Lanterna Rally

Author: Godfrey Mwakikagile

Publisher: New Africa Press

Published: 2012

Total Pages: 290

ISBN-13: 9987160379

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.