NRM Liberation Day in Uganda commemorates the day in 1986 when the National Resistance Army (NRA), led by Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, successfully captured power and overthrew the military government of General Tito Okello. The day marks the beginning of the National Resistance Movement (NRM) government, which has remained in power ever since.

When is NRM Liberation Day?

NRM Liberation Day is celebrated every year on January 26.

The following is the list of NRM Liberation Day from 2020 to 2049.

The History of NRM Liberation Day?

NRM Liberation Day is one of Uganda's most politically significant national holidays, as it commemorates the end of a prolonged civil conflict and the beginning of the NRM government led by President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni.

Following Uganda's independence in 1962, the country experienced a series of military coups and authoritarian regimes, including the Idi Amin dictatorship (1971 – 1979), the return of Milton Obote in a controversial 1980 election, and the 1980 general elections that were widely believed to have been rigged in favor of Obote's Uganda People's Congress (UPC) party.

In response, Yoweri Museveni, then a political opposition figure and former government minister, launched a guerrilla war in 1981 with a small force called the Popular Resistance Army, which evolved into the NRA.

The conflict, often referred to as the Luweero Bush War, lasted for five years from 1981 to 1986. It was fought mainly in the Luweero Triangle, where the NRA established strongholds and built grassroots support among civilians.

The NRA gradually gained territory while Obote's government and later General Tito Okello, who took power in a 1985 coup, struggled to maintain control.

On January 26, 1986, the NRA captured the capital, Kampala, forcing Tito Okello's government to flee. Yoweri Museveni was sworn in as President of Uganda days later, declaring the beginning of a "fundamental change" in Uganda's political system.

NRM Liberation Day commemorates the end of political turmoil and military dictatorship, the beginning of a new government that promised democracy and national unity, and the sacrifice of fighters, civilians, and communities who supported the resistance.