President of Uganda

Last updated
President of the
Republic of Uganda
Flag of the President of Uganda.svg
Presidential Standard
Yoweri Museveni September 2015.jpg
Incumbent
Yoweri Museveni
since 29 January 1986
Type Head of state
Head of government
Residence State House, Entebbe
Term length No term limits - renewable indefinitely, five years
Precursor Queen of Uganda
Formation9 October 1963
First holder Kabaka Sir Edward Muteesa
Deputy Vice President
Salary687,001,370 Ugandan shilling/US$183,216 annually [1]
Website statehouse.go.ug
Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, the President of Uganda. Yoweri Museveni, the President of Uganda meets with Shinzo Abe, the Prime Minister of Japan (cropped).jpg
Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, the President of Uganda.

The president of the Republic of Uganda is the head of state and the head of government of Uganda. The president leads the executive branch of the government of Uganda and is the commander-in-chief of the Uganda People's Defence Force. [2]

Contents

Background

The office of the president of Uganda was formed on 9th October 1963 to replace the Queen of Uganda(which was last held by Elizabeth II) as head of state. It was entirely a ceremonial role i.e without executive powers during the time of the first holder Mutesa II of Bugandauntil the end of the Mengo Crisis in 1967 when Milton Obote took over ending the alliance between the Uganda People’s Congress and the Kabaka Yekka parties combining the roles of Prime minister and president and therefore creating the first president of Uganda with executive powers. The office has been held by 9 people, 8 of whom (besides Edward Muteesa) came into power through military coups and civil war.

The incumbent Yoweri Museveni came to power in 1986 and is the longest serving president of Uganda, ahead of Idi Amin who ruled from 1971 to 1979.

Qualifications

In 2005 presidential term limits were removed, [3] and in 2017, the previous upper age limit of 75 was also removed. [4]

Yoweri Museveni, President, Uganda Yoweri Museveni, President, Uganda (6923079355).jpg
Yoweri Museveni, President, Uganda

Under Article 102 of the Constitution, in order to be allowed to run for the presidency one must be a citizen of Uganda by birth, be no younger than thirty-five and eligible to be a member of Parliament. [5] [6] [7]

State House

State House is the official residence of the president of Uganda. The main State House was constructed in 1925 during the governorship of sir Geoffrey Archer at Entebbe the then capital to serve as the official residence of the Governor of Uganda. After the country gained independence in 1962, the residence continued to be the official residence of the president of the Republic of Uganda. However, it was first inhabited by sir William Frederick Gowers, while the second State House is at Nakasero. [8]

See also

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References

  1. "The highest and lowest paid African presidents - Business Daily". Business Daily. 27 December 2020.
  2. "The President". Government of Uganda. Archived from the original on 2019-02-27. Retrieved 2019-02-26.
  3. Cook, Candace; Siegle, Joseph. "Circumvention of Term Limits Weakens Governance in Africa". Africa Center for Strategic Studies.
  4. Athumani, Halima (September 21, 2017). "Proposed Changes to Uganda's Presidential Age Limit Hit Roadblock". Voice of America.
  5. "Constitution of The Republic of Uganda on Facebook". Facebook . Archived from the original on 2022-04-30.[ user-generated source ]
  6. "Constitution of The Republic of Uganda on Facebook". Facebook . Archived from the original on 2022-04-30.[ user-generated source ]
  7. "Uganda".
  8. "State House of Uganda". www.ugandahighcommissionpretoria.com. Retrieved 2023-01-12.