Kampala, Uganda – The National Resistance Movement lit up the night skies over Kampala on Monday with Uganda’s first drone light show, sending hundreds of synchronized drones above the city on the eve of President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni’s seventh swearing-in ceremony at Kololo Ceremonial Grounds.
The 14-minute aerial display, which began shortly after 8:30 p.m. near Protea Hotel Kampala on Naguru Hill, was visible across much of the capital, including Kololo, Nakasero and surrounding suburbs. The drones formed images of President-elect Museveni, the NRM party logo, a stylized map of Uganda, national colors and messages highlighting government achievements in infrastructure, health, education and economic progress over four decades of NRM rule. The show ended with a fireworks finale that drew cheers from onlookers on rooftops, balconies and streets.
Organized by the NRM Secretariat’s mobilization team under Dr. Rosemary Sseninde, the display was framed as a “thank you” to Ugandans for re-electing Museveni. Social media filled quickly with videos and photos, with hashtags including #FirstDroneShowUganda and #M7SwearsIn2026 trending as residents called the moment “breathtaking” and “never before seen in Uganda.”
The celebration was quickly overshadowed by controversy. Within hours of the NRM Secretariat’s announcement last week, Ugandan media personality and self-described televangelist Daniel Irish Kanyerezi publicly accused senior government officials of taking his original concept for the show. Kanyerezi said he had developed detailed proposals, including scripts, visual simulations, storyboards and budget outlines, for an aerial drone light show tied to the presidential inauguration and broader campaign mobilization efforts. He said he shared these materials with officials hoping to secure government approval and funding.
“Beginning on Wednesday, May 7, 2026, I began receiving screenshots and forwards from the NRM Secretariat announcing that a drone show showcasing the achievements of the NRM Government had been arranged for the eve of the swearing-in ceremony,” Kanyerezi said in a public statement. “It is now evident that my concept has been taken and implemented without my knowledge, consent or compensation.”
The allegations have fueled online debate about intellectual property, transparency in government procurement and the ethics of using public resources for political events. The NRM had not issued an official response to Kanyerezi’s claims as of publication.
Uganda Media Centre Executive Director Alan Kasujja added fuel to the fire with a post on social media that spread widely. Playing on the word “drone,” he wrote: “The things we’d have drone with that money at the Media Centre…. Let me even sleep.” The remark, read broadly as a dig at the decision to fund the show rather than core government communication work, resonated with many Ugandans. Unofficial cost estimates circulating online put the figure in the billions of Uganda shillings, with one viral post suggesting up to 10 billion UGX.
NRM supporters pushed back, describing the show as a legitimate marker of Uganda’s progress and its arrival at a new level of public event production. “This is not just entertainment, it’s a statement of where Uganda is heading under NRM leadership,” one party official told local media. Supporters noted that drone light shows are now common at major international events, from Olympic ceremonies to national day celebrations in China, India and the United Arab Emirates.
As Museveni prepares to take the oath of office today at Kololo, the show’s legacy is already complicated. It achieved the intended impact and secured Uganda’s place as host of its first drone spectacle, but it has also stirred fresh debate about fiscal responsibility, idea ownership and the image of governance. Whether Kanyerezi’s allegations gain traction remains to be seen. Kasujja’s remark, though, has made one thing clear: the lights in the sky have left questions on the ground.
