This post is a brief political history of Uganda after Independence.
Obote First Regime
Uganda was colonized by the British at the onset of the 19th Century. During its colonial days, it was known as the Protectorate of Uganda. The country gained its independence on the 9th of October 1962. Upon its independence, Queen Elizabeth II remained the country’s Head of State, while Apollo Milton Obote became the executive prime minister.
Obote led a coalition government formed by his party; the Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) and Kabaka Yekka (KY). In this arrangement, the leader of the Kabaka Yekka; Edward Muteesa II became the ceremonial president. Edward Muteesa II was then the Kabaka (King) of the Buganda monarch. Since Buganda kingdom was favoured by the British during colonial days, this relationship was bound to fail.
Idi Amin Regime
Post Amin Regime
Yusuf Kironde Lule was the president who replaced Amin on the 13th of April 1979. He was in office for about 2 months (68 days) and was replaced by Godfrey Lukongwa Binaisa on the 20th of June 1979.
Binaisa was appointed as the country’s president by a National Consultative Commission. This was a body coalition of former rebels who had removed Amin. His rule was short too, from the 20th of June 1979. He was in office until the 12th of May 1980. His fall came after he removed David Oyite Ojok, the country’s army chief of staff.
Binaisa was replaced by Paulo Muwanga who became the country’s sixth president. Paulo Muwanga was a president for only 10 days from the 12th of May 1980 to the 22nd of May 1980. Six members Presidential Commission of Uganda replaced Paulo, though he remained its chairman. Other members of the commission were:
- Current Uganda’s President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni
- Major General David Oyite Ojok who had been fired by Binaisa
- Tito Lutwa Okello who would later become the 8th president of Uganda
- Zeddy Maruru, who had served as commander of the Uganda Army Air Force for a short stint during Amin’s Era. He later served as Uganda National Liberation Army Chief of Staff in Okello’s presidency.
- William Omaria
Obote Second Regime
The commission was in office from the 22nd of May to the 15th of December 1980. Uganda’s General elections took place in Uganda on the 10th and the 11th of December 1980 and Obote won the election overwhelmingly becoming a president for a second time.
He was however was disposed of in a coup led by Bazilio Olara-Okello. Obote’s second rule, like his first, was despotic. It is estimated that about 300,000 Ugandan’s lost their lives especially in an area known as the Luweero Triangle.
The Bush War
Museveni launched his Bush Wars from Luweero Triangle which spread throughout Uganda. The Ugandan civil was catastrophic claiming more Ugandan lives to the tune of half a million lost. On the 26th of January 1986, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni’s National Resistance Army captured Kampala, and three days later on the 29th of January 1986, he was sworn in as Uganda’s 9th president. He has been in office since then. His leadership has stabilized the country.
Since Yoweri Kaguta Museveni got into power Uganda has had a stable government. A civil war mainly in the north of the country and secession demand from the Lord’s Resistance Army led by Kony. However, it has stabilized and one of the fastest-growing economies in the region.