HISTORY
When Arab traders moved inland
from their enclaves along the Indian Ocean coast of East Africa
and reached the interior of Uganda in the 1830s, they found several
African kingdoms with well-developed political institutions dating
back several centuries. These traders were followed in the 1860s
by British explorers searching for the source of the Nile River.
Protestant missionaries entered the country in 1877, followed
by Catholic missionaries in 1879.
In 1888, control of the emerging British "sphere of interest" in East Africa was assigned by royal charter to the Imperial British East Africa Company, an arrangement strengthened in 1890 by an Anglo-German agreement confirming British dominance over Kenya and Uganda. In 1894, the Kingdom of Buganda was placed under a formal British protectorate.
Britain granted internal self-government to Uganda in 1961, with the first elections held on March 1, 1961. Benedicto Kiwanuka of the Democratic Party became the first Chief Minister. Uganda maintained its Commonwealth membership. A second round of elections in April 1962 elected members to a new National Assembly. Milton Obote, leader of the majority coalition in the National Assembly, became prime minister and led Uganda to formal independence on October 9, 1962.
In succeeding years, supporters
of a centralized state vied with those in favor of a loose federation
and a strong role for tribally-based local kingdoms. Political
maneuvering climaxed in February 1966, when Prime Minister Milton
Obote suspended the constitution, assumed all government powers,
and removed the president and vice president. In September 1967,
a new constitution proclaimed Uganda a republic, gave the president
even greater powers, and abolished the traditional kingdoms. On
January 25, 1971, Obote's government was ousted in a military
coup led by armed forces commander Idi Amin Dada. Amin declared
himself president, dissolved the parliament, and amended the constitution
to give himself absolute power.
Idi Amin's 8-year rule produced
economic decline, social disintegration, and massive human rights
violations. The Acholi and Langi ethnic groups were particular
objects of Amin's political persecution because they had supported
Obote and made up a large part of the army. In 1978, the International
Commission of Jurists estimated that more than 100,000 Ugandans
had been murdered during Amin's reign of terror; some authorities
place the figure much higher.
In October 1978, Tanzanian
armed forces repulsed an incursion of Amin's troops into Tanzanian
territory. The Tanzanian force, backed by Ugandan exiles, waged
a war of liberation against Amin's troops and Libyan soldiers
sent to help him. On April 11, 1979, Kampala was captured, and
Amin fled with his remaining forces.
After Amin's removal, the
Uganda National Liberation Front formed an interim government
with Yusuf Lule as president. This government adopted a ministerial
system of administration and created a quasi-parliamentary organ
known as the National Consultative Commission (NCC). The NCC and
the Lule cabinet reflected widely differing political views. In
June 1979, following a dispute over the extent of presidential
powers, the NCC replaced Lule with Godfrey Binaisa. In a continuing
dispute over the powers of the interim presidency, Binaisa was
removed in May 1980. Thereafter, Uganda was ruled by a military
commission chaired by Paulo Muwanga. The December 1980 elections
returned the UPC to power under the leadership of President Obote,
with Muwanga serving as vice president. Under Obote, the security
forces had one of the world's worst human rights records. In their
efforts to stamp out an insurgency led by Yoweri Museveni's National
Resistance Army (NRA), they laid waste to a substantial section
of the country, especially in the Luwero area north of Kampala.
Obote ruled until July 27,
1985, when an army brigade, composed mostly of ethnic Acholi troops
and commanded by Lt. Gen. Basilio Olara-Okello, took Kampala and
proclaimed a military government. Obote fled to exile in Zambia.
The new regime, headed by former defense force commander Gen.
Tito Okello (no relation to Lt. Gen. Olara-Okello), opened negotiations
with Museveni's insurgent forces and pledged to improve respect
for human rights, end tribal rivalry, and conduct free and fair
elections. In the meantime, massive human rights violations continued
as the Okello government murdered civilians and ravaged the countryside
in order to destroy the NRA's support.
Negotiations between the Okello government and the NRA were conducted in Nairobi in the fall of 1985, with Kenyan President Daniel Moi seeking a cease-fire and a coalition government in Uganda. Although agreeing in late 1985 to a cease-fire, the NRA continued fighting, seized Kampala in late January 1986, and assumed control of the country, forcing Okello to flee north into Sudan. Museveni's forces organized a government with Museveni as president and dominated by the political grouping called the National Resistance Movement (NRM or the "Movement").
A referendum was held in March 2000 on whether Uganda should retain the Movement system, with limited operation of political parties, or adopt multi-party politics. Although 70% of voters endorsed retention of the Movement system, the referendum was widely criticized for low voter turnout and unfair restrictions on Movement opponents. Museveni was reelected to a second five-year term in March 2001. Parliamentary elections were held in June 2001, and more than 50% of contested seats were won by newcomers. Movement supporters nevertheless remained in firm control of the legislative branch. Observers believed that the 2001 presidential and parliamentary elections generally reflected the will of the electorate; however, both were marred by serious irregularities, particularly in the period leading up to the elections, such as restrictions on political party activities, incidents of violence, voter intimidation, and fraud.
A Constitutional Review Commission (CRC) issued a report proposing comprehensive constitutional change in December 2003. The government, however, took issue with many CRC recommendations and made counter-proposals in September 2004. A July 2005 national referendum resulted in the adoption of a multiparty system of government and the subsequent inclusion of opposition parties in elections and government.
In February 2006, the country held its first multiparty general elections since President Museveni came to power in 1986. The election generally reflected the will of the people, although serious irregularities occurred. Ruling NRM candidate President Museveni was declared the winner with 59.26% of the vote, giving him a third term in office following the passage of a controversial amendment in June 2005 to eliminate presidential term limits. Opposition FDC leader Kizza Besigye captured 37.39% of the vote, while the remaining contestants received less than 2% of the vote each, according to official figures from the Electoral Commission.
