KAMPALA, Uganda — President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has defended recent security operations across Uganda, insisting they are aimed at combating crime, corruption and impunity rather than reversing the country’s democratic gains.
Speaking in a televised national address on matters of national importance on Saturday, July 4, 2026, broadcast live from State House Entebbe, Museveni rejected claims that Uganda is sliding back to the abuses of previous regimes. He also accused opposition politician Dr. Kizza Besigye of deliberately delaying his treason trial by exploiting legal processes.
The address came amid heightened public debate over recent arrests of opposition politicians, activists and other citizens, with critics accusing security agencies of violating human rights.
Museveni dismissed the opposition slogan “Bizeemu,” commonly used to suggest that the country is returning to the excesses witnessed during the regimes of Idi Amin and Milton Obote.
“Those who have been putting out the slogan ‘Bizeemu,’ that the bad things of the past are back, are wrong,” Museveni said.
According to the President, security agencies have stepped in to compensate for weaknesses within some state institutions, describing the operations as a necessary response to corruption, crime and lawlessness.
“Security forces have come up to fill the gap. In the past I didn’t have enough cadres to fill this gap. This is a counter offensive against corruption, crime and impunity. Therefore, what the security forces have been doing recently is not a regression in the fight for freedom,” he said.
To reinforce his argument, Museveni displayed photographs showing atrocities committed during previous governments, including images of public executions and human remains. He said that unlike in the past, suspects today are arrested, investigated and presented before courts instead of disappearing or being killed without trial.
The President argued that this demonstrates respect for due process under the current security leadership. He maintained that recent operations target individuals suspected of criminal activity rather than political opponents, insisting that all those arrested are processed through the legal system.
A significant portion of the address focused on Dr. Kizza Besigye, who was arrested in Kenya on Nov. 17, 2024, and later brought back to Uganda to face charges including treason and misprision of treason.
Museveni accused Besigye of deliberately frustrating court proceedings.
“Take the case of Dr. Besigye. He was arrested on Nov. 17, 2024. It has been almost two years now. All this time, however, he has been refusing trial, misusing the legal system,” Museveni said.
The President questioned why Besigye, whom he described as a self proclaimed democrat and human rights advocate, would avoid a trial that could provide an opportunity to challenge the charges against him.
“Why would this democrat and human rights fighter spend so many calories on refusing to come for trial where he has an opportunity to prove his innocence and expose the undemocratic behaviour and dictatorship of Museveni and his family?” he asked.
Museveni also criticized the justice system for allowing what he described as prolonged delays in criminal proceedings.
“Why should the legal system for so long allow an accused person to refuse to be tried? Is that a good system?” he said, adding that Besigye had “created drama in courts of law.”
Besigye’s case has attracted significant public attention following a ruling by the Supreme Court that civilians cannot be tried in military courts. The case was subsequently transferred to civilian courts, where proceedings have been delayed amid legal disputes over representation and other procedural matters.
The President’s remarks came against the backdrop of continued criticism from opposition leaders and human rights organizations, which have accused security agencies of politically motivated arrests, enforced disappearances and restrictions on civil liberties.
Museveni rejected those accusations, maintaining that the current security operations are fundamentally different from the practices of previous governments because suspects are brought before courts instead of being subjected to extrajudicial killings or disappearances.
The address also reinforced themes from his recent State of the Nation Address, in which he emphasized discipline, accountability and national development as central pillars of his administration.
As Uganda continues to navigate the political landscape following Museveni’s victory in the January 2026 general election, the President reiterated that security and the rule of law remain essential for national stability and economic transformation.
Whether his defence of the ongoing security operations will ease growing criticism from opposition groups and civil society remains uncertain. However, Museveni maintained that the government’s actions represent progress in upholding the law rather than a return to the excesses of Uganda’s past.
