Janet Museveni was not there. And for a country that has watched her stand beside her husband at every major political moment for three decades, her absence from his seventh swearing-in spoke louder than anything said at the podium.
President Yoweri Museveni took the oath of office at Kololo Ceremonial Grounds in Kampala on Tuesday, May 12, beginning another term that pushes his time in power past four decades.
It was a ceremony marked by military pageantry, foreign dignitaries and large crowds. But the person Ugandans kept looking for was not there.
Since 1996, Janet has stood beside her husband at every inauguration. Tuesday was the first time that changed.
Natasha Karugire, the couple’s daughter, accompanied the President to the podium instead. Chief Justice Flavian Zeija administered the oath as the crowd settled into the significance of what they were witnessing and what was missing from it.
Questions about Janet’s health had been circulating for weeks before the ceremony. State House offered nothing to confirm or deny the rumours, leaving the public to fill the silence with speculation.
A moment during the ceremony drew particular attention. Bishop Sheldon Mwesigwa, dean of the province of the Church of Uganda and bishop of Ankole diocese, addressed the matter while leading prayers. He told those gathered that Janet had healed and recovered. Sections of the crowd responded with applause.
The weeks of silence from State House had already created enough space for misinformation to take root. Blogger Arnold Anthony Mukose, 41, was arrested earlier in the year after allegedly publishing reports claiming the First Lady had died.
Prosecutors said the false information spread across online platforms between January and March, causing significant public alarm.
Mukose faced charges under Uganda’s communications laws, including broadcasting false information and sending fake distress signals.
After spending over a month on remand, the Law Development Centre Court in Kampala granted him cash bail of USh5 million. Magistrate Ivan Maloba accepted the sureties and set May 18 as the next hearing date.