Parents Say Hands Off — Fury Grows Over Museveni’s Kyankwanzi Patriotism Plan.

The government now wants every Senior Six leaver to spend about six months at Kyankwanzi being taught “patriotism.” But Ugandans are asking a very simple question: patriotism according to whom? Because the timing is hard to ignore. During the 2025–2026 election campaign, Bobi Wine and NUP supporters openly embraced the Ugandan flag. Security agencies warned about its use, and there were documented incidents of authorities seizing flags—including footage of a police dog tearing a flag from a fleeing NUP supporter and footage of soldiers beating a man from whom they took a flag. Think about that for a moment. A citizen carries the Ugandan flag and gets chased. A police dog tears it away. Soldiers are filmed beating someone while taking his flag. Then, months later, the same political establishment says: “Come to Kyankwanzi. We are going to teach your children patriotism.” That is exactly why parents are asking questions. You cannot brutalize people for displaying the national flag today and then claim tomorrow that you have a monopoly on teaching the next generation what patriotism means. And this isn't merely a five-day school seminar. Government is talking about six months, with the programme including ideology, political history, security, drills and parades. So parents have every reason to ask: What exactly are you putting into our children's heads for six months? Who writes the curriculum? Who supervises it? And what guarantees that “patriotism” doesn't become political indoctrination? Opposition parties are already raising precisely these concerns, while government insists the programme is non-partisan. Patriotism is not a government-owned subject. Uganda belongs to its citizens—including the young people you want to take to Kyankwanzi. So before anybody loads these children onto buses, show the parents the curriculum, show Parliament the budget, explain the legal basis, and explain exactly what you mean by “patriotism.” Until then, the message from concerned parents is simple: Hands off our children!