On 24 March 2020, three days after the COVID-19 pandemic was formally announced, the Ugandan government introduced the Public Health Control of COVID-19 Rules, 2020. The rules imposed restrictions, such as banning mass gatherings, mandatory mask-wearing, curfews, and later, mandatory vaccination, aimed at fostering compliance with public health preventive measures. This paper examines how Ugandan leaders applied transformational leadership skills to manage public attitudes and behaviours during the COVID-19 crisis, focusing on their ability to guide the population effectively. The study also investigates the leader’s reputational trust, particularly examining the consistency with which the president and the health minister used their words and actions to inspire compliance with COVID-19 social and behaviour change (SBC) messages. Using critical discourse analysis, we examine how the two Ugandan leaders used their words and actions to impact the uptake of SBC messages. Findings reveal a significant theoretical linkage between transformational leadership and reputational trust, demonstrating that when both concepts are applied as a risk communication and community engagement strategy, they influence public compliance and favorable engagement during a health crisis. The study highlights the necessity for consistent alignment between leaders’ words and actions to build trust and ensure effective public health interventions. It emphasises the importance of ethical and transparent communication by leaders, illustrating that such practices foster public trust and enhance the overall effectiveness of crisis management strategies. This study contributes to understanding how transformational leadership and reputational trust can improve the management of public health crises  to achieve sustainable social and behavioural change.