President of Uganda
head of state
The president of the Republic of Uganda is the head of state and the head of government of Uganda. The president leads the executive branch of the government of Uganda and is the commander-in-chief of the Uganda People's Defence Force.
Background
The office of the president of Uganda was formed on 9th October 1963 to replace the queen of Uganda (which was last held by Elizabeth II) as head of state. It was entirely a ceremonial role i.e without executive powers during the time of the first holder Mutesa II of Buganda until the end of the Mengo Crisis in 1967 when Milton Obote took over ending the alliance between the Uganda People's Congress and the Kabaka Yekka parties combining the roles of prime minister and president and therefore creating the first president of Uganda with executive powers.
The office has been held by 9 people, 8 of whom (besides Edward Muteesa) came into power through military coups and civil war.
The incumbent Yoweri Museveni came to power in 1986 and is the longest serving president of Uganda, ahead of Idi Amin who ruled from 1971 to 1979.
Qualifications
In 2005 presidential term limits were removed, and in 2017, the previous upper age limit of 75 was also removed.
Under Article 102 of the Constitution, in order to be allowed to run for the presidency one must be a citizen of Uganda by birth, be no younger than thirty-five and eligible to be a member of Parliament.
State House
State House is the official residence of the president of Uganda. The main State House was constructed in 1925 during the governorship of Sir Geoffrey Archer at Entebbe the then capital to serve as the official viceregal residence (Government House) of the Governor of Uganda.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “President of Uganda” as head of state. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the general reference register because the source frames it as head of state. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Named sources, stable identifiers and responsible institutions provide the strongest route from overview to verifiable evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 7, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q18204367. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1963, 1967, 1986 and 1971.
Overview language is designed for orientation and should not be treated as a substitute for the evidence cited beneath it. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
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This entry incorporates text from “President of Uganda” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.