Milton Obote

Warning: Page using Template:Infobox oceholder The two parties controlled a Parliamentary majority and
with unknown parameter Monarch (this message is Obote became Prime Minister in 1962. He assumed
shown only in preview).
the post on 25 April 1962, appointed by Sir Walter
Coutts, then Governor-General of Uganda. The following year the position of Governor-General was replaced
Apollo Milton Obote (28 December 1925 10 October
[1]
2005 ) was a Ugandan political leader who led Uganda by a ceremonial presidency to be elected by the parliament. Mutesa, the Kabaka (King) of Buganda, became
to independence in 1962 from British colonial adminisPresident, with Obote as executive prime
tration. Following the nations independence, he served the ceremonial
[2]
minister.
as Prime Minister of Uganda from 1962 to 1966 and
President of Uganda from 1966 to 1971, then again from
1980 to 1985. He was overthrown by Idi Amin in 1971,
but regained power after Amins 1979 overthrow. His
second period of rule was marred by repression and the
deaths of many civilians as a result of a civil war known
as the Ugandan Bush War.

In January 1964, a mutiny occurred at the military barracks at Jinja, Ugandas second city and home to the 1st
Battalion of the Uganda Army. There were similar mutinies in two other eastern African states; all three countries requested the support of troops from the British military. Before they arrived, however, Obote sent his defence minister Felix Onama to negotiate with the mutineers. Onama was held hostage, and agreed to many demands, including signicant pay increases for the army,
1 Early life
and the rapid promotion of many ocers, including the
future president Idi Amin.[2] In 1965, Kenyans had been
Milton Obote was born at Akokoro village in Apac dis- barred from leadership positions within the government,
trict in northern Uganda. He was the son of a tribal and this was followed by the removal of Kenyans en masse
chief of the Lango ethnic group. He began his educa- from Uganda in 1969, under Obotes guidance.[5]
tion in 1940 at the Protestant Missionary School in Lira,
As prime minister, Obote was implicated in a gold
and later attended Gulu Junior Secondary School, Busoga
smuggling plot, together with Idi Amin, then deputy
College and eventually university at Makerere University.
commander of the Ugandan armed forces. When the
Having intended to study law, a subject not taught at the
Parliament demanded an investigation of Obote and the
university, Obote took a general arts course, including
ousting of Amin, he suspended the constitution and de[2]
English and geography. At Makerere, Obote honed his
clared himself President in March 1966, allocating to
natural oratorical skills; he may have been expelled for
himself almost unlimited power under state of emergency
participating in a student strike, or alternatively left after
rulings. Several members of his cabinet, who were leada place to study law abroad was not funded by the protecers of rival factions in the party, were arrested and de[3]
torate government. He worked in Buganda in southern
tained without charge. Obote responded with an armed
Uganda before moving to Kenya, where he worked as a
attack upon Mutesas palace, which ended with Mutesa
construction worker at an engineering rm.
eeing to exile. In 1967, Obotes power was cemented
While in Kenya, Obote became involved in the national when the parliament passed a new constitution that abolindependence movement. Upon returning to Uganda ished the federal structure of the independence constituin 1956, he joined the political party Uganda Na- tion and created an executive presidency.
tional Congress (UNC), and was elected to the colonial
Legislative Council in 1957.[4] In 1959, the UNC split
into two factions, with one faction under the leadership 3 Presidency
of Obote merging with Uganda Peoples Union to form
the Uganda Peoples Congress (UPC).

3.1 First term

In 1969, there was an attempt on Obotes life. In the

aftermath of the attempt, all opposition political parties
were banned, leaving Obote as an eectively absolute
In the runup to independence elections, Obote formed a ruler. A state of emergency was in force for much of
coalition with the Buganda royalist party, Kabaka Yekka. the time and many political opponents were jailed with-

Prime Minister

4 DEATH IN EXILE

out trial for life. Obotes regime terrorised, harassed, and

tortured people. His secret police, the General Service
Unit, led by Obotes cousin, was responsible for many
cruelties.[5]
In 196970, Obote published a series of pamphlets that
were supposed to outline his political and economic policy. The Common Mans Charter was a summary of his
approach to socialism, which became known as the Move
to the Left. The government took over a 60% share in
major private corporations and banks in the country in
1970. During Obotes regime, agrant and widespread
corruption emerged in the name of socialism.[5] Food
shortages sent prices through the ceiling. Obotes persecution of Indian traders contributed to this rise in
prices.[5]
In January 1971, Obote was overthrown by the army
while on a visit to Singapore to attend a Commonwealth
conference, and Amin became President. In the two
years before the coup Obotes relations with the West
had become strained. Some have suggested that Western Governments were at least aware of, and may have
aided, the coup.[6][7] Obote ed to Tanzania. The fall of
Obotes regime was welcomed and celebrated by many
Ugandans.[5]

3.2

in a military coup d'tat; this time the commanders were

Brigadier Bazilio Olara-Okello and General Tito Okello.
The two men briey ruled the country through a Military Council, but after a few months of near chaos, Musevenis NRA seized control of the country. By July
1985, Amnesty International estimated that the Obote
regime had been responsible for more than 300,000 civilian deaths across Uganda. Abuses were particularly conspicuous in an area of central Uganda known as the
Luweero Triangle.[12]

4 Death in exile
After his second removal from power, Obote ed to Tanzania and later to Zambia. For some years it was rumoured that he would return to Ugandan politics. In August 2005, however, he announced his intention to step
down as leader of the UPC.[13] In September 2005, it
was reported that Obote would return to Uganda before
the end of 2005.[14] On 10 October 2005, Obote died
of kidney failure in a hospital in Johannesburg, South
Africa.[15]

Second term

In 1979, Idi Amin was ousted by Tanzanian forces aided

by Ugandan exiles. By 1980, Uganda was governed by
an interim Presidential Commission. At the time of the
1980 elections, the chairman of the commission was a
close associate of Obote, Paulo Muwanga. Muwanga had
briey been the de facto President of Uganda from 1220
May 1980, as one of three presidents who served for short
periods of time between Amins ouster and the setting up
of the Presidential Commission. The other two presidents
were Yusuf Lule and Godfrey Binaisa.
The elections in 1980 were won by Obotes Uganda Peoples Congress (UPC) party. However, the UPCs opposition believed that the elections were rigged and this led to
a guerrilla war by Yoweri Museveni's National Resistance
Army (NRA) and several other military groups.
In 1983, the Obote government launched Operation Bonanza, a military expedition that claimed tens of thousands of lives and displaced a signicant portion of
the population.[8] The brunt of the blame for this massacre was placed on the people of northern Uganda for
supporting the action of the Prime Minister which increased the existing regional tensions in the country.[8]
It has been estimated that approximately 100,000 to
500,000 people died as a result of ghting between
Obotes Uganda National Liberation Army (UNLA) and
the guerrillas.[9][10][11]

Milton Obotes grave

Milton Obote was given a state funeral, attended by president Museveni, in the Ugandan capital Kampala in October 2005, to the surprise and appreciation of many Ugandans, since he and Museveni were bitter rivals.[16] Other
groups, such as the Baganda survivors of the Luweero
On 27 July 1985, Obote was deposed again. As in Triangle massacres, were bitter that Obote was given a
1971, he was overthrown by his own army commanders state funeral.[17]

3
He was survived by his wife and ve children. On 28
November 2005, his wife Miria Obote was elected UPC
party president.[18]

[15] Former Ugandan leader Obote dies, BBC News, 10 October 2005.

[17] Timothy Kalyegira (11 October 2005) A founding father

adored, dreaded in equal measure, The Monitor.

Family and personal life

[16] Former foe mourns Ugandas Obote, The Guardian, 20

October 2005

Milton Obote was the third born of nine children, all [18] Walking in Obotes shadow, Monitor, 21 December
named Milton.[19] From a young age Milton the Third
2005 no longer available online
distinguished himself from his siblings by demonstrating
a great aptitude for raiding cattle, and drove a wedge be- [19] Milton Obote. Encyclopaedia Britannica.
tween him and his lesser skilled and jealous siblings that
remained until his death.
One of his sons, Jimmy Akena, is a member of parliament
for Lira Municipality.

References

[1] Birth and death date according to the headstone inscription on his grave.
[2] M. Louise Pirouet (2009). Obote, (Apolo) Milton
(19252005)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.
Oxford University Press. Retrieved 17 August 2010.
[3] I come from royal ancestry. The Monitor. 8 April 2005
[4] The Roots, Emergence, and Growth of the Uganda Peoples Congress, 16001985, Yoga Adhola, UPC Website.
[5] Phares Mukasa Mutibwa (1992). Uganda Since Independence: A Story of Unfullled Hopes. United Kingdom: C.
Hurst & Co. pp. 6570. ISBN 1-85065-066-7.
[6] George Ivan Smith, Ghosts of Kampala: The Rise and Fall
of Idi Amin (1980).
[7] G. S. K. Ibingira (1980), African Upheavals since Independence, Westview Press, ISBN 0-89158-585-0
[8] Ruddy Doom; Koen Vlassenroot (1999). Konys Message: A New Koine?". African Aairs 98 (390): 9.
doi:10.1093/oxfordjournals.afraf.a008002.
[9] Henry Wasswa (10 October 2005), Ugandas rst prime
minister, and two-time president, dead at 80, Associated
Press
[10] Bercovitch, Jacob and Jackson, Richard (1997), International Conict: A Chronological Encyclopedia of Conicts
and Their Management 19451995. Congressional Quarterly. ISBN 156802195X.
[11] Uganda. CIA Factbook.
[12] Notes On Concealment Of Genocide In Uganda, Black
Star News, 11 December 2008.
[13] Ugandas exiled ex-president Obote to retire from partys
presidency, Xinhua, 28 August 2005.
[14] Ugandas exiled ex-president to return home before end
of 2005, Peoples Daily Online, 2 September 2005

7 Further reading

Adhola, Yoga. The Roots, Emergence, and Growth

of the Uganda Peoples Congress, 16001985.
Akena Adoko. From Obote to Obote, New Delhi:
Vikas Pub. House, c1983
Adoko, Akena. Gold Crisis, New Delhi: Vikas,
c1985.
Bing, John Howard. Tribe and Elections in
Uganda, (unpublished Ph D dissertation, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri), June 1974.
De la Rue, Andre. The Rise and fall of Grace Ibingira, The New African: radical; Cape Town, March
1967.
Gertzel, Cherry. Party and Locality in Northern
Uganda, 19451962, London: Athlone Press, 1974.
Hancock, I. The Buganda Crisis of 1964, African
Aairs, volume 69, number 275, April 1970.
Bloch, J., and P. Fitzgerald. British Intelligence and
Covert Action: Africa, Middle East, and Europe since
1945, Dublin: Brandon, 1982
Hutton, Pat & Bloch, Jonathan. How the West Established Idi Amin and Kept Him There, in Ray,
E. & others, The CIA in Africa: Dirty Work, New
Jersey: Lyle Stuart Inc., 1979.
Hebditch, D., & K. Connor. How to Stage a Military
Coup: From Planning to Execution, London: Greenhill Books; Pennsylvania: Stackpole Books, 2005.
Ingham, Keneth.
Obote: A Political Biography, London/New York: Routledge, 1994. ISBN
0415053420
Martin, David. General Amin, London: Faber &
Faber, 1974.
Mittelman, James. Ideology and Politics in Uganda:
From Obote to Amin, Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University Press, 1975. ISBN 0801409462.

7 FURTHER READING
Mujaju, A. B. The Gold Allegations in Uganda,
African Aairs, Volume 87, October 1987.
Nyeko, Balam (1996). Uganda. ABC-Clio Inc.
ISBN 978-1-85109-243-7.
Obote, A. M. Myths and Realities A Letter to a
London Friend, Kampala (Uganda): African Publishers Ltd. 16 November 1968.
Onyango Obbo, Charles. Root of Discontent: The
Untold Story Of The Failed 1969 Obote Assassination (Part 1)"; The Monitor, 9 October 2001, Kampala.
Sathyamurthy, T. V. The Political Development
of Uganda: 19001986, Aldershot, Hants, England/Brookeld, Vt, USA: Gower, c. 1986. ISBN
0566052474
Smith, Ivan. Ghosts of Kampala, New York: St.
Martins Press, 1980.

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