At the end of each year, PLUGGED compiles the slang and phrases that characterized online and physical conversations over the course of the year in Uganda. And 2025 was no different. Online lexicon, musical slang, global trends and news material continued to form basis for what became buzzwords in everyday interactions.
Politics made its annual contribution to language being a year of political campaigning and Ugandans being a people that teem with humor didn’t hold back.
However, in comparison with previous years like 2021 and 2022, this year had far less indigenous slang.
READ MORE: ‘Kusimbula’, ‘Tokisusa’, ‘Vayolensi’ and other slangs that came in 2021
Here are our top picks……………
Aura/Aura points
Social media continued to reign supreme, with its potency to give people [assumed] validation. So, when anybody needed to score ‘aura points’, they posted content (especially photos and videos) that would earn them said points. Aura is basically the currency of measuring how ‘cool’ you look. As such, questions like ‘How many aura points do I lose if the boda sikaz and I have to get off and stand by the roadside so the boda guy can wunzika?’ became commonplace.
Collectively as a country, our potholed city continued to plunge us in an aura deficit, but Zohran Mamdani’s election as Mayor of New York City helped square things up.
It is giving
If a GenZ told you your outfit was not ‘giving’, I hope you didn’t take it as a compliment. What they meant was the opposite. If your car “is giving Masaka”, chances are because it has the infamous woolen cover on the dashboard. Sometimes, Uganda is a subset of the global trends. And ‘it is giving’, was one of those.
Globally, the slang meant that something evokes a specific vibe, feeling, or impression, like shorthand for “this reminds me of” or “this feels like,” often used to describe someone’s style, mood, or a situation.
Tokola error
If there were accolades for the GOAT-ed buzzwords of 2025, then this particular one would be up there in the league of greats. Tokola error (meaning do not make an error) originated from a TikTok video in May of a ghetto group known as Masandugu Family. Later on, singers Lil Pazo and Mudra would record songs of the same title featuring the group. The term has become a staple online for whenever someone needed to caution someone against certain behavior.
UEDCLGBTQ
Even in the worst of circumstances, you can count on Ugandans’ sense of humor. At the end of March, UMEME handed over its operations to Uganda Electricity Distribution Company Limited (UEDCL). The transition was not met without skepticism. Furious about the frequent power blackouts that followed, Ugandans online have used the acronym UEDCLGBTQ to mock the power distributor.
President Museveni himself joined the fray when in August he threw a jab at the Energy Minister over what he said was a complicated acronym for him. “I’m going to die, because I cant pronounce all that. UEDLGZ.. Get a simpler name”
Sarah is tall
2025 was a year of political campaigning. And in a country where political office is the only commercially rewarding job, the competition was cutthroat. Enter Abraham Luzzi who’s vying for Kampala Central MP seat. Knowing how Ugandans love drama, he chose to lean into that in his messaging. So, whenever he had an opportunity to address an audience, he went… “My name is Abraham Luzzi, husband to Sarah. Sarah is Tall”.
And thanks to him, the phrase became a handy filler for conversations. A news publication could post a headline about the implications of climate change, and someone will randomly comment… “Kasita Sarah is Tall”. In equal randomness, the phrase was a stapple in corporate spaces.
Motivational speaker
Ordinarily, motivational speaker (or inspirational speaker) refers to a speaker who makes speeches intended to motivate or inspire an audience. But in 2025, the phrase was used colloquially to refer to someone who is going through a breakup. Why? Because when someone’s heart is broken, there is a tendency for them to post in parables. Things like… “When God gives you a ‘No’, give him a ‘Thank You’. He was protecting you from less than his best”. Bet you came across those subtle WhatsApp statuses. At all costs, never become that!
Tema ensingo
Last year, Lil Pazo gave us Enkudi. And before elitist Uganda recovered from the cringe, Kapeke threw Kaba (Tema Ensingo) in the mix. Ugandan Twitter used the slang whenever they needed to reference ‘Kidandali culture’ (low-class tendencies). “A man vibing to Tema Ensingo is pure grounds.” (for breakup).
Offline however, the jargon became a culture that infiltrated political rallies, wedding parties among other entertainment spaces.
Protecting the gains
Every political campaign needs a catchy slogan. For his 2026 Presidential bid, Yoweri Museveni launched his official campaign portrait in August with the strapline.,. ‘Protecting the Gains’. In otherwords, his next administration will consolidate the achievements NRM has made in the last four decades.
Except the phrase has since been adapted to suit all scenarios that are anything but gains. From photos of floods in Kampala, impassable roads, and the recent hours-long gridlock along Masaka Road. When government critics needed a befitting caption to express their dissatisfaction with the state of affairs in the country, they opted for this phrase.
Kiyamba gwe
Every year has given us a slang so golden that we don’t struggle to express our sarcasm. This year handed us ‘Kiyamba we/Kiyamba mwe’ which is Luganda for “it is in your best interest”. Under normal marketing lingo, Customer is King. In 2025, those selling were Kings instead. The customer was at their mercy. You came across TikTok videos where content creators went like… “You (the viewer) liking my post, following and commenting, kiyamba gwe. I do you a favor by creating this content”.
The phrase was yet another creation of Abraham Luzzi in several media interviews where he braggartly told voters he won’t be begging for their votes. Rather, that it is in their best interest to vote him since he is doing them a favor by offering himself to serve.
Amasanyalaze
‘Amasanyalaze’ is Luganda for electricity. This year, its translation leaned more towards “influence”. Initially, the term was used by singer Big Eye in 2023 after he defected from NRM to NUP. He said Bobi Wine had given him Masanyalaze (electricity). Early this year, the term continued to be used in the wake of the rift between Bobi Wine and now political opponent, Mathias Mpuuga.
Beyond politics, netizens found the word a perfect synonym for influence or sway. If whenever you are away, the office lacks life, then it implies you have the Masanyalaze.
ALSO READ: Here are the 2022 slangs…. ‘Osilike’, Okusala word’, ‘Nyash’ and more
Hate-watching
2025. The year when hate-watching thrived. Gone are the days when there was still humanity and shame in us. This year, if people didn’t like you, they were not shy about making it known. The jargon was especially common on Twitter. People invested valuable time in ensuring couples they didn’t like don’t prosper, soccer teams they didn’t support lost and that politicians they resented lost party primaries. And when they were lucky to cash-in on this hate, they disclosed it. What a time!
What do you mean?
“What do you mean your village is in Kololo?” Chances are you came across this phrase a lot often this year. Sometimes the shorter version (wdym) was used.
Mainly, it was more of an expression of confusion and satire than it was a genuine need for clarity or explanation. In most cases, it is a rhetorical question.
Wandika nti
There’s social media, then there is TikTok. Different world that plays by different rules. The mass platform has grown to influence its unique cultures and trends. ‘Wandika nti’ (write and say) is a product of TikTok vlogs created by Ugandan Swedish-based vlogger, Peng Peng. In his commentary on social events happening in Uganda, Peng holds a notebook and pen while guiding his audience on which key points to jot down.
On other platforms like Twitter and WhatsApp, the phrase became a conversation starter, often accompanied with a meme of Peng Peng with pen and book. “Wandika nti all debts are to be paid in the 6th week of Jan.”
Nyash
Ever since 2022 handed us the slang, its rise and rise has been unstoppable. In 2025, Nyash’s stock price continued rise on the Ugandan stock exchange due to high demand, reflecting strong [male] investor confidence. The jargon went mainstream, making it to church pulpits even.
Those endowed with nyash went to great lengths to flaunt it in order to rake up their aura points, and the male species were unhinged in reminding whoever cared to listen that on Nyash is where they lose their composure. In May, State Minister Evelyne Anite posted a photo of her flaunting her hind view, captioned… “With God all things are possible. Now my nyash is growing. Some of you have been saying I’m nyashless…..”
You cooked/Getting cooked
‘Cooking’ in its colloquial sense is outdoing yourself. If you are a photographer and post a photo you took, then someone comments saying you cooked, they mean you took an outstanding photo.
On the contrary, when someone found themselves on the receiving end of online backlash, that way they were ‘being cooked’. On Twitter, the phrase ‘cook that fraud’ was common whenever one was expressing support for someone ‘cooking’ another.
