As Uganda gears up for the swearing-in of President-elect Museveni on Tuesday, police have urged the public not to be alarmed by the increased security deployment, saying it is part of preparations to ensure a smooth and safe ceremony.
Speaking to the media on Monday, Police spokesperson Kituuma Rusoke said the heightened security posture is normal for such a major national event and should not be a cause for concern.
“Today, people should not get worried when they see a certain heightened level of security posture. It is all in good faith. It is intended to simply make sure that we keep the country calm and recall that we have a number of guests who have already started coming in,” he said.
Rusoke also clarified that key routes, especially around Entebbe, remain open but will be managed intermittently to ease movement of VVIP convoys and visiting delegations.
“One, the routes outside Entebbe Airport remain free. Because let people not have an imagination that we have closed routes. No, they are not closed, but they are being managed… There will be some intermittent traffic interruptions, but specifically to allow certain traffic flows, especially for our VVIPs,” he explained.
He listed the main affected corridors as the old Entebbe Road, the Expressway, and the route towards Munyonyo, noting that these will experience brief interruptions rather than full closures.
“There will be having those intermittent stops, but which shall not affect traffic severely,” he added.
According to police, all guests attending the ceremony will access the venue through designated routes including Wampewo and Elgon Terrace, where security checks will be strictly enforced.
Rusoke further revealed that a strict parking system has been introduced, with colour-coded stickers determining access and parking zones.
“We shall be checking. Those who come in driving, you need to have a sticker. Those stickers have color codings… and those color codings correspond with parking,” he said.
He urged motorists and the general public to cooperate with traffic officers, warning that security presence will be highly visible throughout the event.
“So those are very, very crucial. The conduct of motorists on roads is very important… because we shall be having a very, very visible traffic,” he said.
