thumb|Besigye on Democracy in Uganda - Straight Talk Africa.<!-- "none" is preferred when the title is sufficiently descriptive; see WP:SDNONE -->
The politics of Uganda occurs in an authoritarian context. Since its independence, Uganda has not experienced a peaceful democratic transfer of power, with 3 dictators Milton Obote, Idi Amin and Yoweri Museveni dominating its politics. Since assuming office in 1986 at the end of the Ugandan civil war, Yoweri Museveni has ruled Uganda as a dictator. Political parties were banned from 1986 to 2006 in the wake of the 2005 Ugandan multi-party referendum which was won by pro-democracy forces.
Presidential elections were held in February 2006. Museveni ran against several candidates, of whom the most prominent was the exiled Dr. Kizza Besigye. Museveni was declared the winner. Besigye alleged fraud, and rejected the result. The Supreme Court of Uganda ruled that the election was marred by intimidation, violence, voter disenfranchisement, and other irregularities. However, the Court voted 4-3 to uphold the results of the election.
Executive
thumb|[[Yoweri Museveni, current President of Uganda.]]
|President
|Yoweri Museveni
|National Resistance Movement
|26 January 1986
|-
|Prime Minister
|Robinah Nabbanja
|National Resistance Movement
|21 June 2021
|}
The head of state in Uganda is the President, who is elected by a popular vote to a five-year term. This is currently Yoweri Museveni, who is also the head of the armed forces. The previous presidential elections were in February 2011, and in the election of February 2016, Museveni was elected with 68 percent of the vote. The cabinet is appointed by the president from among the elected legislators. The prime minister of Uganda, Robina Nabbanja, assists the president in the supervision of the cabinet.
The Cabinet of Uganda, according to the Constitution of Uganda, "shall consist of the President, the Vice President and such number of Ministers as may appear to the President to be reasonably necessary for the efficient running of the State."
Ministries of Uganda
The below are the ministries in Uganda:
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- Ministry of Justice & Constitutional Affairs
- Ministry of Public Service
- Ministry of Finance, Planning, and Economic Development
- Ministry of Education and Sports
- Ministry for Karamoja Affairs
- Ministry of Local Government
- Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation
- Ministry of Health
- Ministry of Works and Transport
- Ministry of Lands, Housing & Urban Development
- Ministry of Internal Affairs
- Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities
- Ministry of Water and Environment
- Ministry of Gender, Labour & Social Development
- Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development
- Ministry of Security
- Ministry of Defence and Veterans Affairs
- Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries
- Ministry of Information and Communications Technology
- Ministry of Disaster Preparedness and Refugees
- Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives
Political parties and elections
Presidential elections
thumb|350x350px|The structure of Uganda's government.
The most recent presidential elections in Uganda were held on 14 January 2021 featuring 11 aspirants comprising 10 men and 1 woman.
The announced but contested results are as follows;
{| class="wikitable"
!Candidates' Names
!Votes
!Percentage
|-
|Amuriat Oboi Patrick
|337,589
|3.26%
|-
|Kabuleta Kiiza Joseph
|45,424
|0.44%
|-
|Kalembe Nancy Linda
|38,772
|0.37%
|-
|Katumba John
|37,554
|0.36%
|-
|Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu
|3,631,437
|35.08%
|-
|Mao Norbert
|57,682
|0.56%
|-
|Mayambala Willy
|15,014
|0.15%
|-
|Mugisha Muntu Gregg
|67,574
|0.65%
|-
|Mwesigye Fred
|25,483
|0.25%
|-
|Tumukunde Henry Kakurugu
|51,392
|0.50%
|-
|Yoweri Museveni
|6,042,898
|58.38%
|-
|Invalid Votes
|393,500
|3.66%
|-
|Valid Votes
|10,350,819
|
|}
Source: Uganda Electoral Commission
In this 2021 election, the pop star-turned-politician Bobi Wine (also known as Robert Kyagulanyi Sentamu) was runner-up and challenged the election results in the country's highest court (Supreme Court), seeking to overturn Museveni's victory. The highly contested election was marred with violence; the European Parliament voiced outrage and condemnation, calling for sanctions against individuals and organisations responsible for human rights violations in Uganda.
The results of the most recent presidential election from 2021 are as below:
Parliamentary elections
The results of the most recent parliamentary election from 2021 are as below:
Judiciary
The Ugandan judiciary operates as an independent branch of government and consists of magistrate's courts, high courts, courts of appeal (which organizes itself as the Constitutional Court of Uganda when hearing constitutional issues), and the Supreme Court. Judges for the High Court are appointed by the president; Judges for the Court of Appeal are appointed by the president and approved by the legislature.
Pius Bigirimana is the permanent secretary since 2019
Foreign relations
A fight between the Ugandan and Libyan presidential guards sparked chaos during a ceremony attended by the heads of state from 11 African nations on March 19, 2008.
International organization participation
See also
- List of government ministries of Uganda
- Cabinet of Uganda
- Freedom of the press in Uganda
- Internet censorship and surveillance in Uganda
- Parliament of Uganda
- Supreme Court of Uganda
- 2006 Ugandan general election
- List of political parties in Uganda
Further reading
- Mahmood Mamdani. 2025. Slow Poison: Idi Amin, Yoweri Museveni, and the Making of the Ugandan State. Belknap Press.
References
Sources
- Uganda's opposition join forces (BBC News, 16 February 2004)
- "Uganda 'night commuters' flee rebel brutality" (Yahoo News, October 17, 2005)
- Tripp, Aili Mari, Museveni’s Uganda: Paradoxes of Power in a Hybrid Regime, Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2010.
External links
- Parliament of Uganda
- State House of Uganda
- Constitution of the Republic of Uganda
- Party Politics in Uganda, 1963-2000, Christina Nyströmee
<!--Categories-->