Government and power in Uganda

Who leads Uganda, how the World Bank's governance indicators score it, how many women sit in parliament and government, what the state spends and taxes, and the official bodies that hold power to account. System of government: Unitary presidential republic (decentralised).

Who leads Uganda?

• Head of state: Yoweri Kaguta Museveni (President of the Republic of Uganda)
• Head of government: Robinah Nabbanja (Prime Minister and Leader of Government Business in Parliament of the Republic of Uganda)
• Foreign minister: Adonia Ayebare (Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Uganda)

Source: Heads of State, Heads of Government, Ministers for Foreign Affairs: Public List (United Nations Protocol and Liaison Service), list dated 15 October 2026. All world leaders.

Governance scores

The World Bank's Worldwide Governance Indicators combine surveys of households and firms with assessments by public, private and non-governmental bodies. Each score runs from 0 to 100; higher means the sources rate governance better. They measure perceptions, and each has a margin of error.

Voice and accountability

Measures how far citizens can choose their government, and freedom of expression, association and the media.

Political stability and absence of violence

Measures the likelihood of political instability or politically motivated violence, including terrorism.

Government effectiveness

Measures the quality of public services and the civil service, and how independent they are from political pressure.

Regulatory quality

Measures the government's ability to make and carry out policies that let the private sector develop.

Rule of law

Measures confidence in and respect for the rules of society, including contract enforcement, property rights, the police and the courts.

Control of corruption

Measures how far public power is used for private gain, including petty and grand corruption and "capture" of the state by elites.

Official bodies that hold power in Uganda

Government

• Office of the Prime Minister
  Government programmes, performance reports and official announcements.

Parliament

• Parliament of Uganda
  Hansard, bills, order papers and committee reports.

Elections

• Electoral Commission
  Election results, voter registers and electoral roadmaps.

Courts

• Judiciary of Uganda
  Judgments, cause lists and court information for the Supreme Court and other courts.

Public audit

• Office of the Auditor General
  Annual audit reports on central government, local governments and statutory bodies.

Ombudsman

• Inspectorate of Government
  Reports to Parliament on corruption investigations and maladministration complaints.

Public contracts

• Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Authority (PPDA)
  Procurement regulations, audits, suspended providers and procurement reports.

Government below the national level

• LC5: districts (about 135) and cities (10), plus Kampala Capital City Authority: District chairperson and councillors directly elected for five years (with special seats for women, youth, people with disabilities and older persons); Kampala's Lord Mayor directly elected. A resident district commissioner (RDC) is appointed by the president; the chief administrative officer is a civil servant.
• LC4: counties (rural, administrative only) / municipalities (urban): Municipal councils elected; counties have no council
• LC3: sub-counties, town councils and city/municipal divisions (over 2,800): Chairperson and council directly elected by secret ballot
• LC2: parishes and urban wards (about 10,600): Parish council made up of village executive committee members; LC2 chairperson elected
• LC1: villages and urban cells (about 70,600): All adult residents form the council; the chairperson and executive committee are elected by voters lining up behind candidates

How local power works in Uganda

Places in Uganda

• The 11 largest cities
• Official statistics for Uganda

Sources

• World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Voice and accountability (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 70f2804fd1e2…)
• World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Political stability and absence of violence (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 1317de0c85e1…)
• World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Government effectiveness (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 a775e808dc65…)
• World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Regulatory quality (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 83b57e36ff8c…)
• World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Rule of law (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 0bccc3c054e8…)
• World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Control of corruption (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 3b15a5340cdd…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: Seats held by women in national parliament (SG.GEN.PARL.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 1ae1dc13981a…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: Women in ministerial positions (SG.GEN.MNST.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 a4e448a5b8bd…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: Central government spending (GC.XPN.TOTL.GD.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 808094019f50…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: Tax revenue (GC.TAX.TOTL.GD.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 08c94b750f31…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: Military spending (MS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 a7f6913a783b…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: Armed forces personnel (MS.MIL.TOTL.P1), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 fa4663c743ba…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: Statistical Performance Indicator (overall score) (IQ.SPI.OVRL), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 08ac7cde9129…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: Births registered (SP.REG.BRTH.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 f8d443034ba7…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: People using the internet (IT.NET.USER.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 0d78dc658329…)

Each saved copy is the file exactly as downloaded, kept so the figures can be checked even if the source changes. Report an error.