UGANDA: WHY IT’S ONLY ANKOLE AND KIGEZI THAT WOULD OPPOSE FEDERALISM IN UGANDA

 

By CHANGE OF GUARD

The different independent kingdoms and chiefdoms of what later came to be Uganda entered into protection agreements with imperial Britain over a decade ago.  By implication, they gave up their respective independent status.  The British colonial government realized that it was easier to administer people of similar ethnic backgrounds together for effective civilisation.  The traditional kingdom areas of Buganda, Tooro, Ankole, Busoga and Bunyoro were administered through their respective traditional leaders and cultural institutions. The non-Kingdom areas were organized into districts that encompassed whole ethnic groups and were directly administered by the colonial government. These were Lango, Bukedi, Acholi, Bugisu, West Nile, Kigezi, Acholi and Karamoja.  The Kingdom areas had their respective Kings, Prime Ministers, Parliaments and Chiefs at the helm of their administration.  In the same regard, the non-Kingdom areas had their respective District Councils.   

Following the 1926 final adjustments on Uganda's international boundaries, in 1945 the colonial administration organized the country into four regions namely;- Northern, Eastern, Western and Buganda. The 1961 Munster Commission recommended an independent Uganda with a combination of federal and unitary government for the kingdom and district regions respectively.  This recommendation was adopted by the 1962 Independence Constitution and Buganda Kingdom was granted a full federal status while the other four kingdoms were granted a semi-federal status.  The non-kingdom areas were governed by the central government through their respective District Councils.

As a consequence of the 1966 Buganda Crisis, the 1967 Constitution abolished kingdoms thus ending the federal government in Uganda and the country became a republic with the central government assuming all the powers.  For obvious reasons, the former Buganda Kingdom was split into Bombo, Masaka, Mpigi and Mubende.  Shortly after, Bombo District was renamed East Mengo while Mpigi District was renamed West Mengo District.  Experts have asserted that between 1945 -1967 the country experienced its record breaking rapid economic transformation and remains the most progressive period.  The country enjoyed a situation of national unity as no single region or ethnic community was being propelled to politically and economically dominate the rest of the country.  

In 1974, the country witnessed the creation of ten provinces namely Central, Busoga, Eastern, Karamoja, Nile, Northern, Southern, Western, South Buganda and North Buganda.  The Eastern Province consisted of Bugisu, Bukedi, Sebei and Teso.  The Northern Province consisted of Lango, East Acholi and some parts of West Acholi.  The Nile Province consisted of Madi, West Nile and some parts of West Acholi.  The Southern Province consisted of Kigezi and Ankole.  The Western Province consisted of Tooro and Bunyoro.  Busoga Province was exclusively comprised of the entire former Busoga Kingdom.  Governors who were mostly army officers were posted to provincial capitals at Kampala, Jinja, Mbale, Moroto, Gulu, Arua, Fort portal, Bombo, Masaka and Mbarara.  Under the province were districts, counties, Sub counties, Parishes and Sub Parishes.

Following the overthrow of Iddi Amin in 1979, the new communist oriented government abolished the provinces but retained the 33 districts which were renamed in accordance with their respective capitals.  In this regard, Ankole was renamed Mbarara, Tooro was renamed Kabarole, Kigezi was renamed Kabale, West Nile became Arua, Acholi became Gulu, Teso became Soroti, Bukedi became Tororo, Busoga became Jinja, Karamoja became Moroto, Buddu became Masaka while Buganda was renamed Central. 

When Yoweri Kaguta Museveni took power in 1986, he adopted 34 district entities. He opportunistically restored cultural institutions just for the sake of duping Buganda. During the Odoki Constitutional Commission, 65% of Ugandans in general and 95% of the people of Buganda preferred a federal type of government.  During the Constituent Assembly (CA) for the 1995 Constitution, the issue of federalism became the most contentious.  He successfully rallied the rest of the country by alleging that federalism was a Buganda region's secessionist agenda before it was treacherously defeated. Instead he duped Ugandans with Decentralisation which was meant to take power to the districts.  

He quickly embarked on a scheme of Divide and Rule in order to deny the affected geographical entities a united voice.  By the time the 1995 Constitution was promulgated, he had already created six new districts and by 2000, the number of districts had swelled to 56 and by 2005, the figure had risen to 78 districts. Fifteen years later, the number of districts now stands at more than 140.  Decentralisation has proved disastrous as the central government macro manages the district entities.  Power thirst and misuse of national resources coupled by the policy of deliberate impoverishment by the central government of some sections of Ugandan society has undermined the principle of sharing of responsibility, powers, functions and resources with the regional governments.  Consequently, the situation pertaining to service delivery is very appalling.  Museveni often openly conditions service delivery to political support from the respective constituencies.  This ugly situation has mobilized the urge of desperate Ugandans to unanimously advocate for a federal form of government. Federalism is no longer a Buganda issue as Museveni has been portraying it but a nationwide calling.  

Uganda's federal system would automatically bring together people of the same or similar traditions, cultures, languages and ways of life to take advantage of their traditional way of life for development.  In the same regard, the Odoki Commission had recommended that areas with a common language, culture, geographical features, natural boundaries and economic viability had preferred to federate.  Instead, on top of dividing the respective communities through the uncoordinated creation of districts, Museveni has been creating mischievous ministries.  Without any justification, he has created a Minister for Karamoja, a Minister for Kampala, a Minister for Bunyoro, a Minister for Luwero and a Minister for Northern Uganda.  This is not to mention the barrage of the so-called Presidential Advisors on certain geographical areas like Presidential Advisor of Buganda Affairs, Presidential Advisor of Teso Affairs, Presidential Advisor on Rwenzori affairs etc.  

Alongside Museveni's deliberate impoverishment policy and general economic deprivation, he has been managing a scheme of economically empowering a small clique of people from certain ethnic communities against the rest.  He runs a government that is dominated by a clique of people from the south western region.  It is an open secret that his 35 years hold on power has witnessed a clique of people of former Kigezi and Ankole dominate both government and the private sector.  This is what most Ugandans wrongly perceive as sectarianism in favor of the 'Banyankole' yet it is just a small clique comprised of the Bakiga, Banyankole and Banyarwanda. With the support of Museveni, their superior economic muscle has over time enabled them to seek new territories in Buganda, Tooro and Bunyoro.  In these regions, the hard economic situation forces the indigenous people to part with their precious land in return for peanuts.  In some instances, government land, forest and game reserves have been allocated to the new settlers.  Their attempt at direct incursions into northern and eastern regions was vehemently resisted prompting the architects to resort to other indirect methods like investments.  Consequently, some of the beneficiary communities have found themselves being over-represented in national institutions like Parliament.  The best example is the ethnic Bakiga who dominate elective positions and Parliament in particular simply because they exclusively represent their Kigezi region on top of big parts of Ankole, Tooro, Bunyoro and Buganda.  

Therefore, Museveni will fight tooth and nail to block the adoption of the federal system of government.  Even when the post Museveni regime government floats the idea of a federal system of government, the influential clique of people of Ankole and Kigezi will oppose it because it's only them who have everything to lose.  

INFORMATION IS POWER AND THE PROBLEM OF UGANDA IS MUSEVENISM