National Heroes Day

National Heroes Day is observed on June 9 and is closely associated with the attack on Kabamba military barracks on that date in 1981, an early operation of Museveni's Popular Resistance Army in the war that became the NRA/NRM struggle. The official narrative honours armed and civilian participants, while Uganda's honours system also recognises service in other fields.

Because the state emerged from the NRA victory, decisions about who is named a hero and how the Bush War is remembered are politically charged. Civilians in Luweero experienced mass killing, displacement and abuse, and memories in northern Uganda and among former government soldiers do not map neatly onto the official story. The 2026 ceremony honoured veterans while raising questions about public funds intended for them; that specificity is more accurate than a generic claim that the day celebrates all courage equally.

National Heroes Day is expressly listed in Schedule 2 of Uganda's Public Holidays Act and is therefore a nationwide public holiday. The Act contains no rule moving a Saturday or Sunday holiday to Monday: the calendar date remains the legal holiday unless the President separately declares another day under section 2(2). Covered employees receive ordinary full remuneration; holiday work attracts additional pay or paid leave in lieu under the Public Holidays Act and Employment Act, subject to those Acts' conditions.