BASIC INFORMATION
Full Country Name: Republic of Uganda
Country Profile: Uganda
Area: 197,058,000 sq km (93,104 sq miles)
Population: 28.9 million (2006 estimate)
Capital City: Kampala (population 1.3 million)
People: Over 20 tribes. Baganda (17%), Banyankole (8%), Basoga (8%), Iteso (8%), Acholi and Langi. Small Asian and European communities.
Language(s): English is the official language. Swahili and Luganda widely spoken.
Religion(s): Christianity, with a sizeable Muslim minority.
Currency: Uganda shilling (Ush)
Head of State: President Yoweri Museveni (elected February 2006)
Prime Minister/Premier: Professor Apolo Nsibambi
Foreign Minister: Sam Kutesa
Membership of international groupings/organisations: East African Community (EAC), Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), African Union (AU), Commonwealth, United Nations (UN), Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) – Uganda held the chair 2003/5.
GEOGRAPHY
Uganda is a land-locked country lying on the equator in central Africa. It shares borders with Sudan, DRCongo, Rwanda, Tanzania and Kenya. 20% of the country is covered by inland lakes. The rest ranges through tropical rain forest to savannah with mountains on the western border. The climate is tropical.
HISTORY
Uganda developed from the 19th century kingdom of Buganda, which was declared a British protectorate in 1894. The protectorate was extended to other traditional kingdoms in 1896 and the rest of the country brought under central administration by 1914. British administration followed the principles of indirect rule, which included special measures of autonomy for the Baganda. African representation in government increased steadily after 1945. This met some resistance from the traditionalists and separatists among the Baganda. Uganda became independent in October 1962 under a constitution that safeguarded the autonomy of Baganda and the other kingdoms. Milton Obote, leader of the Uganda People's Congress (UPC), was elected Prime Minister, with the Kabaka (Buganda monarch) as non executive President.
Obote moved against the Kabaka in 1966. A new centralised constitution stripped the kingdoms and monarchical institutions of their powers. In 1971 Obote was ousted in a military coup. Idi Amin then established a brutal dictatorship which lasted until 1979. It was finally removed with military assistance from Tanzania. Hastily organised elections in 1980 returned Obote's UPC to power on a disputed mandate. 'Obote II' relied heavily on the support of the army and soon became embroiled in a savage guerrilla war against Yoweri Museveni's National Resistance Army (NRA). Obote was overthrown in an army coup in 1985. General Tito Okello established a short-lived military council but in January 1986, the NRA occupied Kampala and Museveni was installed as President. One million Ugandans had been killed by war; two million uprooted as refugees; 500,000 seriously injured; and the economy was in ruins.
POLITICS
A key, and controversial, feature of Uganda's politics since 1986 was the so-called 'no party' political system, or Movement System. Uganda's 1995 constitution provided for political participation and voting but prohibited political parties from sponsoring candidates. A Referendum in 2000 found 91% in favour of continuing the Movement system, although turnout was low and the pro multiparty side had limited opportunity to present their case. Museveni won 74% of the vote in the 1996 elections and 69% of the vote in 2001. The 2001 elections were marred in places by violence and intimidation and Museveni's main rival, Dr Kizza Besigye, subsequently left the country to spend the next four years in South Africa.
After 2001 calls for multi-party democracy in Uganda became more persistent. In July 2005 a further referendum was held to decide on the political system. This time the government supported the change and secured a 92% vote in favour of restoring multi-partyism. The opposition boycotted the referendum and turn out was low (47%). Parliament voted in August 2005 to lift the constitutional two-term limit on the office of President to allow unlimited terms. Museveni therefore stood again in elections held in February 2006, the first multi-party elections since 1980, and won with 59% of the vote His nearest challenger, Dr Kizza Besigye, gained 37%. The NRM(O) won 191 of 215 parliamentary seats in the main ballot; the rest of the 305-strong parliament was made up of 69 District Women’s Representatives and
representatives of the Ugandan Army, the youth, persons with disabilities, and workers, a large majority of whom represent the NRM(O).
Besigye returned to Uganda from exile in South Africa in October 2005. He was arrested on treason and rape charges three weeks later, which led to violent street protests in Kampala and elsewhere in Uganda. While in detention he was nominated as the Presidential candidate for the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC). He was obliged to simultaneously defend himself in the High Court on the criminal charges and campaign on behalf of the FDC and his own Presidential candidacy. The arrest and detention of such a major opposition figure, as well as the blocking of campaign rallies and unequal access to state resources, raised some concerns about the election process. The EU Observation Mission and the Commonwealth Observer Group concluded that the election had represented the will of the people, despite identifying significant flaws in the campaign process.
Political parties had already emerged in expectation of the switch to a multi-party system. The National Resistance Movement Organisation (NRM(O)) is the previous
establishment in new guise; the Uganda People's Congress (UPC), Democratic Party (DP) and Conservative Party (CP),Uganda's pre 1986 parties, have declined; the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) has emerged and is now the main opposition group in parliament holding 37 seats.
Tensions between the opposition and government have centred on the subversion of the independence of the judicial process, particularly during the ongoing trial of individuals suspected of involvement with a rebel group called the PRA. On 31 January 2007 opposition MPs suspended their participation in Parliament for three weeks over political manipulation of the justice system, and in March 2007 judges and lawyers went on strike in protest.
Uganda staged a successful Commonwealth Heads of Government Conference in November 2007, hosting more than 50 heads of state and government including Queen Elizabeth II.
Northern Uganda
The Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) has been conducting an insurgency in the Acholi area of Northern Uganda for 20 years. This has involved a brutal campaign of atrocities against the local Acholi and Langi population, often in punishment for failure to support their cause. Some 1.7 million of the population of Gulu, Kitgum and Pader Districts in northern Uganda still live in Internally Displaced Persons camps, though there has been a small increase in security in the last few months. Successive Ugandan military campaigns against the LRA failed to end the conflict. In October 2005 the International Criminal Court issues arrest warrants for five LRA leaders. The majority of the LRA is now based in the DRC and Southern Sudan. In May 2006 the government of Southern Sudan offered to mediate between the LRA and the Ugandan government. Peace Talks between the Government of Uganda and the LRA are ongoing in Juba in Southern Sudan. Despite numerous setbacks and long delays sporadic talks have continued, aided by the appointment of former President of Mozambique Joachim Chissano as Special Envoy of the UN Secretary General. A cessation of hostilities agreement was signed on 26 August 2006, and a second agreement signed on 2 May 2007. The talks remain fragile, and may be further jeopardised by indications of a serious split in the LRA. But the deadline for agreement has been extended, most recently to 31 January 2008, and the talks still offer hope of a lasting, peaceful solution.
HUMAN RIGHTS
Uganda's human rights record improved enormously after Museveni came to power in 1986. It still has a reasonably free media, though this freedom is occasionally curtailed when the government perceives a conflict with national interest. It also has active civil society organisations. Rule of law problems remain, including poor policing and questionable activities by security agencies such as allegations of illegal detention, torture and politically motivated harassment. Demonstrations in Kampala have been met with a brutal response from security services, most recently in April 2007 following the proposed allocation of forest land to a sugar growing company. The judiciary has proved itself to be independent and a strong critic of government, but has come under intense political pressure and faced increasing intimidation from security services. The worst cases of human rights abuse occur in Northern Uganda where the general public has not been provided with adequate
protection from the rebels or the military. The Ugandan military has also faced accusations of human rights abuses in the Karamoja region.
ECONOMY
Basic Economic Facts
GDP: US$11.7 billion (2007 est)
Annual Growth: 6% (2006)
Inflation: 5.7% (2007 est)
Exchange rate: 1734 Ush = $1 (2007 est)
Major Industries: agriculture (coffee, tea, fish, fresh flowers, tobacco), mining, construction, manufacturing, textiles services.
Major trading partners: Kenya, UK, South Africa, India. UAE
Uganda relies heavily on agriculture, the basis of livelihood for 80% of the population. Plantains, cassava, sweet potatoes and maize are major subsistence crops. The major export crop is coffee, with some revival of tea, tobacco and cotton production. There is a modest manufacturing and tourism sector and relatively new development of horticulture. Exports continue to rise. Successful exploration has revealed oil reserves which may have an important future economic impact.
Uganda's economy has performed well in recent years, averaging around 6% annual growth between 1998 and 2005. By maintaining macroeconomic stability and liberal economic policies it has been able to attract some multinational investment and donor support. GDP is still growing but is below the levels required (approximately 7% per annum) to meet the Millenium Development Goal poverty reduction targets, and the current energy crisis may retard this still further. Public Administration expenditure still represents too big a percentage of the budget (around 18%) and sufficient revenue collection continues to be difficult. The Government's past commitments to reduce corruption appear to be waning despite the arrest in May 2007 of three former Health Ministers over alleged involvement in the embezzlement of
funds intended for public health campaigns.
DEVELOPMENT
Uganda has made significant strides in reducing poverty, though it remains one of the world's most impoverished countries, placed 154 out of 177 on the 2007 World Development Report. Between 1992 and 2006 it achieved a reduction from 56% to 31% of the population living below the poverty line. Primary school enrolment rose from 62% to 86%, putting Uganda on track to meet the Millennium Development Goals for education, though there have been problems with the drop-out rate. There have been improvements in healthcare indicators and significant success in tackling HIV/AIDS, with prevalence among expectant mothers falling from 20% in the early 1990s to 6% in 2002, though infection rates have risen slightly since and had reached an estimated 7.1% by 2006/7. Uganda also has many other challenges, including its high population growth rate, one of the biggest in Africa.
Uganda was the first country to receive HIPC debt relief in 1998, and achieved Completion Point in April 2000. Debt relief is currently worth about $100m annually. Lower interest rate and export earnings forecasts have seen the key debt:export ratio rise from 150% to around 300% but debt service ratios as a percentage of domestic revenues (c. 10%) remain well below the critical threshold.
The UK is one of Uganda's largest bilateral donors and has provided around £740 million in development assistance since 1986. Uganda is DFID's second largest programme in Africa. In 2004/5, £35 million was provided in Poverty Reduction Budget Support out of a total programme of over £60 million. In 2007 the UK committed to a newten-year development partnership worth £700 million, guaranteeing at least £70 million a year in development assistance.
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
East African Community
The new EAC was formally launched in January 2001. It has a parliament, the East African Legislative Assembly, and a secretariat in Arusha (Tanzania). A Customs Union protocol, signed in 2004, came into effect on 1 January 2005. As a member of IGAD (comprising Uganda, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti, Somalia and Sudan), Uganda has taken an active interest in the Somali peace process and has deployed 1700 troops in Somalia as the initial component of an African Union peace support operation.
Great Lakes regional conflict
Uganda played an active role in the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo from 1996 and was one of five signatories to the 1999 Lusaka Cease-fire Agreement. Under the terms of the 2002 Luanda Agreement between Uganda and DRC, Uganda completed the withdrawal of its troops in June 2003. The situation in the DRC remains precarious, including in Ituri province, neighbouring Uganda, further complicated by the presence of LRA elements in north eastern DRC.
Relations with Rwanda suffered over the DRC, culminating in clashes between the Ugandan and Rwandan armies at Kisangani (DRC) in 1999 and 2000. Tension was bolstered by mutual accusations of support for dissidents. The UK facilitated a series of meetings between Presidents Museveni and Kagame between 2001 and 2004 which have helped to ease the strains, and relations are now much improved.
SANCTIONS
UN sanctions (UNSCRs 918, 997 and 1011) impose restrictions on the sale or supply of arms and related materiel to persons in states neighbouring Rwanda, including Uganda, when the goods in question are intended for use in Rwanda. To implement these measures, the United Nations Arms Embargoes Orders 1993-1998 set out the licensing requirements in the UK for all acts associated with such sale or supply. Corresponding Orders exist for the Dependent Territories and Crown Dependencies. In early 2004, UNSCR 1533 established an Arms Embargo monitoring mechanism for Eastern DRC, with the primary aim of denying arms to militia groups and identifying those trying to supply such groups.
UGANDA'S RELATIONS WITH THE UK
Diplomatic Representation
UK representation in Uganda: High Commissioner Mr Francois Gordon.
Ugandan representation in the UK: High Commissioner Ms Joan Rwabyomere.
Visits
The UK has a strong bilateral relationship and a significant development partnership with Uganda. There are frequent contacts, the most recent ones were:
- Visits to Uganda by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh and Their Royal Highnesses The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall (November 2007), Prime Minister Gordon Brown (November 2007), David Miliband, Foreign Secretary (November 2007), Hilary Benn, Secretary of State for International Development (May 2006 and April 2005), Lord Bach, Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Enviroment, Food & Rural Affairs (August 2005), Chris Mullin, FCO Minister for Africa (August 2004), and Jack Straw, Foreign Secretary (January 2002). Clare Short, Secretary of State for International Development, visited regularly 1999 to 2002.
- Visits to the UK by President Museveni in October 2005 and January 2004, May 2003, three times in 2002 and twice in 2001. Visits by Hon Sam Kutesa, Minister of Foreign Affairs in July and September 2007 and May and October 2005 and by Hon Amama Mbabazi, Minister of Defence in May 2005.
UK Nationals
An estimated 3,000 UK nationals live and work in Uganda
Trade and Investment with the UK
The UK is Uganda's largest export market (£11.63 million in 2005 and £12.95 million in 2006) and third largest source of imports (after Kenya and the Far East). UK exports to Uganda were worth £36.40 million in 2004 and £37.23 million in 2005.
Cultural Relations
The British Council in Uganda is the focal point for cultural relations between Britain and Uganda.
Policy
For recent statements of UK government policy towards Uganda see Hansard, and enter Uganda in the search engine.
TRAVEL
Travel Advice: Uganda
Health requirements: Fit For Travel
Last reviewed: 3 January 2008
