NAIROBI, Kenya, Jun 24 — Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has revealed that First Lady Janet Museveni is recovering from an undisclosed illness, ending weeks of speculation over her prolonged absence from public engagements.

In a lengthy message marking Janet Museveni’s 78th birthday on Wednesday, Museveni disclosed for the first time that the First Lady fell seriously ill on March 21, 2026, after “Satan launched an attack on her life” but credited her recovery to divine intervention and medical care.

“God, using good doctors, saved Maama’s life and she is now recovering well,” Museveni said.

The revelation sheds new light on Janet Museveni’s disappearance from public view, which had sparked widespread speculation in Uganda and across the region.

The First Lady, who also served as Education Minister in Museveni’s previous administration, had not been seen publicly since attending a fundraiser at Seeta College in Uganda’s Mukono District on March 21.

Her absence became more conspicuous on May 12 when she missed President Museveni’s seventh-term inauguration ceremony at Kampala’s Kololo Ceremonial Grounds, despite traditionally playing a prominent role at major state functions.

Questions intensified after flight-tracking data showed Uganda’s government-owned Gulfstream G550 presidential jet travelling to Savannah, Georgia, in the United States, home to Gulfstream Aerospace’s maintenance facilities, during the period of her absence.

Ugandan authorities never disclosed who was aboard the aircraft or the purpose of the trip, fuelling further speculation online.

While Museveni did not disclose the nature of Janet’s illness, he described it as an attack on her life by “Satan” and linked her recovery to both faith and medical intervention.

“Sitaane [Satan], three months ago, on the 21st of March, 2026, launched an attack on the life of Maama. However, Sitaane miscalculated,” he wrote.

The Ugandan leader used the birthday tribute to reflect on his decades-long relationship with the First Lady, recounting how they reconnected by chance outside Nairobi’s Inter-Continental Hotel on Christmas Day in 1972 after years without contact.

He described the encounter as a “miraculous re-connection” that eventually led to marriage, a family of four children and fifteen grandchildren.

Museveni also praised Janet’s role during Uganda’s liberation struggle, her philanthropic work through UWESO, her contribution to National Resistance Movement politics and her religious activities.

Looking ahead, the 81-year-old president said he hopes both he and the First Lady will live to celebrate their 100th birthdays and witness the formation of the East African Federation.

“I pray to God to get us to 100 years respectively so that we, among other good things, see the birth of the East African Federation,” he said, describing regional integration as Africa’s best safeguard against future domination and marginalisation.