“Order is the first law of victory,” Kiira Regional Police Commander SSP Charles Nsaba declared Wednesday, as joint security forces in Busoga announced zero tolerance for any attempt to disrupt the swearing in of President elect Gen (Rtd) Yoweri Kaguta Museveni on Tuesday, 12 May 2026.
Sounding theological and pastor-like, Charles Nsaba quoted 1 Corinthians 14:40, “Let all things be done decently and in order,” and told commanders that the same principle that governed the early church must now govern the security of the state.
Context:
In Paul’s day, the church at Corinth was gifted but chaotic. Believers spoke in tongues all at once, prophesied over each other, and competed for attention. Outsiders walked in and thought they were mad. Paul rebuked them: “God is not the author of confusion, but of peace”. His remedy was simple decency and order. One by one, with interpretation, under authority, freedom, yes. But freedom without structure becomes chaos, and chaos destroys the mission.
“That is the spirit we are invoking,” Nsaba said adding “Everything before, during and after the swearing in must take place in a proper and orderly manner to avoid any disruptive tendencies. A nation, like a church, cannot afford confusion when its future is at stake.”
The high-level security meeting, held at the secluded Uganda’s Civil Service College in Jinja City, confirmed that Kiira Region is on full readiness to secure the presidential inauguration at Kololo Ceremonial Grounds and the subsequent swearing in of Members of Parliament and local government leaders across Busoga.
SSP Nsaba chaired the Region JOC sitting, co-chaired by the recently-posted Jinja City RCC Salim Komakech and Busoga Sub Region Cantonment Commander Brig Gen Emmanuel Kanyesigye.
According to SP James Mubi, the regional police loudspeaker, the meeting brought together regional and divisional heads of departments, DPCs, all OCs of main and sub stations and posts, plus sister security forces.
“No Room for Imposters or Chaos”
Brig Gen Kanyesigye issued a stern warning to “individuals who masquerade as army officers in uniforms with fake IDs and documents.” Such imposters, he said, “must face the law without fear or favor to avoid destabilizing Busoga.”
According to SP James Mubi, the Region JOC has laid out a sweeping security plan covering all phases of the transition.
“Key measures include full protection of all VVIPs and VIPs, crowd control and access control at all venues, route security for convoys, and standby emergency response teams including fire rescue and medical services,” Mubi said.
He added that security forces will conduct 24-hour CCTV surveillance and intelligence sweeps across the region. “The plan also includes interagency security coordination, public sensitization drives, evidence-based monitoring and evaluation, and counter terrorism operations.
All hotels and guesthouses have been directed to profile guests ahead of the ceremonies as a preventive measure,” Mubi noted.
Nsaba directed that “intelligence led operations, motorcycle squad patrols, and community policing must continue so as to maintain public safety and security.” He stressed that safety drills by all security forces in the region are already underway.
Trans Africa Highway Under Watch.
Jinja City RCC Salim Komakech assured the public that the Trans Africa Highway from Kampala to Malaba border will remain open during the swearing in period and the upcoming Uganda Martyrs Day of 3 June.
However, the highway will be under “full time surveillance of the Integrated Highway Patrol vehicles to constantly monitor and prevent accidents and highway robberies.”
Komakech who replaced Richard Gulume Balyainho (now in Bugiri), also appealed to the Jinja City Town Clerk Godfrey B. Kisekka to ensure all venues for the swearing in of local leaders are “in full coordination with the city or district security committees for proper and harmonious purposes.”
He called upon all elected local government leaders to “unite and promote transformational leadership and governance.”
Decency, Order, and Readiness.
The Kiira Region JOC emphasized that human rights will be observed, even as security remains tight. According to SP James Mubi, profiling of guests in hotels is purely preventive. “It is about terrorism and crime prevention, not harassment of innocent citizens,” he said.
With President Museveni set to be sworn in for the 2026 to 2031 term on Tuesday, 12 May, a public holiday, the region’s message was clear: Busoga will be secure, ceremonies will be orderly, and any attempt to interfere will be met with “zero tolerance.”
“The spirituality of this exercise is decency and orderliness,” Nsaba said. “Just as Paul protected the church from confusion, we shall protect this nation from disruption. That is how we guarantee peace for the people of Busoga and Uganda.”
Why Do Leaders Swear In?
According to SP James Mubi, these ceremonies are not just pomp and protocol. “A swearing in is the legal and moral bridge between an election and authority,” Mubi said. “Without it, there is no mandate, no office, no command.”
It establishes legitimacy. The Constitution requires every elected leader, from President to LCIII Chairperson, to take an oath of allegiance and an oath of office before exercising powers.
The oath transforms a candidate into a state officer. Until that moment, they are still private citizens. The ceremony tells the nation: power has changed hands lawfully, not by force.
It binds the leader to the people and the law. The oath is a public covenant and the President swears to “preserve, protect and defend the Constitution” and to “promote the welfare of the people of Uganda.”
MPs swear to “be faithful and bear true allegiance.” Local leaders swear to serve without fear or favor. It is a reminder that they hold power in trust, not by right.
It guarantees continuity and order. Paul’s warning to Corinth was against confusion. A swearing in is the state’s answer to confusion. It puts dates, witnesses, and oaths around power so that no vacuum emerges. “Decency and order” are why SSP Nsaba invoked scripture. An orderly transfer deters opportunists and tells citizens, and the world, that Uganda is governed by law.
It invites accountability. Because the oath is public, recorded, and often televised, the leader can be held to their own words. Citizens, courts, and history can measure performance against the promise made at Kololo, at Parliament, or at the district /City headquarters. Breaking the oath becomes perjury before the nation.
“These ceremonies are the country’s immune system against anarchy,” Mubi said. “They tell the soldier, the police officer, the civil servant, and the citizen exactly who has authority, from what date, and under what law. Without that clarity, you get the chaos Paul warned about in Corinth.”
On Tuesday 12 May, when Gen Museveni raises his right hand at Kololo, he will not be gaining power, he will be accepting responsibility, and Busoga, under zero tolerance security, intends to witness that moment in decency and in order.
