# Uganda

Uganda, officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by Tanzania. The southern part of the country includes a substantial portion of Lake Victoria, shared with Kenya and Tanzania, situating the country in the African Great Lakes region. Uganda also lies within the Nile basin, and has a varied but generally equatorial climate.

## Quotes

* The pearl of Africa.
** Winston Churchill, Growth Among Uganda’s Diverse People
* Under the umbrella of the International Centre for Religious Advocacy and development (ICAD), leaders of different churches and religions in Uganda have come together to denounce the [National Religious and Faith Organizations Policy] as liberticide. ICAD Director Wisdom Peter Katumba told the media that “The proposed policy is intended to tighten oversight of the clergy and congregations by the government and bring religion under direct political control of the reigning president… Like the Uganda Martyrs, we shall stand strong and firm to the last drop of our blood until the policy is dropped.”
** Massimo Introvigne, "Now, It’s Uganda: Churches Fight New Restrictive Draft Religious Policy", Bitter Winter (June 6, 2024)
** Curator's Note: As explained in "Uganda vs Religious Liberty: An Interview with Scott Morgan" at Bitter Winter, the National Religious and Faith Organizations Policy violates Article 7 of the Ugandan Constitution (which states “The State is mandated to create and to protect one’s chosen faith without fear or prosecution.”) and Article 21 paragraph 2 of the Ugandan Constitution, which codifies the protections defining both equality and non-discrimination.
* The principle of self-determination in Africa has in Uganda proved once more its truth and strength. This principle inspired our own people in their struggle for independence, and we therefore feel a special kinship and pride in welcoming Uganda to the community of free nations. A common devotion to the United Nations Charter will strongly bind our nations in the imperative task of building a just and peaceful world. Uganda's independence strengthens the forces working toward this goal.
** John F. Kennedy; Message to Prime Minister Obote on the Occasion of the Independence of Uganda Online, The American Presidency Project; 8 October 1962
* The problem of Africa in general and Uganda in particular is not the people but leaders who want to overstay in power.
** President Yoweri Museveni quoted in "Would Uganda's Museveni recognise his former self?" BBC News (7 May 2011).
* At the turning-point in the history of Uganda, I hope that all our friends will join with me in bestowing upon the new, independent Uganda our prayers and hopes for peace, prosperity and a growing strength in her now role in international affairs. Uganda has many friends, both within her borders and outside. With the goodwill of all who wish to see her prosper, Uganda will go forward from strength to strength. Let us pause for a moment and look back along the path we have traveled. In the days before this part of the African continent was known to the western world, we became known as a group of peoples who welcomed the traveler, the missionary and the explorer. As the years passed, we reaped the benefit of this friendly nature of ours. The technical progress of the last half-century has transformed our country in countless ways. But, fortunately, we have continued to keep our own customs and culture. It is up to us now, more than ever, in shaping our new country, to achieve a consolidation, in which neither the rapid progress of recent years, nor the age-old customs of our forefathers, are lost or diminished, but rather fused into a new national characteristic in which the best is preserved, while the worst may be thrown away.
** Milton Obote, Quoted on Pan-African-Quotes 1962 Uganda Uganda Independence Speech
* The UK, along with our international partners, will continue to press the government of Uganda to defend human rights for all, without discrimination on any grounds. The UK is in close contact with Ugandan civil society groups and will continue to support their efforts to improve human rights in Uganda.
** British high commission in Kampala, quoted on The Guardian.com, "Gay British man deported from Uganda urges government to help his partner" The Guardian (1 March 2013).

## See also

* Poverty in Uganda

## External links

* Media related to Uganda on Wikimedia Commons
* Encyclopedic article on Uganda on Wikipedia
* Uganda travel guide from Wikivoyage
* The dictionary definition of Uganda on Wiktionary