Ugandaportal |
This is a list of Uganda's Presidents, since independence in 1962.
From 1962 to 1963, the head of state under the Constitution of 1962 was the Queen of Uganda, Elizabeth II, who was also the Queen of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms. The queen was represented in Uganda by a governor-general. Uganda removed Elizabeth II as head of state under a 1963 constitutional amendment and the monarch and governor-general were replaced by a ceremonial president. The president under the 1963 constitution was an elective monarch, chosen by the parliament from among Uganda's five traditional kings. Uganda became a republic within the Commonwealth when this system was replaced by an executive presidency in 1966.
The succession to the throne was the same as the succession to the British throne.
No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Reign | Royal house | Prime minister(s) | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Reign start | Reign end | Duration | |||||
1 | Queen Elizabeth II (1926–2022) | 9 October 1962 | 9 October 1963 | 1 year | Windsor | Obote |
The governor-general was the representative of the monarch in Uganda and exercised most of the powers of the monarch. The governor-general was appointed for an indefinite term, serving at the pleasure of the monarch. Since Uganda was granted independence by the Uganda Independence Act 1962, rather than being first established as a semi-autonomous dominion and later promoted to independence as defined by the Statute of Westminster 1931, the governor-general was to be always appointed solely on the advice of the Cabinet of Uganda without the involvement of the British government. As Uganda became a republic before Walter Coutts, the former colonial governor, was replaced, this has never happened. In the event of a vacancy, the chief justice would have served as the officer administering the government under a dormant commission.
No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Term of office | Monarch | Prime minister(s) | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Took office | Left office | Time in office | |||||
1 | Walter Coutts (1912–1988) | 9 October 1962 | 9 October 1963 | 1 year | Elizabeth II | Obote |
Under the 1963 Constitution of the Sovereign State of Uganda, the British monarch was replaced as ceremonial head of state by an elective monarch with the title of president. The president was elected by the Parliament for a 5-year term from among the kings of Uganda’s five kingdoms and constitutional heads of districts, which were the monarchs of the non-federated entities. [a] In the event of a vacancy the Vice President served as acting president.
No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Reign | Royal house | Prime minister(s) | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Reign start | Reign end | Duration | |||||
1 | Edward Mutesa II (1924–1969) | 9 October 1963 | 2 March 1966 (Deposed in a coup) | 2 years, 144 days | Abalasangeye | Obote |
Under the 1966 "pigeon hole" constitution, the Sovereign State was abolished and replaced by the Republic of Uganda. The presidential office was transformed from a monarchical to an executive republican one. The president and vice-president were elected by the National Assembly. [2] The powers of the president were increased, with the establishment of the executive presidency, but the same rules applied concerning the vacancy of the president. It also applied to the 1967 and 1995 constitutions.
No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Elected | Term of office | Political party | Prime minister(s) | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Took office | Left office | Time in office | ||||||
2 | Milton Obote (1925–2005) | — | 2 March 1966 | 15 April 1966 | 44 days | UPC | Himself | |
15 April 1966 | 25 January 1971 (Deposed in a coup) | 4 years, 285 days | Position abolished |
General (later field marshal) Idi Amin led a coup d'état that overthrew President Obote and his government and installed himself as president. Idi Amin's regime was a military dictatorship.
No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Term of office | Military | Prime minister(s) | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Took office | Left office | Time in office | |||||
3 | Idi Amin (1928–2003) | 25 January 1971 | 11 April 1979 (Deposed by Tanzanian invasion) | 8 years, 76 days | Uganda Army | abolished Position |
No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Elected | Term of office | Political party | Prime minister(s) | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Took office | Left office | Time in office | ||||||
4 | Yusuf Lule (1912–1985) | — | 13 April 1979 | 20 June 1979 (Deposed in a coup) | 68 days | Independent (UNLF) | Position abolished | |
5 | Godfrey Binaisa (1920–2010) | — | 20 June 1979 | 12 May 1980 (Deposed in a coup) | 327 days | UPC (UNLF) | ||
6 | Paulo Muwanga (1924–1991) | — | 12 May 1980 | 22 May 1980 (Resigned) | 10 days | UPC (UNLF) | ||
— | Presidential Commission | — | 22 May 1980 | 15 December 1980 | 207 days | — | ||
(2) | Milton Obote (1925–2005) | 1980 | 17 December 1980 | 27 July 1985 (Deposed in a coup) | 4 years, 222 days | UPC | Allimadi |
General Bazilio Olara-Okello led a coup d'état that overthrew President Obote and his government. Following the coup, Okello proclaimed himself president under another military regime.
No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Term of office | Military | Prime minister(s) | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Took office | Left office | Time in office | |||||
7 | General Bazilio Olara-Okello (1929–1990) | 27 July 1985 | 29 July 1985 (Resigned) | 2 days | UNLF | Position vacant | |
8 | General Tito Okello (1914–1996) | 29 July 1985 | 26 January 1986 (Deposed in a civil war by NRM) | 181 days | UNLF | Muwanga Waligo |
Under the Constitution of Uganda, the president is the executive head of state. The president is elected by popular vote for a five-year term. In the event of a vacancy, the vice president serves as acting president under a dormant commission. [3]
No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Elected | Term of office | Political party | Prime minister(s) | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Took office | Left office | Time in office | ||||||
9 | Yoweri Kaguta Museveni (born 1944) | 1996 2001 2006 2011 2016 2021 | 26 January 1986 | Incumbent | 38 years, 315 days | NRM | Kisekka Adyebo Musoke Nsibambi Mbabazi Rugunda Nabbanja |
The history of Uganda comprises the history of the people who inhabited the territory of present-day Uganda before the establishment of the Republic of Uganda, and the history of that country once it was established. Evidence from the Paleolithic era shows humans have inhabited Uganda for at least 50,000 years. The forests of Uganda were gradually cleared for agriculture by people who probably spoke Central Sudanic languages. The Empire of Kitara grew out of the Urewe culture in the 10th century. Following the migration and invasion of Luo peoples c. 15th century, Kitara would collapse, and from the ashes rose various Biito kingdoms such as Bunyoro alongside Buganda.
Apollo Milton Obote was a Ugandan politician who served as the second prime minister of Uganda from 1962 to 1966 and the second president of Uganda from 1966 to 1971 and later from 1980 to 1985.
Bazilio Olara-Okello was a Ugandan military officer and one of the commanders of the Uganda National Liberation Army (UNLA) that together with the Tanzanian army organized the coup d'état that overthrew Idi Amin in 1979. In 1985, he was briefly the chairman of the ruling Military Council and de facto head of state of Uganda, and later, lieutenant-general and chief of the armed forces.
The history of Uganda from 1963 through 1971 comprises the history of Uganda from Ugandan independence from the United Kingdom to the rise of the dictator Idi Amin.
The History of Uganda from 1979 to 1986 comprises the history of Uganda since the end of the dictatorship of Idi Amin. This period has seen the second rule of Milton Obote and the presidency of Yoweri Museveni since 1986, in which Ugandan politics have been dominated by the National Resistance Movement.
Tito Lutwa Okello was a Ugandan military officer and politician who served as the eighth president of Uganda from 29 July 1985 until 26 January 1986.
Godfrey Lukongwa Binaisa QC was a Ugandan lawyer and politician who served as the fifth president of Uganda from June 1979 to May 1980. Earlier, he was Attorney General of Uganda from 1962 to 1968. At the time of his death in 2010, he was Uganda's only surviving former president.
The Uganda People's Congress is a political party in Uganda.
The Parliament of Uganda is the country's unicameral legislative body. The most significant of the Ugandan parliament's functions is to pass laws that will provide good governance in the country. The government ministers are bound to answer to the people's representatives on the floor of the house. Through the various parliamentary committees, parliament scrutinises government programmes, particularly as outlined in the State of the Nation address by the president. The fiscal issues of the government, such as taxation and loans need the sanction of the parliament, after appropriate debate. Parliament must confirm some Presidential nominations and may force a Minister to resign by passing a motion of censure.
David Oyite Ojok was a Ugandan military officer who held a leadership position in the coalition of Uganda National Liberation Army and Tanzania People's Defence Force which removed military dictator Idi Amin in 1979 and, until his death in a helicopter crash, served as the national army chief of staff with the rank of major general.
The 1971 coup d'état in Uganda was the military overthrow of president Milton Obote's government. The coup was staged by major general Idi Amin Dada, commander of the Uganda Army. The seizure of power occurred on January 25 while Obote was attending the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Singapore. For various reasons, relations between Obote and Amin—his army commander—had become insidiously strained. Amin's plot was primarily driven by a concern to retain power over the military hence guaranteeing his own personal survival. After the coup's success, Amin installed himself as president; ruling—until 1979—by decree over an impoverished nation. He is often referred to as one of the most brutal dictators in modern political history
The Constitution of Uganda is the supreme law of Uganda. The fourth and current constitution was promulgated on 8 October 1995. It sanctions a republican form of government with a powerful President.
The military history of Uganda begins with actions before the conquest of the country by the British Empire. After the British conquered the country, there were various actions, including in 1887, and independence was granted in 1962. After independence, Uganda was plagued with a series of conflicts, most rooted in the problems caused by colonialism. Like many African nations, Uganda endured a series of civil wars and coup d'états. Since the 2000s in particular, the Uganda People's Defence Force has been active in peacekeeping operations for the African Union and the United Nations.
In Uganda, the Leader of the Opposition (LOP) is the leader of the largest political party in the Parliament of Uganda that is not in government. The Leader of the Opposition appoints and heads an alternative shadow cabinet whose duty it is to challenge and influence governmental actions and legislation on the floor of Parliament.
Basil Kiiza Bataringaya was a prominent Ugandan politician in post-independence Uganda. He was the Leader of the Opposition at the beginning of the Apollo Milton Obote government, and then he changed parties and was appointed to the powerful role of Ugandan Minister of Internal Affairs. He was imprisoned, tortured, and was one of the first political prisoners to be executed by the Idi Amin regime.
The Uganda Army, also known as the Uganda Rifles, served as the national armed forces of Uganda during the presidencies of Mutesa II and Milton Obote. As time went on, the military was gradually expanded and increasingly interfered in Uganda's national politics. It played a prominent role in defeating local insurgencies, suppressing opposition to Obote, and intervened in conflicts in the Congo as well as Sudan. Dissatisfied soldiers overthrew Obote in 1971, resulting in the establishment of the Second Republic of Uganda under the dictatorship of army commander Idi Amin. The Uganda Army was purged, with thousands of suspected pro-Obote troops killed or fleeing the country. The military was consequently split into an army serving under Amin – the Uganda Army (1971–1980) – and exiled rebel factions. The latter helped to overthrow Amin's regime during the Uganda–Tanzania War of 1978–79, and became the core of the Uganda National Liberation Army which would serve as Uganda's national military from 1980 to 1986.
The Former Uganda National Army was a Ugandan rebel group active during the Ugandan Bush War and the subsequent insurgencies in the country. The group claimed to be a continuation of the Uganda Army under Idi Amin and was made up mostly of Amin loyalists. It came to be led by General Isaac Lumago and Brigadier Amin Onzi. The group was mainly active in Northern Uganda as well as Zaire and Sudan, where they operated rear bases and acquired weapons and equipment.