Uganda : History | The Commonwealth The Commonwealth Uganda : History History Uganda has a long history, but few records of early settlement, although the country seems to have been inhabited very early. Bantu peoples were engaged in agriculture from 1000 BCE and working in iron can be traced back to about CE 1000. In the fertile south and west, powerful social and political orders developed, including the Bunyoro, Buganda, Busoga, Ankole and Toro kingdoms. In the 17th and 18th centuries, they formed profitable links with the Sudanese slave trade (which dominated the regional economy) and formed alliances among themselves. By the 19th century, the Buganda Kingdom, which was allied to the powerful Shirazis of Zanzibar, gained the ascendancy. Buganda was ruled by Kabaka (traditional kings) whose power was circumscribed by a council of nobles. Buganda’s standing army and well-developed agriculture allowed the kingdom to survive the decline of the slave trade. Various Europeans appeared during the 19th century.

English Protestant and French Catholic missionaries came at the request of Kabaka Mutesa I, and Baganda loyalties split into ‘Franza’, ‘Inglesa’ and Muslim parties. In 1888 the Imperial British East Africa Company set up in Buganda with the Kabaka’s permission, and in 1894 Buganda was declared a British Protectorate. In 1896, protectorate control was extended to Bunyoro, Ankole and Toro, and the British extended Buganda’s administrative system to these societies. Cotton- growing for export, by smallholders, began in 1904. Although control of the country passed to the British Colonial Office in 1905, Uganda was never fully colonised, as non-Africans were not allowed to acquire freeholds. By 1913, with the completion of the Busoga Railway the cotton industry was well established, though it suffered from World War I and the Great Depression of 1932–33. In the 1920s, commercial production of coffee and sugar began. After World War II, high prices of coffee and cotton brought an economic boom.

The gradual transfer of power to the local people began in 1921, when a legislative and an executive council were set up. By 1955, half the membership of the legislative council were Africans, a party political system was developing and the executive council was developed into a ministerial system. In 1961 a general election returned Benedicto Kiwanuka’s Democratic Party. In 1962 Uganda became internally self-governing, with Kiwanuka as first Prime Minister. However, the general election of April 1962 returned Milton Obote’s Uganda People’s Congress (UPC). Uganda became fully independent in October 1962 and joined the Commonwealth. The Kabaka of Buganda, Sir Edward Mutesa (Kabaka Mutesa II), became the first (non-executive) President in 1963. Milton Obote abrogated the 1962 constitution in 1966 and in 1967 the country became a unitary republic. The kingdoms were abolished and the President became head of the executive as well as head of state.

(The kingdoms were restored in 1993, and the 1995 constitution has a provision on traditional leaders.) Obote remained in power until January 1971, when a military coup was staged by former paratroop sergeant Idi Amin Dada. At first very popular, Amin moved quickly into a brutal authoritarianism. Under his orders, the authorities expelled Uganda’s Asian community in 1972 and seized their property; they expropriated the property of the Jewish community, and terrorised intellectuals, destroying such symbols of ‘intellectual’ status as possession of books, spectacles and chess sets. Public order rapidly deteriorated, and murder, destruction of property, looting and rape became hallmarks of the regime. Amin declared himself President-for-life and, in 1978, invaded the United Republic of Tanzania’s northern territories. Tanzania, which had long opposed Amin’s regime, took this for a declaration of war. Supported by the Uganda National Liberation Front (UNLF, exiled Ugandans), the United Republic of Tanzania army marched into Uganda. Kampala was taken in April 1979, but Amin escaped and fled the country.

Professor Yusuf Lule, a former Commonwealth Assistant Secretary-General and Chairman of UNLF, became President for two months, and was then replaced by Godfrey Binaisa who was himself replaced a year later in 1980 by a Military Commission led by Paulo Muwanga, which organised elections in December that year. Commonwealth and other observers were present. The elections returned Dr Obote’s UPC and were disputed. Obote was unable to restore economic and political stability to the devastated country, and the government became bogged down in fighting the National Resistance Army (NRA), led by Yoweri Museveni. The NRA had launched a protracted bush struggle in 1981 after accusing the government of rigging the 1980 elections. Obote was overthrown by his own Uganda National Liberation Army in a coup led by General Tito Lutwa Okello in July 1985, who then became President. However, this did not satisfy the NRA and its allies. The NRA occupied Kampala in January 1986. Okello’s government was ousted and Museveni became President, with Dr Samson Kisekka as Prime Minister and a broad-based cabinet of civilians.

Civil war continued in the north, and the first three years of the new regime were dogged by continuing instability in the region. Museveni and the National Resistance Movement (NRM) took over a country in which conflict had resulted in one million deaths, two million refugees, more than 500,000 seriously injured people, and ruin of the economy and physical infrastructure. The NRM governed the country through a National Resistance Council (NRC) which functioned as a parliament. After elections in 1989 based on universal adult suffrage, 8,096 village resistance councils were set up. Museveni sought democratic structures based on a non-party democracy, rather than a multiparty system, to avoid reviving the ethnic divisions which had so prolonged the civil war. Political party activities were suspended, though party structures were not made illegal. Elections under the ‘movement system’ (see Constitution) were held in May and June 1996 (presidential and parliamentary) and June 1998 (local government). Museveni was returned as President with 75 per cent of the votes.

The national assembly of 276 members, sitting as individuals (although many of them with known political affiliations), was formed in July 1996. In June 2000, as required by the constitution, a referendum was held on the movement system and 91 per cent of voters supported its continuation; voter turnout was 47 per cent. In the presidential election in March 2001, Museveni took 69 per cent of the votes to win a further five-year term. Though the result was decisive, the election had been vigorously contested between Museveni and a former NRM colleague, Dr Kizza Besigye (28 per cent). In the parliamentary elections in June 2001, more than 50 members were defeated – including ten cabinet ministers. After 20 years of conflict along the country’s northern border, abduction of more than 20,000 children and displacement of some two million people, a ceasefire between the Uganda Government and the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) – a rebel group led by Joseph Kony – came into force on 29 August 2006.

The truce opened the way for peace talks in Juba, mediated by the Government of Southern Sudan. With only intermittent minor skirmishes the ceasefire was maintained until June 2007, when the Uganda Government reached agreement with the LRA on a roadmap for long-term peace, reconciliation and accountability. Uganda gains independence | South African History Online South African History Online Uganda gains independence Tuesday, 9 October 1962 The East African country Uganda gained independence from Great Britain as a parliamentary democratic monarchy with traditional kingdoms Ankole, Buganda, Bunyoro and Toro receiving federal status and a degree of autonomy. Buganda, under the leadership of Sir Edward Mutesa, was the most powerful kingdom. Milton Obote the leader of the socialist Uganda People's Congress (UPC) became the first prime minister of the newly independent Uganda. In 1963 Uganda became the Republic of Uganda, with Mutesa II as first (largely ceremonial) president. References: Uganda: Maps, History, Geography, Government, Culture, Facts, Guide & Travel/Holidays/Cities Getting Closer to Capturing Kony Geography Uganda, twice the size of Pennsylvania, is in East Africa.

It is bordered on the west by Congo, on the north by the Sudan, on the east by Kenya, and on the south by Tanzania and Rwanda. The country, which lies across the equator, is divided into three main areas—swampy lowlands, a fertile plateau with wooded hills, and a desert region. Lake Victoria forms part of the southern border. Government Multiparty democractic republic. History About 500 B.C. Bantu-speaking peoples migrated to the area now called Uganda. By the 14th century, three kingdoms dominated, Buganda (meaning "state of the Gandas"), Bunyoro, and Ankole. Uganda was first explored by Europeans as well as Arab traders in 1844. An Anglo-German agreement of 1890 declared it to be in the British sphere of influence in Africa, and the Imperial British East Africa Company was chartered to develop the area. The company did not prosper financially, and in 1894 a British protectorate was proclaimed. Few Europeans permanently settled in Uganda, but it attracted many Indians, who became important players in Ugandan commerce. Uganda became independent on Oct. 9, 1962.

Sir Edward Mutesa, the king of Buganda (Mutesa II), was elected the first president, and Milton Obote the first prime minister, of the newly independent country. With the help of a young army officer, Col. Idi Amin, Prime Minister Obote seized control of the government from President Mutesa four years later. A Brief History of Uganda A SHORT HISTORY OF UGANDA By Tim Lambert The British in Uganda In 1875 the explorer Henry Stanley reached Uganda. At that time Uganda was divided into kingdoms. Shortly afterwards the first missionaries came to Uganda. The first Anglican missionaries arrived in Uganda in 1877. The first Roman Catholic missionaries arrived in 1879. Catholics, Protestants and Muslims all tried to convert the Ugandans. However there was much hostility to the new religions. In 1885 James Hannington the first bishop of Eastern Equatorial Africa was murdered. Nevertheless in the wake of missionaries came trade. In 1888 the British government gave the British East Africa Company control of Uganda. Meanwhile the European powers decided to divide up Africa among themselves.

In 1890 Germany and Britain signed an agreement confirming that Uganda was in the British sphere of influence. Gradually the company took control of Uganda and the local chiefs were reduced to being puppet rulers. Finally in 1894 the British government made Uganda a protectorate (colony). However the traditional chiefs were kept as puppets. In 1904 cotton was introduced to Uganda and by 1914 huge amounts of cotton were being exported. Moreover in the 1920s large amounts of tea and coffee were grown in Uganda. Meanwhile the missionaries provided schools for Ugandans and literacy became increasingly common. In 1920 executive and legislative councils were formed in Uganda. The country continued to develop and in 1929 a railway joined Toror and Soroti. During World War II Uganda exported wood for the war effort. However the Ugandans were becoming restive. Riots took place in 1945 and in 1949. Yet in 1945 the first 3 Africans were appointed to the legislative council. In 1950 the number of African members was increased to 8.

Furthermore after World War II the governor Sir John Hall (1944-1951) promoted mining in Uganda. In 1954 a hydroelectric plant was opened at the Owen Falls on the Nile. Meanwhile coffee and cotton exports boomed. A census in 1948 showed there were almost 5 million African Ugandans, almost 37,000 Asians and less than 3,500 Europeans. (From the end of the 19th century many Asians migrated to Uganda and they formed a middle class of traders and shopkeepers between the natives and the whites). Uganda Becomes Independent Yet a 'wind of change' was blowing through Africa in the early 1960s and Uganda became independent from Britain on 9 October 1962. The first constitution was federalist. The first president of Uganda was Mutesa, King of Buganda and the first prime minister was Milton Obote. However Milton Obote had no intention of sharing power with the president. In 1966 he staged a coup and the president fled abroad. Obote became dictator.

However in January 1971 when Obote was in Singapore attending a meeting Idi Amin staged a coup. Amin turned out to be one of the worst tyrants of the 20th century. The number of people he murdered was at least 100,000 and possible many more. Apart from those Ugandans who were shot others were tortured to death or bludgeoned to death with sledgehammers or iron bars. Amin also decided to help himself to the Ugandan Asian's wealth. There were about 70,000 Asians in Uganda in 1972 many of them shopkeepers and businessmen. Amin gave them 90 days to leave the country. They were forced to leave most of their property behind and it was shared among Amin's cronies. However as a result of the loss of the Asian's skills and the murders of many professional Ugandans the economy collapsed. Infrastructure such as roads and water supply deteriorated. In order to distract attention from the terrible economic situation in Uganda Amin decided to invade Tanzania on 30 October 1978. However the war turned into a disaster for Amin.

Early in 1979 the Tanzanians invaded Uganda and Amin's forces fled. Unfortunately Amin was never brought to justice for his terrible crimes. He fled abroad and died in 2003. After the war elections were held and Obote became prime minister again. However the election was rigged so Obote's opponents formed a guerrilla army to fight him. It was called the National Resistance Army and soon it controlled a large part of western Uganda. Meanwhile Obote attempted to make himself a dictator once again. He introduced a repressive regime, imprisoning anyone who opposed him and muzzling the press. Western journalists were expelled from Uganda. However the National Resistance Army took more and more territory. Finally in 1986 they entered the capital and took over all of Uganda apart from parts of the north. Yet Obote's supporters in the north were eventually persuaded to lay down their arms. With the return of political stability economic growth began again in Uganda and during the 1990s Uganda prospered. Many of the Asians who had fled to Britain were persuaded to return to Uganda. However Yoweri Museveni the new president refused to allow political parties until 2005.

Uganda in the 21st Century Today Uganda is still mainly an agricultural country and its main export is coffee. Yet the economy of Uganda is growing steadily and there is every reason to be optimistic about its future. Today the population of Uganda is 37 million. Apollo Milton Obote facts, information, pictures | Encyclopedia.com articles about Apollo Milton Obote 1925-2005 Ugandan politician A leader in the movement for Ugandan independence in the 1960s, Apollo Milton Obote presided over the withdrawal of the British colonial government in 1962 and became the country's first prime minister and later, its first president. Despite bold moves to improve Uganda's economy and modernize the country, Obote was not able to resolve tribal conflicts that threatened Ugandan unity, and in 1971 he was deposed in a coup led by Idi Amin, whose despotic eight-year-rule was marked by blatant human rights violations. In 1979, the Tanzanian military overthrew Amin, and in 1980 Obote was re-elected president. Conditions in Uganda only grew worse under Obote's second administration.

He continued Amin's brutal tactics against guerilla forces that opposed him. He also ordered the slaughter of civilians; an estimated 300,000 civilians were killed between 1981 and 1985, when Obote was ousted in another coup. Obote fled to Zambia, where he was granted political asylum and lived in comfort until his death in 2005. Drawn to Revolutionary Politics The third of nine children, Obote was born in the Apac district of northern Uganda. Because his father, a farmer, was a minor chieftain of the Lango tribe, Obote believed himself destined to become a leader and often proclaimed that "I was born of a ruling family." The young Obote attended missionary schools before entering Makerere University College in the capital city, Kampala, in 1948. After being expelled for leading a student strike, Obote finished his degree as a correspondence student. Obote worked odd jobs as a laborer and a salesman in the southern Ugandan region of Buganda and then moved to Kenya, which was in the throes of a violent uprising against British rule that became known as the Mau Mau emergency.

Obote joined the Kenya National Union, a political organization led by accused Mau Mau instigator (and later, first prime minister and president of independent Kenya) Jomo Kenyatta. Here Obote learned political skills that would help him go on to play a central role in the struggle for Ugandan independence. Britain had ruled Uganda as a protectorate since 1894. Under this arrangement, Uganda—a sovereign but relatively small and vulnerable nation—signed a treaty accepting Britain as its protector. This meant that Britain provided diplomatic and military protection, organized government administrative functions, and imposed taxes. Many British policies benefited the Baganda, the largest ethnic group in Uganda, whose homeland of Buganda was a separate kingdom within Ugandan territory. But the British also favored Indian immigrants in Uganda, giving them a monopoly in the lucrative business of cotton ginning. By the early twentieth century, Ugandans were demanding an end to these and other policies that created division and injustice, and were growing increasingly impatient for full independence. After the end of World War II, Britain began planning the formal end of the protectorate. Created Alliances and Enemies On returning to Uganda, Obote focused his energies on political organizing.

Of central importance was the need to reach out to traditional tribal leaders to bridge the divides among them and gain their political support. In 1955 Obote formed the Uganda People's Congress (UPC), which attempted to draw Uganda's various tribal interests together so that separate factions would not threaten the country's unity on the eve of independence. In 1958 Obote joined the Uganda legislative council, continuing to forge tribal alliances that would ensure a UPC victory in the country's first independent election, scheduled for 1962. Eager not to alienate the powerful and influential Baganda, Obote made a deal: if they voted for the UPC, he would see to it that their king, Edward Mutesa II (known as King Freddy) would become president—a largely ceremonial post—while Obote himself would take the more powerful position as prime minister. Obote's bargain paid off, and in 1962 he was sworn in as Uganda's first prime minister, under President Mutesa. Relations between Mutesa and Obote, however, did not go smoothly. Mutesa continued to push for recognition of Buganda as a separate kingdom—an aim that Obote thoroughly rejected.

At the same time, Obote angered other tribal leaders by pushing an economic agenda that was strongly pro-communist and that weakened their own governing powers. In 1966, amid accusations of involvement in an illegal gold smuggling ring, Obote suspended Uganda's constitution and declared himself president, with almost absolute powers. When Mutesa strenuously objected, calling this move illegal, Obote exiled him to England, where he died in 1969. Many Buganda never forgave Obote for removing their beloved king and for abolishing the traditional powers of Uganda's tribal leaders. Uganda experienced a short period of political stability and economic growth in the late 1960s. In 1969 Obote announced a Common Man's Charter, which promoted classic socialist ideals such as workers' ownership of the means of production. This move immediately alienated western powers, who feared that Uganda, like some other newly-independent African nations, would form a strong alliance with the Soviet Union. In fact, Uganda followed a policy of nonalignment; its relations with the Soviet Union were friendly but not extensive or deep.

Obote's policies, as described by Julian Marshall in the Guardian, were "a diluted form of socialism" that sought "substantial, but not majority, shareholding in foreign-owned businesses"—not the full-scale nationalization that was feared. Nor did Obote intend to decree such measures on his own—he expected to let Ugandans vote for his policies. Nevertheless, according to Marshall, Obote was seen by western countries as a kind of "socialist ogre of the emerging independent Africa." Deposed by Amin In 1971, while attending a conference of prime ministers in Singapore, Obote was overthrown by General Idi Amin and sought refuge in Tanzania. Many Ugandans supported this coup at first, but Amin's brutal tactics soon made him a hated tyrant. During Amin's eight-year rule, an estimated 500,000 Ugandans were tortured and killed. Obote repeatedly denounced Amin, gaining political support from the many thousands of Ugandans who fled Amin's regime for exile in Tanzania. In 1979 Tanzanian troops entered Uganda and deposed Amin, paving the way for Obote to resume power.

A general election in 1980 gave the presidency to Obote, but most observers believed the voting to have been rigged. Once in power again, Obote ordered Uganda's National Liberation Army to conduct a brutal campaign against the those who opposed him—chiefly the Buganda, the Acholi, and the especially the National Resistance Army, a guerilla movement in the western part of the country led by Yoweri Museveni. The National Liberation Army destroyed entire villages, killing thousands of civilians with impunity. Atrocities against civilians in the Luwero Triangle, a region north of Kampala, were especially notorious. Local officials reported that government forces killed between 100,000 and 200,000 civilians there, and detained and tortured several thousand others. At least 150,000 refugees from the region were forced to flee to International Red Cross refugee camps. At a Glance … Born on December 28, 1925, in Akokoro, Uganda; died on October 10, 2005, in Johannesburg, South Africa; married Miria Obote; four children.

Education: Attended Makerere University College, Kampala, Uganda, 1948-1950; completed his education through correspondence courses. Career: Uganda National Congress, founder, 1955; Uganda legislative council, member, 1958-62; prime minister of Uganda, 1962-66; president of Uganda, 1966-71, 1980-85. Obote was accused of imprisoning and torturing his political enemies and restricting basic freedoms throughout the country, making Uganda into a virtual police state. During his second administration, Uganda had one of the worst human rights records in the world. Makerere University law professor Sylvia Tamale, a teenager at the time, explained in a memoir published in African Gender Institute Newsletter that roadblocks, thievery, and rape were common throughout the country in the early 1980s. "Apart from the gang rapes that happened routinely in the war zone," she wrote, "there were many more horrendous stories: tales of mothers who were raped in full view of their children before being bludgeoned to death.

Stories of machete-wielding soldiers who split open the bellies of pregnant women at roadblocks, ‘to find hidden rebels!’" Tamale also described roadblocks where "the infamous ‘panda gari’ exercises usually happened. An impromptu roadblock would be mounted with a big truck by the roadside, onto which young men would be ordered to climb. The men would then be taken to various frontlines in the war zone and literally turned into cannon fodder. Very few ever rejoined their families." In all, an estimated 300,000 Ugandan civilians died during this conflict. According to some analysts, the brutality of Obote's regime was even worse than Amin's record. Ousted in second coup By 1985 factions within Obote's own army strongly opposed him, and they organized a coup that July. Obote fled to Kenya and then found permanent refuge in Zambia. Museveni took over as president of Uganda. Though many Ugandans believed Obote would eventually return, Museveni warned him that if he did so he would face criminal prosecution for the deaths of thousands who had perished during his regime in the 1980s.

Obote lived comfortably in Zambia for 20 years. He died at age 80 on October 10, 2005, in Johannesburg, South Africa, where he had been hospitalized for treatment of kidney disease. To the surprise of many Ugandans, President Museveni ordered a state funeral for the deposed leader. "We reviewed the turbulent history of Uganda and we saw the need for reconciliation," Museveni said in remarks reported by BBC News. For some Ugandans, Obote was a champion of independence whose downfall was due mostly to external forces beyond his control, or to the policies of subordinates who acted without his authority. For others, however, he remains the architect of corruption and misrule that almost tore Uganda apart and left lasting scars on a country struggling to find its place in a rapidly modernizing world. Sources Ingham, Kenneth, Obote: A Political Biography, Routledge, 1994. Periodicals New York Times, October 11, 2005, p. 9. Washington Post, October12, 2005, p. B6.

On-line "‘Duka-Duka!’: Memories of the Ugandan Civil War," African Gender Institute, (September 10, 2007). "Government of Uganda—Past Leaders," My Uganda, (September 10, 2007). "Ugandans Mourn at Obote's Funeral," BBC News, (September 10, 2007). Cite this article Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. MLA BIBLIOGRAPHY Apollo Milton Obote became the first prime minister of Uganda when the country gained independence in 1962. He later served as Uganda’s president from 1966 to 1971 and 1980 to 1985. Obote was born in the village of Akokoro in northern Uganda, and received his education in his home district of Lango, at Gulu High School in Busoga, and at Makerere University College in Kampala . Over time, Obote developed into an astute and progressive Ugandan nationalist.

Overthrown by Idi Amin (1925–2003) in a military coup in January 1971, Obote went into exile for eight years in Tanzania . But he returned to Uganda in 1980 and was elected for a second term as president, only to be overthrown in yet another coup staged by Ugandan military officers Tito Okello (1914–1996) and Bazilio Okello (1929–1990) in July 1985. Obote again went into exile, this time in Zambia , where he died in October 2005 at the age of eighty. Obote’s demise brought to an end a long, colorful, and controversial political career spanning nearly half a century. During his first term as Uganda’s leader, Obote supported domestic nation-building, a concept he understood to include a quickened pace of progress toward national unity in the face of Uganda’s deep social cleavages. Obote also called for economic and social transformation to uproot what he saw as the evil trinity of poverty, ignorance, and disease.

On the international scene, Obote stood for East African cooperation, Pan-Africanism, and Uganda’s active participation in world affairs. Obote managed Uganda’s external relations successfully, with the exception of a falling out with the United Kingdom in 1971 over Britain ’s sale of military arms to apartheidera South Africa . During Obote’s tenure, Uganda became not only a respected, albeit small, member of the community of nations, but the country also benefited from its membership in numerous international institutions and the acquisition of new trade and development partners. But in the domestic sphere, Obote’s performance was mixed. He began well, with a remarkable record of achievements in education, health, agriculture, and the building of infrastructure. In general, government was managed on a pluralist or multiparty basis, with keen constitutional oversight, as evidenced by the numerous challenges to government actions that were presented to the courts. The situation began to deteriorate with Obote’s handling of the so-called Lost Counties of Bunyoro, a part of Uganda that Britain had handed over to the kingdom of Buganda at the beginning of its period of colonial rule.

Following a referendum, Obote returned these regions to Bunyoro, despite stiff opposition from Edward Mutesa (1924–1969), Uganda’s ceremonial head of state and the kabaka of Buganda. After a furious confrontation that culminated in the Battle of Mengo in May 1966, Mutesa fled into exile in the United Kingdom. Triumphant, Obote moved forward with a radical overhaul of the country’s political system. He abolished monarchism and federalism under his new republican constitution of 1967. Shortly thereafter, he declared what has been called his “move to the Left” by introducing socialist principles and work methods to guide the country’s development. Finally, he declared that his party, the Uganda People’s Congress (UPC), was the only legitimate party. In the course of this overhaul, however, Obote failed to give adequate attention to the army, and in the end it was his military commanders, first Idi Amin and later Tito Okello and Bazilio Okello, who booted him from power.

In his second term as president, Obote was an older and more mellowed politician, made perhaps wiser by the trials and vicissitudes of life in exile. He left behind the political excesses of his first term, including his commitment to socialism and to a one-party system, and he accepted the aid of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund toward the recovery of Uganda’s economy, which was left shattered after the reign of Idi Amin. By the time the two Okello generals staged yet another military coup, positive results had begun to be registered. Nevertheless, during Obote’s second administration, the country’s sharp social cleavages, particularly between the Bantu and Nilotic ethnicities and north/south regionalism, became politically relevant, and led to civil war. Obote’s management of this conflict has been a major blot on his record, not just for his inability to resolve it quickly but because of the large number of civilian deaths and the human rights abuses that occurred. Rendered helpless as an exile in Zambia, the blame for all of these issues was laid at his feet by his chief antagonist during the conflict, Yoweri Museveni, who became president of Uganda in 1986.

Obote died just as he was shaping his response to these accusations. Obote is survived by his political party, the UPC, and a large body of supporters in Uganda and elsewhere, who will, no doubt, contribute to a more profound appreciation or critique of his long political career. SEE ALSO Amin, Idi; Kenyatta, Jomo; Museveni, Yoweri BIBLIOGRAPHY Adoko, Akena. 1983. From Obote to Obote. New Delhi: Vikas. Gingyera-Pinycwa, A. G. G. 1976. Issues in Pre-Independence Politics in Uganda, 1952–62. Nairobi, Kenya: East African Literature Bureau. Gingyera-Pinycwa, A. G. G. 1978. Apollo Milton Obote and His Times. New York: NOK. Ingham, Kenneth. 1994. Obote: A Political Biography. London and New York: Routledge. Karugire, Samwiri Rubaraza. 1996. The Roots of Instability in Uganda. 2nd ed. Kampala, Uganda: Fountain Publishers.

Milton Obote: My Story. 2005. Obote Focus (a series of articles by various authors.) Daily Monitor. Museveni, Yoweri Kaguta. 1997. Sowing the Mustard Seed: The Struggle for Freedom and Democracy in Uganda. Ed. Elizabeth Kanyogonya and Kevin Shillington. London: Macmillan. Mutesa, Edward. 1967. Desecration of My Kingdom. London: Constable. Mutibwa, Phares Mukasa. 1992. Uganda since Independence: A Story of Unfulfilled Hopes. Trenton, NJ: Africa World Press. Obote, Apollo Milton. 1969. The Common Man’s Charter. Kampala, Uganda: Consolidated Printers. A. G. G. Gingyera-Pinycwa Uganda: Background | Global Exchange Uganda: Background History Uganda became independent on Oct. 9, 1962. Sir Edward Mutesa, the king of Buganda (Mutesa II), was elected the first president, and Milton Obote the first prime minister, of the newly independent country.

With the help of a young army officer, Col. Idi Amin, Prime Minister Obote seized control of the government from President Mutesa four years later. On Jan. 25, 1971, Colonel Amin deposed President Obote. Obote went into exile in Tanzania. Amin expelled Asian residents and launched a reign of terror against Ugandan opponents, torturing and killing tens of thousands. In 1976, he had himself proclaimed "President for Life." In 1977, Amnesty International estimated that 300,000 may have died under his rule, including church leaders and recalcitrant cabinet ministers. After Amin held military exercises on the Tanzanian border in 1978, angering Tanzania's president, Julius Nyerere, a combined force of Tanzanian troops and Ugandan exiles loyal to former president Obote invaded Uganda and chased Amin into exile in Saudi Arabia in 1979. After a series of interim administrations, President Obote led his People's Congress Party to victory in 1980 elections that opponents charged were rigged.

On July 27, 1985, army troops staged a coup and took over the government. Obote fled into exile. The military regime installed Gen. Tito Okello as chief of state. The National Resistance Army (NRA), an anti-Obote group led by Yoweri Museveni, kept fighting after it had been excluded from the new regime. It seized Kampala on Jan. 29, 1986, and Museveni was declared president. Museveni has transformed the ruins of Idi Amin and Milton Obote's Uganda into an economic miracle, preaching a philosophy of self-sufficiency and anticorruption. Western countries have flocked to assist him in the country's transformation. Nevertheless, it remains one of Africa's poorest countries. A ban on political parties was lifted in 1996, and the incumbent Museveni won 72% of the vote, reflecting his popularity due to the country's economic recovery. In July 2005, parliament amended the constitution to eliminate term limits, thus allowing President Museveni another term in office. In August, a multi party political system was re instituted after a 19-year absence. In Feb.

2006, Museveni was reelected with 59% of the vote. Uganda's 18-year-long battle against the brutal Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), an extremist rebel group based in Sudan, showed signs of abating in Aug. 2006, when the rebels agreed to declare a truce. Between 8,000 and 10,000 children have been abducted by the LRA to form the army of "prophet" Joseph Kony, whose aim was to take over Uganda and run it according to his vision of Christianity. The boys are turned into soldiers and the girls into sex slaves. Up to 1.5 million people in northern Uganda have been displaced because of the fighting and the fear that their children will be abducted. Kony and three other LRA leaders have been indicted on charges of crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court. The LRA and the government signed a permanent cease-fire in February 2008. Hopes for formalized peace were dashed in April when Kony failed to show up to sign a landmark agreement.

Uganda: History History History Early History Around 500 B.C., Bantu-speaking people migrated into SW Uganda from the west. By the 14th cent. they were organized in several kingdoms (known as the Cwezi states), which had been established by the Hima. Around 1500, Nilotic-speaking Luo people from present-day E South Sudan settled the Cwezi states and established the Bito dynasties of Buganda (in some Bantu languages, the prefix Bu means state; thus, Buganda means "state of the Baganda people"), Bunyoro, and Ankole. Later in the 16th cent., other Luo-speaking peoples conquered N Uganda, forming the Alur and Acholi ethnic groups. In the 17th cent. the Langi and Iteso migrated into Uganda. During the 16th and 17th cent., Bunyoro was the leading state of S Uganda, controlling an area that stretched into present-day Rwanda and Tanzania.

From about 1700, Buganda began to expand (largely at the expense of Bunyoro), and by 1800 it controlled a large territory bordering Lake Victoria from the Victoria Nile to the Kagera River. Buganda was centrally organized under the kabaka (king), who appointed regional administrators and maintained a large bureaucracy and a powerful army. The Baganda raided widely for cattle, ivory, and slaves. In the 1840s Muslim traders from the Indian Ocean coast reached Buganda, and they exchanged firearms, cloth, and beads for the ivory and slaves of Buganda. Beginning in 1869, Bunyoro, ruled by Kabarega and using guns obtained from traders from Khartoum, challenged Buganda's ascendancy. By the mid-1880s, however, Buganda again dominated S Uganda. European Contacts and Religious Conflicts In 1862, John Hanning Speke , a British explorer interested in establishing the source of the Nile, became the first European to visit Buganda. He met with Mutesa I , as did Henry M. Stanley , who reached Buganda in 1875.

Mutesa, fearful of attacks from Egypt, agreed to Stanley's proposal to allow Christian missionaries (who Mutesa mistakenly thought would provide military assistance) to enter his realm. Members of the British Protestant Church Missionary Society arrived in 1877, and they were followed in 1879 by representatives of the French Roman Catholic White Fathers; each of the missions gathered a group of converts, which in the 1880s became fiercely antagonistic toward one another. At the same time, the number of Baganda converts to Islam was growing. In 1884, Mutesa died and was succeeded as kabaka by Mwanga, who soon began to persecute the Christians out of fear for his own position. In 1888, Mwanga was deposed by the Christians and Muslims and replaced by his brothers. He regained the throne in 1889, only to lose it to the Muslims again after a few weeks. In early 1890, Mwanga permanently regained his throne, but at the expense of losing much of his power to Christian chiefs.

The Colonial Era During the period in 1889 when Mwanga was kabaka, he was visited by Carl Peters, the German colonialist, and signed a treaty of friendship with Germany. Great Britain grew alarmed at the growth of German influence and the potential threat to its own position on the Nile. In 1890, Great Britain and Germany signed a treaty that gave the British rights to what was to become Uganda. Later that year Frederick Lugard , acting as an agent of the Imperial British East Africa Company (IBEA), arrived in Buganda at the head of a detachment of troops, and by 1892 he had established the IBEA's authority in S Uganda and had also helped the Protestant faction defeat the Roman Catholic party in Buganda. In 1894, Great Britain officially made Uganda a protectorate. The British at first ruled Uganda through Buganda, but when Mwanga opposed their growing power, they deposed him, replaced him with his infant son Daudi Chwa, and began to rule more directly. From the late 1890s to 1918, the British established their authority in the rest of Uganda by negotiating treaties and by using force where necessary.

In 1900 an agreement was signed with Buganda that gave the kingdom considerable autonomy and also transformed it into a constitutional monarchy controlled largely by Protestant chiefs. In 1901 a railroad from Mombasa on the Indian Ocean reached Kisumu, on Lake Victoria, which in turn was connected by boat with Uganda; the railroad was later extended to Jinja and Kampala. In 1902 the Eastern prov. of Uganda was transferred to the British East Africa Protectorate (Kenya) for administrative reasons. In 1904 the commercial cultivation of cotton was begun, and cotton soon became the major export crop; coffee and sugar production accelerated in the 1920s. The country attracted few permanent European settlers, and the cash crops were mostly produced by African smallholders and not on plantations as in other colonies. Many Asians (Indians, Pakistanis, and Goans) settled in Uganda, where they played a leading role in the country's commerce. During the 1920s and 30s the British considerably reduced Buganda's independence.

In 1921 a legislative council for the protectorate was established; its first African member was admitted only in 1945, and it was not until the mid-1950s that a substantial number of seats was allocated to Africans. In 1953, Mutesa II was deported for not cooperating with the British; he was allowed to return in 1955, but the rift between Buganda and the rest of Uganda remained. In 1961 there were three main political parties in Uganda—the Uganda People's Congress (UPC), whose members were mostly non-Baganda; the Democratic party, made up chiefly of Roman Catholic Baganda; and the Kabaka Yekka [Kabaka only] party, comprising only Baganda. An Independent Nation On Oct. 9, 1962, Uganda became independent, with A. Milton Obote , a Lango leader of the UPC, as prime minister. Buganda was given considerable autonomy. In 1963, Uganda became a republic, and Mutesa was elected president. The first years of independence were dominated by a struggle between the central government and Buganda.

In 1966, Obote introduced a new constitution that ended Buganda's autonomy. The Baganda protested vigorously and seemed on the verge of taking up arms when Obote captured the kabaka 's palace at Mengo, forced the kabaka to flee the country, and ended effective Baganda resistance. In 1967 a new constitution was introduced giving the central government—especially the president—much power and dividing Buganda into four districts; the traditional kingships were also abolished. In 1969, Obote decided to follow a leftist course in the hope of bridging the country's ethnic and regional differences through a common social policy. Amin's Reign of Terror In Jan., 1971, Obote, at the time outside the country, was deposed in a coup by Maj. Gen. Idi Amin. Amin was faced with opposition within the army by officers and troops loyal to Obote, but by the end of 1971 he was in firm control. Amin cultivated good relations with the Baganda.

In 1972–73 he initiated severe diplomatic wrangles with the United States and Israel, both of which had provided Uganda with military and economic aid and were now accused of trying to undermine the government. Amin purged the Lango and Acholi tribes and moved against the army. In Aug., 1972, he ordered Asians who were not citizens of Uganda to leave the country, and within three months all 60,000 had left, most of them for Great Britain. Although a small minority, Asians had played a significant role in Ugandan business and finance, and their expulsion hurt the economy. From 1971 to 1973, there were border clashes with Tanzania, partly instigated by exiled Ugandans loyal to Obote, but, in early 1973, Amin and Julius Nyerere, president of Tanzania, reached an agreement that appeared to head off future incidents. Amin's rule became increasingly autocratic and brutal; it is estimated that over 300,000 Ugandans were killed during the 1970s.

His corrupt and arbitrary system of administration exacerbated rifts in the military, which led to a number of coup attempts. Israel conducted a successful raid on the Entebbe airport in 1976 to rescue passengers on a plane hijacked by Palestinian terrorists. Amin's expulsion of Israeli technicians won him the support of Arab nations such as Libya. In 1976, Amin declared himself president for life and Uganda claimed portions of W Kenya; the move was diverted by the threat of a trade embargo. In 1978, Uganda invaded Tanzania in an attempt to annex the Kagera region. The next year Tanzania launched a successful counterinvasion and effectively unified disparate anti-Amin forces under the Uganda National Liberation Front (UNLF). Amin's forces were driven out and Amin himself fled the country. Uganda after Amin Tanzania left an occupation force in Uganda that participated in the looting of Kampala. Yusufu Lule was installed as president but was quickly replaced by Godfrey Binaisa. The UNLF, suffering from internal strife, was swept out of power by Milton Obote and his party, the Uganda People's Congress.

The National Resistance Army (NRA) conducted guerrilla campaigns throughout the country and, following the withdrawal of Tanzanian troops in 1981, attacked former Amin supporters. In the early 1980s, approximately 200,000 Ugandans sought refuge in neighboring Rwanda, Congo, and Sudan. In 1985, a military coup deposed Obote, and Lt. Gen. Tito Okello became head of state. When it was not given a role in the new regime, the NRA continued its guerrilla campaign and took Kampala in 1986, and its leader, Yoweri Museveni , became the new president. He instituted a series of measures, including cutbacks in the civil service and army and privatization of state-owned companies, in a generally successful effort to rebuild the shattered economy. Many former government soldiers who had fled to the north when Museveni came to power formed a rebel force there, and in 1987 they mounted an unsuccessful attack on the new government. The rebels, however, were not crushed.

AIDS became a serious health problem during the 1980s and has continued to claim many lives in Uganda; at the same time, however, the country has had greater success than many other African nations in slowing the spread of the disease. In 1993, Museveni permitted the restoration of traditional kings, including King Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II, the kabaka of the Baganda people, but did not grant the kings political power. In 1994 a constituent assembly was elected; the resulting constitution, promulgated in 1995, legalized and extended a ban on political party activity, although allowing party members to run as independents. In May, 1996, Museveni was easily returned to office in the country's first direct presidential elections. A new parliament, chosen in nonpartisan elections in June of the same year, was dominated by Museveni supporters. In the late 1980s and 90s rebel militias based in Sudan and Congo (Kinshasa) staged intermittent attacks on border areas of Uganda. Fighting with northern rebels, mainly the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), continued into the next decade.

In 2002, after Sudanese officials permitted Ugandan forces to attack rebels bases in Sudan, the conflict intensified, but the army failed to achieve any significant success. Ugandan troops also became involved in ongoing civil unrest in the Congo (then called Zaïre), first (1997) helping rebel groups to oust Mobutu Sese Seko and install Laurent Kabila as president, and then (1998) backing groups who sought to overthrow Kabila. Conflicts also erupted with Rwandan troops in the Congo in 1999. Uganda claimed its only interest was in securing its own borders. In early 2000, Ugandan officials discovered the bodies of nearly 800 people who had died by mass murder and mass suicide; they had been members of the Ugandan millennialist Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God. In May, 2000, new fighting between Rwandan and Ugandan forces in the Congo led to tense relations with Rwanda. In June a referendum was held in which Ugandans could vote for Museveni's "no-party" system or a multiparty democracy.

Museveni argued that Uganda was not ready for political parties, which he said had divided the nation by tribe and religion. Opposition leaders, calling Museveni's system a one-party state, called for a boycott of the referendum. Museveni secured the voters' approval, but by a narrower margin than in 1996; although 88% voted yes, the turnout was only 51%. In the presidential election in Mar., 2001, Museveni was reelected, but his margin of victory was inflated by apparent vote fraud. His popularity was, in part, diminished by discontent with Uganda's intervention in Congo's civil war and signs of corruption in the government. Uganda's forces were largely withdrawn from Congo by the end of 2002, but there was fighting in 2003 between the remaining Ugandan forces and Congolese rebels allied with Rwanda shortly before the last Ugandan troops withdrew. In 2005 the International Court of Justice ruled that Uganda had engaged in human rights abuses while in Congo, and had to pay compensation to Congo for looting by its forces.

Early in 2004 LRA rebels massacred perhaps as many as 200 civilians in N Uganda. The attack prompted a renewed government offensive that achieved some successes against the LRA; late in 2004 there was a brief truce with the LRA. In Oct., 2005, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for LRA leader Joseph Kony in connection with atrocities committed by the LRA. Meanwhile, in July, 2005, voters approved a return to a multiparty system, This time Museveni supported the abandonment of Uganda's "no-party" politics, in part because of international and internal pressure for the change. He also subsequently signed into law a constitutional amendment that eliminated the presidential term limit. In Oct., 2005, Kizza Besigye, a former colonel who had been Museveni's doctor and confidant and who had run against the president in the 2001 election and received almost 30% of the vote, returned to Uganda from self-imposed exile to challenge Museveni again for the presidency.

In November Besigye was arrested on treason and rape charges that his supporters denounced as trumped up to keep him for running against Museveni, who subsequently announced he would seek a third term. The arrest sparked riots and was criticized internationally, including by the African Union's fledgling Pan-African parliament. (Besigye was acquitted of the rape charge in Mar., 2006, and the constitutional court ordered the treason charges dismissed in Oct., 2010.) The campaign was also marred by army attempts to influence the vote in favor of Museveni and other irregularities. Museveni was reelected in Feb., 2006, with 59% of the vote. The results, which were challenged by Besigye's party, were upheld (April) by Uganda's supreme court, which said that the irregularities were not significant enough to have affected the outcome. Talks with the LRA that began in July, 2006, led to an August agreement that called for a cease-fire, for rebels to assemble at camps in S Sudan, and subsequent peace negotiations.

Kony and other LRA leaders, fearing ICC warrants for their arrest, remained in Congo along the Sudan border, and in late September the LRA pulled out of the talks, accusing the Ugandan army of trying to surround the camps. Uganda, on its part, accused LRA forces of violating the agreement by leaving the camps. In late October, Museveni won Congo's agreement to oust the LRA from its camps there, and subsequently Uganda and the LRA signed a new cease-fire agreement that called for buffer zones around the assembly camps. The cease-fire was extended several times, but otherwise the negotiations progressed with difficulty, and the cease-fire was marred by occasional violence. In Feb., 2008, a peace agreement, including a permanent cease-fire, was finally reached with the LRA. It was scheduled to be signed in early April, but a number of issues, including the nature of procedures for trying rebels accused of crimes and whether ICC warrants against LRA leaders would be dismissed, led Kony (who had moved from Congo to the Central African Republic in March) to fail to sign the accord as planned. Subsequently there were signs that the LRA was rearming and recruiting.

In June Uganda, Sudan, and Congo (Kinshasa) agreed to mount a joint offensive against the LRA if the talks failed, while Kony said that he would engage in further negotiations. The ICC warrants remained a sticking point, however. In Sept.–Oct., 2008, there were LRA attacks against villages in NE Congo that led the ICC's prosecutor to once again demand Kony's arrest. In Dec., 2008, after Ugandan rebels based in Congo failed in November to sign a peace agreement with Uganda, Ugandan, Congolese, and South Sudanese forces mounted a joint campaign against the rebels' Congolese bases that lasted until Mar., 2009. Subsequently, Ugandan forces fought LRA that had moved into the Central African Republic, and Ugandan forces continued small-scale anti-LRA operations in the three neighboring countries in subsequent years. In 2012 the African Union announced plans for a regional military force led by Uganda and including Central African, Congolese, and South Sudanese troops to capture Kony.

In Sept., 2009, some of the worst riots in more than two decades occurred in Kampala when the government refused to allow the Baganda king to visit Kayunga, a district that had declared its secession from Buganda, the traditional Baganda kingdom. In November, passage of a land law that strengthened tenants rights was denounced by Bagandan traditional chiefs, who control large tracts of land. Tensions between the government and the Baganda continued into 2010, and were aggravated in March when a fire destroyed the tombs of the Buganda kings. In June, 2010, Kampala suffered two suicide-bomb attacks; mounted by hardline Somali Islamists, they were in retaliation for the presence of Ugandan peacekeeping troops in Somalia. In the Feb., 2011, presidential election Museveni's primary challenger was again Besigye. The president was reelected with 68% of the vote in an election marred by some irregularities; Besigye again accused the ruling party of fraud, and subsequently mounted recurring protests against Museveni's government.

In 2013, the parliament enacted legislation that gave officials increased powers to limit and disperse public political gatherings. Sections in this article: Uganda profile - Timeline - BBC News Uganda profile - Timeline Close share panel A chronology of key events: 1500 - Bito dynasties of Buganda, Bunyoro and Ankole founded by Nilotic-speaking immigrants from present-day southeastern Sudan. Capital: Kampala City is spread over a series of hills 1890: HQ of British colonial administration 1962: Capital of independent Uganda Population: 1.2m 1700 - Buganda begins to expand at the expense of Bunyoro. 1800 - Buganda controls territory bordering Lake Victoria from the Victoria Nile to the Kagera river. 1840s - Muslim traders from the Indian Ocean coast exchange firearms, cloth and beads for the ivory and slaves of Buganda. 1862 - British explorer John Hanning Speke becomes the first European to visit Buganda. 1875 - Bugandan King Mutesa I allows Christian missionaries to enter his realm. British influence 1877 - Members of the British Missionary Society arrive in Buganda.

1879 - Members of the French Roman Catholic White Fathers arrive. 1890 - Britain and Germany sign treaty giving Britain rights to what was to become Uganda. 1892 - Imperial British East Africa Company agent Frederick Lugard extends the company's control to southern Uganda and helps the Protestant missionaries to prevail over their Catholic counterparts in Buganda. 1894 - Uganda becomes a British protectorate. 1900 - Britain signs agreement with Buganda giving it autonomy and turning it into a constitutional monarchy controlled mainly by Protestant chiefs. 1902 - The Eastern province of Uganda transferred to the Kenya. 1904 - Commercial cultivation of cotton begins. 1921 - Uganda given a legislative council, but its first African member not admitted till 1945. Former leader Milton Obote Leader at independence in 1963 Toppled by Idi Amin in 1971 Returned as president in 1980 Ousted in 1985 coup 1958 - Uganda given internal self-government. 1962 - Uganda becomes independent with Milton Obote as prime minister and with Buganda enjoying considerable autonomy.

1963 - Uganda becomes a republic with Buganda's King Mutesa as president. 1966 - Milton Obote ends Buganda's autonomy and promotes himself to the presidency. 1967 - New constitution vests considerable power in the president. Idi Amin years 1971 - Milton Obote toppled in coup led by Army chief Idi Amin. 1972 - Amin orders Asians who were not Ugandan citizens - around 60,000 people - to leave the country. 1972-73 - Uganda engages in border clashes with Tanzania. 1976 - Idi Amin declares himself president for life and claims parts of Kenya. 1978 - Uganda invades Tanzania with a view to annexing Kagera region. 1979 - Tanzania invades Uganda, unifying the various anti-Amin forces under the Uganda National Liberation Front and forcing Amin to flee the country; Yusufu Lule installed as president, but is quickly replaced by Godfrey Binaisa. 1980 - Binaisa overthrown by the army. Milton Obote becomes president after elections.

1985 - Obote deposed in military coup and is replaced by Tito Okello. 1986 - National Resistance Army rebels take Kampala and install Yoweri Museveni as president. Beginnings of recovery 1993 - Museveni restores the traditional kings, including the king of Buganda, but without political power. 1995 - New constitution legalises political parties but maintains the ban on political activity. 1996 - Museveni returned to office in Uganda's first direct presidential election. 1997 - Ugandan troops help depose Mobutu Sese Seko of Zaire, who is replaced by Laurent Kabila. 1998 - Ugandan troops intervene in the Democratic Republic of Congo on the side of rebels seeking to overthrow Kabila. 2000 - Ugandans vote to reject multi-party politics in favour of continuing Museveni's "no-party" system. 2001 January - East African Community (EAC) inaugurated in Arusha, Tanzania, laying groundwork for common East African passport, flag, economic and monetary integration. Members are Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya.

2001 March - Uganda classifies Rwanda, its former ally in the civil war in DR Congo, as a hostile nation because of fighting in 2000 between the two countries' armies in DR Congo. Museveni wins another term in office, beating his rival Kizza Besigye by 69% to 28%. Campaign against rebels 2002 March - Sudan, Uganda sign agreement aimed at containing Ugandan rebel group the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), active along common border. 2002 October - Army evacuates more than 400,000 civilians caught up in fight against cult-like LRA which continues its brutal attacks on villages. 2002 December - Peace deal signed with Uganda National Rescue Front (UNRF) rebels after more than five years of negotiations. 2003 May - Uganda pulls out last of its troops from eastern DR Congo. Tens of thousands of DR Congo civilians seek asylum in Uganda. 2004 February - LRA rebels slaughter more than 200 people at a camp for displaced people in the north.

2004 December - Government and LRA rebels hold their first face-to-face talks, but there is no breakthrough in ending the insurgency. 2005 April - Uganda rejects accusations made by DR Congo at the International Court in The Hague. DR Congo says Uganda invaded its territory in 1999, killing citizens and looting. Multi-party politics 2005 July - Parliament approves a constitutional amendment which scraps presidential term limits. Voters in a referendum overwhelmingly back a return to multi-party politics. Image copyright AFP Image caption Lord's Resistance Army leader Joseph Kony 2005 October - International Criminal Court issues arrest warrants for five LRA commanders, including leader Joseph Kony. 2005 November - Main opposition leader Kizza Besigye is imprisoned shortly after returning from exile after a trial in a military court on various charges including treason and illegal possession of firearms. Supporters say the trial was politically motivated, and take to the streets. Mr Besigye is released on bail in January 2006, just ahead of presidential elections.

2005 December - International Court in The Hague rules that Uganda must compensate DR Congo for rights abuses and the plundering of resources in the five years leading to 2003. 2006 February - President Museveni wins multi-party elections, taking 59% of the vote against the 37% share of his rival, Kizza Besigye. EU observers highlight intimidation of Mr Besigye and official media bias as problems. 2006 August - The government and the LRA sign a truce aimed at ending their long-running conflict. Subsequent peace talks are marred by regular walk-outs. 2006 November - Government rejects a United Nations report accusing the army of using indiscriminate and excessive force in its campaign to disarm tribal warriors in the lawless northeastern region of Karamoja. Somalia role 2007 March - Ugandan peacekeepers deploy in Somalia as part of an African Union mission to help stabilise the country. The UN World Food Programme says it will have to halve food handouts to more than 1 million people displaced by war in the north.

2007 April - Protests over a rain forest explode into racial violence in Kampala, forcing police to protect Asian businesses and a Hindu temple. An Asian man and two other people are killed. 2007 July - Lord's Resistance Army says lack of funds for foreign travel and to reach commanders in remote hideouts will delay peace talks. 2007 August - Uganda and DRCongo agree to try defuse a border dispute. 2007 September - State of emergency imposed after severe floods cause widespread devastation. 2008 February - Government and the Lord's Resistance Army sign what is meant to be a permanent ceasefire at talks in Juba, Sudan. 2008 November - The leader of the Lord's Resistance Army, Joseph Kony, again fails to turn up for the signing of a peace agreement. Ugandan, South Sudanese and DR Congo armies launch offensive against LRA bases. 2009 January - Lord's Resistance Army appeals for ceasefire in face of continuing offensive by regional countries. The UK oil explorer Heritage Oil says it has made a major oil find in Uganda. 2009 March - Ugandan army begins to withdraw from DR Congo, where it had pursued Lord's Resistance Army rebels.

2009 October - Somali Islamists threaten to target Uganda and Burundi after action by African peacekeepers in Somalia kills several civilians. 2009 December - Parliament votes to ban female circumcision. Anyone convicted of the practice will face 10 years in jail or a life sentence if a victim dies. 2010 January - President Museveni distances himself from the anti-homosexuality Bill, saying the ruling party MP who proposed the bill did so as an individual. The European Union and United States had condemned the bill. The Ugandan army says it killed Bok Abudema, a senior commander of the Lord's Resistance Army armed group, in the Central African Republic. 2010 February - Heritage Oil sells its assets in Uganda to the UK firm Tullow Oil after Italian energy company Eni dropped out of the bidding. 2010 June - Public prosecutor opens corruption investigation against Vice-President Gilbert Bukenya, Foreign Minister Sam Kutesa and several other ministers and officials over the alleged theft of $25m.

2010 June-August - Operation Rwenzori against ADF-NALU rebels striving for an Islamic state in Uganda prompts 90,000 to flee in North Kivu province of neighbouring DR Congo. Blasts 2010 July - Two bomb attacks on people watching World Cup final at a restaurant and a rugby club in Kampala kill at least 74 people. The Somali Islamist group Al-Shabab says it was behind the blasts. 2010 August - National Resistance Movement primary elections for parliamentary and local candidates suspended amid irregularities, violence. Image copyright AFP Image caption Opposition leader Kizza Besigye 2010 October - UN report into killing of Hutus in DR Congo between 1993 and 2003 says they may constitute "crimes of genocide". It implicates Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi, Zimbabwe and Angola. 2010 October - Constitutional Court quashes treason charges against opposition leader Kizza Besigye. 2011 February - Museveni wins his fourth presidential election. Challenger Kizza Besigye alleges vote-rigging and dismisses the result as a sham.

2011 April - Kizza Besigye arrested several times over ''walk-to-work'' protests against rising prices. 2011 July - US deploys special forces personnel to help Uganda combat LRA rebels. 2011 September - Court orders release of LRA commander Thomas Kwoyelo, saying he should be given the amnesty on offer from the government. 2012 May - Ugandan Army captures senior LRA commander Caesar Achellam in a clash in the Central African Republic, one of the nearby states in which the remaining band of LRA troops operates. Uganda says this is a major breakthrough, billing Achellam as a top LRA strategist. Tens of thousands of refugees cross into Uganda, fleeing fighting in DR Congo. DR Congo allegations 2012 July - UN accuses Uganda of sending troops into DR Congo to fight alongside the M23 rebel movement, a charge Uganda denies. 2012 November - Uganda announces its intention to withdraw from UN-backed international peacekeeping missions in response to UN accusations that Uganda is arming Congolese rebels. Britain and other European countries halt aid channelled through the Ugandan government amid a scandal involving the alleged theft of donor funds.

2013 February - Eleven countries, including Uganda, sign a UN-mediated agreement pledging not to interfere in DR Congo. 2013 March - Uganda is grouped among the worst offenders in the illegal ivory trade at a meeting of CITES, the body regulating wildlife trade. 2013 May - Government temporarily shuts two newspapers after they published a letter suggesting President Museveni was grooming his son for power. 2013 November - Kampala Council ousts opposition Democratic Party Mayor Erias Lukwago over allegations of incompetence and abuse of office. The Democratic Party accuses the government of engineering the ouster of the opposition's most prominent elected representative. 2013 December - Parliament passes controversial anti-gay bill that increases the punishment for homosexual acts to include life imprisonment. 2014 February - President Museveni signs tough new anti-gay bill into law, drawing criticism from around the world. The World Bank postpones a $90m (£54m) loan to Uganda over the move, and the US imposes sanctions. 2014 July - Nearly 100 people die in clashes involving rival communities and the army in the western Rwenzori region.

2014 September - President Museveni sacks Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi. 2014 December - Renegade General David Sejusa, who fell out with President Museveni, unexpectedly returns from exile. More than 1000 former fighters of the DRCongo rebel group M23 seek asylum in Uganda after government tries to repatriate them. Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Dominic Ongwen is the first suspected member of the Lord's Resistance Army to appear before the International Criminal Court Two Muslim clerics killed by men on motorbikes. Police suspect the Islamist Allied Democratic Forces killed the two for discouraging people from joining the rebels. 2015 January - Dominic Ongwen becomes the first member of the Lord's Resistance Army to appear before the International Criminal Court. 2015 October - The head of Ugandan force in South Sudan says his troops will start withdrawing to make way for a regional force. 2016 February - President Museveni wins re-election against veteran candidate Kizza Besigye, amid opposition, Commonwealth, US and European Union concern about fairness and transparency.

2016 May - US delegation walks out of President Museveni's inauguration in protest at his disparaging comments about the International Criminal Court. 2016 July - Opposition leader Besigye is bailed after being held on treason charges for allegedly declaring himself president after elections. 2016 December - The first Lord's Resistance Army commander to appear before the International Criminal Court at The Hague goes on trial. Dominic Ongwen faces 70 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Question: Who in 1962 became the first Prime Minister of a fully independent Uganda?
Answer: Milton Obote