Justine Kasule Lumumba
HABARI DAILY I Kampala, Uganda I Uganda will mark its 64th Independence Day tomorrow, October 9, 2026, with the main celebrations taking place virtually from State House, Entebbe, under the theme “Embracing Our Sovereignty with Hope and Visionary Leadership.”
Only about 30 dignitaries and a few religious leaders are expected to attend physically, while the wider public will follow the event through the media and online platforms.
Minister for ICT and National Guidance Justine Kasule Lumumba, while addressing the media at the Uganda Media Centre on October 8, said the new arrangement would significantly reduce expenditure associated with staging a national celebration.
She said previous Independence Day celebrations had cost Government more than Shs3 billion each, largely because of the extensive logistical requirements involved in organising major public events.
“There is no extra cost expected. The arrangements already available to State House will be used for the celebrations,” Lumumba said.
The minister explained that Government would not have to establish a new venue or incur the usual expenses associated with transporting and accommodating large numbers of invited guests, setting up infrastructure and providing other logistical services.
Existing resources to be used
According to Lumumba, the virtual format will make use of systems and facilities already available at State House, while television, radio and digital platforms will ensure that Ugandans across the country can participate in the national commemoration.
She said the decision follows a model that Government has recently adopted for other national functions, where a limited number of people attend physically while the media provides wider access to the proceedings.
Lumumba cited the national celebrations for older persons held on October 1 as an example of how the model can work.
She said only about 20 people attended that event physically, while the function was conducted using existing Government resources without requiring an additional budget. The same approach, she said, will be applied to the Independence Day celebrations.
The minister was responding to questions about how much Government expects to save by taking the event online and what would happen to money that would ordinarily have been spent on the celebrations.
She said resources that would otherwise have gone towards organising the large gathering could instead be redirected by the responsible ministries towards unfunded priorities and other Government programmes.
Lumumba, however, said she could not provide details about expenditure that may arise from separate prayer activities organised by religious institutions, explaining that such arrangements had not been presented to Cabinet.
Bishop Hannington commemoration physical
Although the main Independence Day event will be virtual, another important national commemoration will take place physically in eastern Uganda.
The fifth national commemoration of Bishop Hannington Day will be held on October 29 at Kyando Hill in Mayuge District, with President Yoweri Museveni expected to attend as chief guest.
The commemoration honours Bishop James Hannington, the Anglican missionary who was killed in 1885 while travelling towards Buganda.
The decision to scale down the Independence Day celebrations represents a major departure from the traditional format in which thousands of people, government officials, security personnel, religious leaders and invited guests gather at a designated venue.
In previous years, the celebrations have involved significant expenditure on transport, accommodation, security, venue preparation, entertainment and other logistical requirements.
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