado(Ghana), Felix Tshisekedi(DRC) and Ethiopia’s Sahle-Work Zewde.

Meanwhile, other presidents sent representatives and among them is Russia’s Vladimir Putin who sent in Mikhail Bogdanov, a special presidential envoy but also the deputy Foreign Affairs Minister to represent him whereas Ahmed A. Kattan, the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs represented the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The guests were later on Tuesday evening treated to a State Dinner at Speke Resort Munyonyo by President Museveni and the First Lady Janet Museveni.

“On behalf of Ugandans, I am supremely honored to host the different leaders here,” Museveni tweeted.

President Museveni will later today be sworn in for a sixth term after winning the January 14 polls.

A total of 4,294, guests were invited to attend the inauguration ceremony.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials, more heads of state and other guests are expected to arrive later today for the inauguration ceremony.

Security has since last week been beefed up by both the police and the army to thwart any possible protests, especially from the opposition.

Police spokesperson, Fred Enanga on Monday said they have prepared well for any eventualities.

“We have conducted massive drills on how to counter all forms of threats and vulnerabilities. These include armed attacks, massive demonstrations, aggressive and provocative behavior against security personnel, blocking of roads with boulders and stones, deflating of tyres and blocking of VIPs,”Enanga said.

The police spokesperson said they will ensure the smooth running of the swearing-in ceremony in a bid to avoid a repeat of a 2011 scenario where the convoy of one of the visiting heads of state was stoned.