Yesterday was memorable day that our school children enjoyed celebrating independence at school on an assembly.
The assembly was scheduled to take the whole morning time but all did not work as we had a blessing of rain early morning.
All the pupils were called by ringing our bell.
They all converged in one of the classrooms since the area outside where we normally hold assemblies was ready damp with rain water.
The assembly to celebrate our independence started at 10:34 am Ugandan time.
Classes organised each to forward a member who would sit on as president while some classes forwarded two members for presidence.
Primary seven class admired to represent Museveni for and Amiin for they are the people they think they know no matter what.
Uganda Protectorate 1894 – 1962
Britain granted independence to Uganda in 1962, and the first elections were held on 1 March 1961. Bennict Kiwasnuka of the Democratic Party became the first Chief Minister. Uganda became a republic the following year, maintaining its commonwealth membership.
In succeeding years, supporters of a centralized state vied with those in favour 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 and assumed all government powers, removing the positions of 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.
Uganda under Idi Amin 1971-79
On 25 January 1971, Obote’s government was ousted in a Military Coup led by armed forces commander Idi Amin, Amin declared himself ‘president,’ dissolved the parliament, and amended the constitution to give himself absolute power.
After a military coup in 1971, Obote was deposed from power and the dictator Idi Amin took leadership of the country.
Amin ruled Uganda with the military for the next eight years and carried out mass killings within the country to maintain his rule.
An estimated 300,000 Ugandans lost their lives at the hands of his regime, many of them in the north, which he associated with Obote’s loyalists. Aside from his brutalities, he removed the entrepreneurial Indians from Uganda, which left the country’s economy in ruins.
In 1972, with the so-called “Africanization” of Uganda, 580,000 Asian Indians with British passports left Uganda. Approximately 7000 were invited to settle in Canada; however only a limited number accepted the offer, and the 2006 census reported 3300 people of Ugandan origin in Canada.
Idi Amin’s eight-year rule produced economic decline, social disintegration, and massive human rights violations.
The Acholiand 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.
For children at Kafuro felt very sorry for the tribe where our famous athlete John Akii Bua belonged and other members on the sports team.
Most member of this tribe were killed on either firing directions by the president or went missing meaning they were indirectly killed.
In 1978, International Commission of Justice estimated that more than 100,000 Ugandans had been murdered during Amin’s reign of terror; some authorities place the figure as high as 300,000—a statistic cited at the end of the 2006 movie Last King of Scotland which chronicled part of Amin’s dictatorship.
This film was acted by one of the former witnesses of Amins regime and what geared him to was that most people kept calling him son of Amin as they resembled so much and yet was a film actor.
A border altercation involving Ugandan exiles who had a camp close to the Ugandan border of Mutukula resulted into an attack by the Uganda army into Tanzania.
In October 1978, Tanzanian armed forces repulsed an incursion by Amin’s troops into Tanzanian territory.
The Tanzanian army, backed by Ugandan exiles, waged War against Amin’s troops and the Libyan soldiers sent to help him.
On 11 April 1979 was captured and Amin fled with his remaining forces to Libya
Amin’s reign was ended after Uganda-Tanzania War in 1979, in which Tanzanian forces aided by Ugandan exiles invaded Uganda. This led to the return of Obote, who was deposed again in 1985 by General Titto Okelo.
Okello ruled for six months until he was deposed. This occurred after the so-called Bush war by the National Resistance Army (NRA) operating under the leadership of the current president Yoweri Museven and various rebel groups, including the Federal Democratic Movement of Andrew Kayiira, and another belonging to John Nkwaanga. During the Bush War the army carried out mass killings of non-combatants.
Uganda starting with 1979
After Amin’ removal, the Uganda National Liberation Front formed an interim government with Yusuf Lule as president Jeremiah Opira as the Secretary General of the UNLF.
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 Milton 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’s National Resistance (NRA), they laid waste to a substantial section of the country, especially in the Luwero area north of Kampala.
Obote ruled until 27 July 1985, when an army brigade, composed mostly of ethnic Acholi troops and commanded by Lt. Gen. Bazilio Okello took Kampala and proclaimed a military government. Obote fled to exile in Zambia.
The new regime, headed by former defense force commander Gen Titto 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 carried out a brutal counterinsurgency in an attempt to destroy the NRA’s support.
Acholiland in the north.
Negotiations between the Okello government and the NRA were conducted in Narobi in the fall of 1985, with Kenyan President Daniel Arap Moi seeking a cease-fire and a coalition government in Uganda.
Although agreeing in late 1985 to a cease-fire, the NRA continued fighting, and seized Kampala and the country in late January 1986, forcing Okello’s forces to flee north into Sudan.
Museveni’s forces organized a government with Museveni as president to date.
All the above was followed by the general celebrations and all the important guests all being introduced by the director of programs.
Several military songs were sung as children jubilated during their celebrations.
With the peace cooperation and unity established through tight security, we understand our country will achieve a lot of development.
Some question for classes at Liss Junior school.
1. Do you also celebrate independence
2. Which other powerful countries did Britain collonise
3. Why do you think African country independence was a tag of war to regain from the British
4. What do you think of Scotland regaining its independence
5. What do you learn form Idi Amin as our president and in relation to
A) His leadership style
B) Sports
C) Treatment of Indians
6. What would be the best way to lead people in your country
Thanks for reading our history
