Tale of Uganda - Political History

History of Uganda's Politics

Uganda's first general elections were held in 1961, and internal self-government was granted on 1 March 1962, with Benedicto Kiwanuka as prime minister. On attaining independence on 9 October 1962, Kiwanuka had been succeeded by Dr. Milton Obote, leader of the Uganda People's Congress (UPC). In 1963, Uganda became a republic and Mutesa II, the king of Buganda, was named president. Executive power, however, remained with the cabinet and Prime Minister Obote. After several years of conflict between those who favored a centralized state and those who preferred a loose federation with strong roles for tribally based kingdoms, Obote led a coup against the king in February 1966. He suspended the Constitution and assumed all government powers as executive.

In 1967, Obote promulgated a new Constitution, which granted the president greater power, proclaimed Uganda a republic, and abolished the traditional kingdoms. All opposition parties were banned in 1969. In January 1971, Obote was overthrown by the army, led by Major General Idi Amin Dada, who assumed full executive power. In February, Amin dissolved the National Assembly, assumed legislative power, suspended the Constitution, and declared himself head of state. In an "economic war" intended to free Uganda from foreign domination, Amin expelled all Asians, many of whom were engaged in trade and small industry. The next seven years were characterized by brutality virtually unmatched in history, with the ruthless extermination of any suspected opposition and an army which was allowed to trample on civil and human rights with impunity. In November 1978, Amin annexed the Kagera salient from Tanzania, which provoked the 1979 joint invasion of Uganda by Tanzanian troops and the Uganda National Liberation Army (UNLA), an umbrella organization of rebel forces. The invasion force quickly gained control of much of the southern region of Uganda, and Amin's troops capitulated. In April 1979, a Tanzanian assault force entered Kampala. Idi Amin fled to Libya and later to Saudi Arabia where he died in August 2003.

Elections held in 1980 and Milton Obote became president for the second time. Obote was overthrown in a military coup in July 1985. Over the next several months, agreement was reached between exiled opposition groups and the interim government. These talks were opposed by the National Resistance Movement (NRM) and its military wing, the National Resistance Army (NRA), led by Yoweri Museveni. Museveni assumed the presidency when the NRA took over the capital in January 1986. Yoweri  Museveni still continue to be the president.