The Government of Uganda has announced that the 37th Heroes’ Day celebrations will be conducted in a scientific and largely virtual format, with fewer than 25 invited guests expected to attend the official ceremony at State House Entebbe on June 9, 2026.
Addressing journalists during a press briefing at the Uganda Media Centre on Thursday, Minister for the Presidency Milly Babalanda said the scaled-down arrangements were necessitated by the need to comply with strict Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) put in place to prevent the spread of Ebola.
Babalanda explained that unlike previous years, there will be no public gathering at a designated venue for the national celebrations.
“The country is observing strict SOPs due to the Ebola pandemic. Consequently, there will be no mass gathering as has been the case during previous Heroes’ Day commemorations,” she said.
The minister noted that the decision follows recent government measures aimed at protecting public health. On May 16, President Yoweri Museveni, following consultations with the National Epidemic Response Task Force and religious leaders, postponed the annual Uganda Martyrs’ Pilgrimage because of the Ebola outbreak in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, from where Uganda receives thousands of pilgrims every year.
She further revealed that on May 17, the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the Ebola outbreak affecting Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).
According to Babalanda, the 37th Heroes’ Day celebrations will be held under the theme, “Protecting the Gains as We Make a Qualitative Leap into High Middle-Income Status,” the same theme adopted during the recent presidential swearing-in and inaugural ceremonies.
President Museveni will officiate at the event and will be accompanied by fewer than 25 guests drawn from the three arms of government, religious leaders, and representatives of the Luwero Triangle Veterans Association.
The rest of the country will follow the President’s address through Uganda Broadcasting Corporation (UBC) and other national media outlets.
To mark the occasion, thanksgiving prayers will be conducted across the country. Muslims are expected to hold prayers on Friday, June 5, Seventh-day Adventists on Saturday, June 6, and other Christian denominations on Sunday, June 7.
Babalanda called upon all Ugandans to participate in the prayers in their respective places of worship as the nation commemorates the sacrifices and contributions of its heroes.
The minister also disclosed that government had not yet received confirmation of any foreign dignitaries expected to attend the celebrations but promised to update the public should there be any developments.
