Gen Muhoozi Orders Nationwide Street-Naming Exercise, Pushes UPDF Heroes for New Addresses Local governments across Uganda have been given a firm deadline of August 30, 2026, to officially name every street and road within their jurisdictions, under a directive from the Ministry of Local Government issued on the guidance of Chief of Defence Forces Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba. Minister of Local Government Balaam Barugahara Ateenyi communicated the instruction to LC V chairpersons, city mayors, division mayors, town council mayors and sub-county chiefs, making clear that the exercise applies to cities, municipalities, town councils and other urban centers nationwide. Barugahara said the directive follows guidance from Gen. Kainerugaba, who in addition to his role as Chief of Defence Forces also serves as Senior Presidential Adviser on Special Operations — a position that has seen him weigh in on matters well beyond the military in recent years, from road construction standards to infrastructure oversight in Kampala. According to the minister, the push to formally name every street is meant to solve a practical problem that has long affected Uganda's towns and cities: the difficulty of locating specific addresses. Barugahara said properly named and signposted streets would make it easier for emergency services to reach people quickly, strengthen security operations, improve everyday service delivery, support better urban planning, and make Ugandan towns more attractive to investors who currently struggle with inconsistent or informal addressing systems. The Ministry's Permanent Secretary, Ben Kumumanya, has also spoken publicly about the initiative, describing the nationwide addressing exercise as long overdue and framing it as an important step in modernizing local administration. Officials have further indicated that local councils should use the opportunity to move away from colonial-era street names that still exist in parts of the country, replacing them with names that better reflect Uganda's own history, culture and achievements. On that front, the directive doesn't leave the choice of names entirely open-ended. Councils have been encouraged to draw names from a broad set of categories, including traditional rulers, cultural leaders and kings; historical figures; heroes of the National Resistance Army's liberation and resistance struggle; heroes of the Uganda People's Defence Forces; former presidents and other national leaders; and outstanding Ugandans recognized for their contributions to public service, education, science, business, sports, arts, culture and community development. The inclusion of UPDF heroes as a named category has drawn particular attention, given Gen. Kainerugaba's own position at the head of the armed forces. Once local councils settle on names, the process doesn't end there. Barugahara directed all local governments to formally pass council resolutions approving their chosen street names and to submit both the resolutions and the final name lists to the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Local Government for review. That submission must happen well ahead of the next milestone in the process: physically installing street name signage, which is expected to be completed by September 5, 2026 — just under a week after the naming deadline itself. Beyond the naming exercise, Barugahara used the directive to renew a broader appeal to local leaders on basic civic upkeep, urging mayors, town clerks and sub-county chiefs to keep their cities, municipalities, town councils and communities clean. He tied the point directly to how local governance is perceived by the public, saying that a clean environment reflects good leadership, effective service delivery and respect for citizens. The initiative adds to a pattern in which Gen. Kainerugaba, though formally a military officer, has increasingly shaped decisions in areas of civilian administration, including past interventions on road quality and infrastructure projects in Kampala. Whether this latest directive will be implemented smoothly by the August 30 deadline remains to be seen, particularly given the scale of the task: naming, approving, documenting and signposting every street in every town and city across the country in a matter of weeks.