There are three images on the shield: those on top represent the waves of Lake Victoria and Lake Albert; the sun in the centre represents the many days of brilliant sunshine Uganda enjoys; and the traditional drum at the bottom is symbolic of dancing, and the summoning of people to meetings and ceremony.

[1][2] The above explanation, about the symbolism of the drum, is a distortion that came about after the bloody 1966 national crisis when the Prime Minister of the day, Milton Obote, made a violent military attack on the king of the Kingdom of Buganda in central Uganda, Edward Mutesa II, who was the ceremonial president of the state at the time.

The following year, 1967, the nation's constitution was abrogated and replaced with a new one which abolished the country's ancient monarchies—the kingdoms of Buganda, Bunyoro, Ankole, Toro, and the Principality of Busoga, turning Uganda into a republic and making Milton Obote president with unlimited executive powers.

On a related note, the kings of Uganda were the first to use the traditional lentil shaped African shield in their heraldic arms.

[1][2] The shield stands on a green mound, representing fertile land, and directly above a representation of the River Nile.