Uganda Since Independence

A Story of Unfulfilled Hopes An analysis of Uganda's history before independence, and an analysis of the Museveni years.

This work looks at the political transformation and the changes which have taken place in Uganda since the country won independence in October 1962. It is a work of history and political analysis; it is also a comparative study of the governments and regimes the country has had, starting with the democratic dispensation under Prime Minister - later President - Milton Obote that degenerated into authoritarian rule shortly after independence, followed by brutal dictatorship under Idi Amin and the short-lived regimes after his ouster; the return of Obote to the presidency after rigged elections in 1980, a period of conflict including civil war waged by his opponents, especially Yoweri Museveni; the usurpation of power by Museveni in 1986 whose ouster of the short-lived military regime of Tito Okello culminated in the establishment of a "people's government" - "the people are sovereign," Museveni proclaimed on assuming power - but which was essentially authoritarian and quasi-military in nature under his unique political system of no-party democracy; its gradual evolution into a limited form of democracy, including participation of opposition parties in elections years later, although the political landscape continued to be dominated by Museveni's ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) which dictated terms of electoral contests instead of having an independent electoral commission comprising representatives of all political parties and other groups. Among all the East African countries which originally constituted the East African Community (EAC) - Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania - Uganda has had the most turbulent history since independence. The three countries virtually constituted a single community during British colonial rule and after independence when they were linked by economic ties. They had a common market, a common currency, and common services including posts and telecommunications, the East African Airways (EAA), and the East African Railways and Harbours Corporation (EAR&HC) under the auspices of the East African Common Services Organisation (EACSO) based in Kenya's capital Nairobi which became the de-facto capital for the entire region. The EACSO was later transformed into the East African Community (EAC). Arusha, in northern Tanzania, became the capital of the East African Community. Its goals include formation of an East African federation under one government. Uganda emerged from years of civil war, brutal dictatorships including Amin's bloody reign of terror to become one of the most stable and most prosperous countries in the history of post-colonial Africa. Its transformation into a true democracy will be another important milestone not only for the country but for the entire East African region and the whole continent. The book is intended for members of the general public and the academic community. It can be used for regional and development studies and for African studies in general.

This is a political study of Uganda since the seventies. It is also a work of comparative analysis of the leaders who have been the most dominant political figures in the country during the post-colonial era. The leaders are Dr. Milton Obote who led the country to independence in 1962 and who returned to power in 1980 after Idi Amin overthrew him in 1971; Idi Amin who was Uganda's military ruler for eight years until 1979; and Yoweri Museveni who waged guerrilla warfare to seize power in 1986 and who transformed himself into a civilian ruler. Museveni became the longest-ruling Ugandan leader and one of the longest-serving in Africa's post-colonial history. The work also looks at the successes and failures of the three leaders across the spectrum and how they have shaped Uganda's destiny. No other Ugandan leaders have had as much impact on the country as they have had. The book is written in the context of post-colonial analysis in an attempt to provide some solutions to the problems which have dogged the country since independence.

This work is a study of Uganda as a nation during the post-colonial era. The author looks at the problems the country faced during its first years of independence including the constitutional crisis following the abolition of the kingdoms; the demand by the Buganda kingdom for federal status and its refusal to accept a unitary state; the ouster of Kabaka Mutesa II from the presidency and his subsequent exile to Britain; the paradoxical nature of the demand by Buganda kingdom for federal status under a unitary state and of having a hereditary ruler, Mutesa, the king of Buganda, serving as president of a country that was not under a monarchy. He also looks at the difficulties in achieving national unity in a country divided by ethno-regional loyalties including kingdoms and other traditional centres of power; the division between Buganda and the rest of the country; the division between the north inhabited by Nilotic ethnic groups and the south that is predominantly Bantu; the role of the military and security forces, dominated by northerners, especially the Langi and the Acholi, in tilting the balance of power in favour of northern leaders; the 1971 military coup in which President Milton Obote was overthrown and which led to the rise of Idi Amin to power; the reign of terror under Amin; the 1980 general elections which led to the return of Obote to the presidency plunging the country into civil war which came to be known as The Bush War; and the rise of Yoweri Museveni to power and his status as the longest-serving president in the country's post-colonial history. The book is intended for members of the general public who want to learn more about the sociopolitical and economic developments as well as other major events which have taken place in Uganda in the post-colonial era. It is also intended for members of the academic community and can be used as a textbook on Uganda and in African studies in general.

Can the revolutionary government of Yoweri Museveni's National Resistance Movement put Uganda back on the road from decay to development? These informed assessments put the present situation in context. The contributors assembled as Museveni's guerrillas were launching their final bid for power. They have finalized their contributions in the light of the Museveni government's initial period of power. Contributions by Ugandan academics and politicians interlock with those by scholars from across the world who have a concern for Uganda. Historians examine the period of colonialism. There are political studies of the quarter century since independence. There are detailed analyses of the economic realities for the Ugandan government in the period of international debt. The central role of education in national development is given due prominence. Ali A. Mazrui ends the book by asking 'Is Africa Decaying?' The editors have put the consideration of the case of Uganda's recent history within the context of Africa's development crisis. Uganda has presented in an aggravated form the crisis common to many other African countries: infrastructural breakdown, mounting foreign debt, military regimes and waves of refugees.

In the scramble for Africa, Britain took a lion’s share of the continent. It occupied and controlled vast territories, including the Uganda Protectorate – which it ruled for 68 years. Early administrators in the region encountered the progressive kingdom of Buganda, which they incorporated into the British Empire. Under the guise of protection, indirect rule and patronage, Britain overran, plundered and disempowered the kingdom’s traditional institutions. On liquidation of the Empire, Buganda was coaxed into a problematic political order largely dictated from London. Today, 56 years after independence, the kingdom struggles to rediscover itself within Uganda’s fragile politics. Based on newly de-classified records, this book reconstructs a history of the machinations underpinning British imperial interests in (B)Uganda and the personalities who embodied colonial rule. It addresses Anglo-Uganda relations, demonstrating how Uganda’s politics reflects its colonial past, and the forces shaping its future. It is a far-reaching examination of British rule in (B)uganda, questioning whether it was designed for protection, for patronage or for plunder.