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 PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS 
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 9:00 pm 

President ends address

Those were the closing remarks of reassurance by President Yoweri Museveni to Ugandans in light of the recent terror threats on Ugandan soil.

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 8:59 pm 

'Don't panic'

President Museveni urges the terrorists they are pursuing to surrender, making it clear that amnesty is out of the question.

Earlier in his address, he said that the ADF had long been defeated and that recent efforts by the Islamist rebels to infiltrate are "really miscalculations" and that they would be wiped out.

"Do not panic. This is the tail end of the ADF," he assures Ugandans.

"We are hunting them. We may miss here and there, but in the end we shall hunt all of them."
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 8:47 pm 

Speaking further, Museveni urges buses and markets not to let their guard down and ensure that they search people wanting to gain access.

He also calls on bars to be on alert on which patrons they allow in their premises and not allow any that is unknown to them.

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 8:45 pm 

'They don't have sympathizers'

President Museveni urges Ugandans not to panic in the wake of the recent terror threats.

"I dont want anybody to start panicking and think that there is a big insoluble problem," he says.

He urges vigilance among Ugandans, saying that "your job here is to see anybody" that your do not recognize as part of your community.

"Don't allow anyone you don't know to enterr your church, to enter your mosque. No strangers should enter your church. They must be challenged, isolated and reported to Police," he says.

He urges hotels and real estates to ask for particulars of visitors, including identity cards bearing their photos.

"There is a gap by the hotel people and the landlords," he says, referring to the terror threat in Bunamwaya.

"Remember that a terrorist must sleep somewhere at night."

Museveni says that if terrorists are blocked from hotels and other places of lodging, then they are limited to staying with their own families, considering that "many of these groups don't have many sympathizers who would risk housing them".

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 8:35 pm 

'The planners are in Congo'

Speaking about the recent terror attempts in Kampala, including one at Miracle Centre Cathedral where a suspected terrorist was intercepted by security, Museveni says that the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (CMI) has arrested seven people involved.

He says the security know mainly the planners of such terror threats but usually not the executers of the mission.

"The planners are in Congo. So, we are going for them. The Congo government has allowed us," says Museveni.

"Apart from hunting the ones in the forests, which we have been doing since 2021, we shall go for these ones who are sending these young people to kill young people."

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 8:26 pm 

'207 abductees rescued, 50 terrorists captured alive'

From the report he has from the military, President Yoweri Museveni says that from sectors one and two of the operation thus far, the total number of "enemies" killed are 567.

Also seized are 144 submachine guns, seven machine guns, six rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs), one 60mm mortar, grenades, walkie-talkies, 10 improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and 47 phones.

Two hundred and seven (207) abductees have been rescued, 50 terrorists captured alive and 32 have surrendered.

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 8:15 pm 

ADF in Congo

The President reiterates what we talked about in his previous address on security this year, particularly on the Allied for Democratic Forces (ADF) Islamist rebel activity in neighbouring DR Congo.

He says the militant group, originally from Uganda, "can't operate here and survive as a rebel force".

Museveni says when his Congolese counterpart Felix Tshisekedi granted the Ugandan government permission to operate in DR Congo in efforts to fight off the ADF, the intervention, dubbed Operation Shujaa, bore fruits. Many ADF camps have since been destroyed by Uganda and Congolese joint military forces.

He says he has recommended to the Congolese government to adopt the Local Defence Unit (LDU) system to galvanize security at especially village level.
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 8:09 pm 

President begins address

The Gen. (rtd) Yoweri Museveni, the Commander-in-Chief of Uganda's armed forces, has begun addressing the nation from State House Nakasero in Kampala.

He is wearing military uniform.

Top government officials are present, including security minister Jim Muhwezi and his ICT and national guidance counterpart Dr Chris Baryomunsi. Security chiefs are also at State House, as is government spokesperson and Uganda Media Centre executive director Ofwono Opondo.

Museveni starts off by saying that on this year's Independence Day (October 9), he will give a report with a title referenced from the Church of Uganda prayer book: They have left undone what they ought to have done; And they have done what they ought not to have done.

He says that under that report, he will cover a number of topics, including security.

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 7:50 pm 

Welcome along!

Hello and good evening everyone. Tonight, President Yoweri Museveni will be addressing the nation on security matters and other issues of national importance.

About an hour ago, the Presidential Press Unit (PPU) sent a reminder about the address that will be aired live on Vision Group TV and radio stations.

The scheduled start of the address is 8pm local time. Over here, we will capture the highlights from the President's address in text form. Welcome along!