Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa will attend the fifth swearing-in ceremony of Uganda's long serving President Yoweri Musaveni on May 12.

Rajapaksa's private secretary Uditha Lokubandara confirmed this to the BBC Sandeshaya.

Meanwhile, a request by Rajapaksa's second son Yoshitha to visit Uganda was turned down by Kaduwela Magistrate yesterday. Yoshitha Rajapaksa has been imposed a travel ban as he is a suspect in the case involving the CSN.

Uganda has sent invitations to many dignitaries, including fifty Presidents, for the ceremony. The invitees include African heads of state, British PM David Cameron and US President Obama.

Born in August 1944, Musaweni was in the forefront in the opposition to the notorious dictator Idi Amin. After the ouster of Amin, he served as the Defence Minister of the country. However, following a disputed election in 1980, he former the Popular Resistance Army to challenge the government and seized power in 1986.

He has been criticized by human rights groups for lack of democracy in the country.

Musaveni visited Sri Lanka in 2012 at the invitation of the then President Rajapaksa. The following year, Rajapaksa paid a visit to Uganda.