This paper investigates how attitudes towards Luganda among second-language (L2) users in Gulu City, Northern Uganda, shape identity construction. Originally spread from the south-central region through colonial administration and missionary education (Green, 2010), Luganda now occupies a prominent place in Uganda’s multilingual landscape. The study examines how non-native speakers in Gulu use Luganda as a social resource for negotiating identity in a multilingual urban context. Drawing on ethnographic observations and semi-structured interviews, the analysis applies Appraisal Theory (Martin & White, 2005) to explore evaluative language that reveals attitudes, emotions, and social positioning. Data were collected across informal settings, workplaces, and religious gatherings to capture diverse interactions. Findings show that L2 users adopt labels such as Mucholi-Muganda and Mucholi wa Kabaka, reflecting both aspirational affiliation and contested legitimacy. These identities highlight Luganda’s dual role: enabling positive identity affirmation while exposing users to ambivalence, exclusion, and stigma. The study demonstrates how language attitudes reshape ethnic and linguistic identities in contemporary Uganda and calls for broader research on indigenous language ideologies and L2 identity formation in similar contexts.