Remembering Amin, author of Uganda’s lost decade

________________

OPINION

Today marks 46 years since the fall of Field Marshal Idi Amin, overthrown by a combined force of the Tanzania People’s Defence Force (TPDF) and Ugandan exiles.

Faced with overwhelming firepower, the Uganda Army—then the national force—collapsed in disarray, abandoning positions and retreating northwards. Amin, too, was on the run. Although he made several stopovers to assure the population that he was still in control, his demeanour told a different story. The bravado was gone. He was fidgety, revealing uncertainty and fear.

Amin had seized power in 1971 through a military coup as a Major General, but by the time he was ousted, he had elevated himself to Field Marshal. He insisted on an elaborate list of titles that had to be mentioned in full: “His Excellency, Life President, Field Marshal, Al Haji, Doctor Idi Amin Dada, VC, DSO, MC, CBE.” It was comical, but the sad reality of incompetence that would ruin the country.

The titles, some self-bestowed, stood for: Victory Cross (VC), Distinguished Service Order (DSO), Military Cross (MC), and Conqueror of the British Empire (CBE). Occasionally, he also demanded the inclusion of "Salongo"—an honorific given to fathers of twins in Buganda and much of Uganda. Some sections of the western media reported that Amin also bore the title “Lord of All Beasts of the Earth and Fishes of the Seas.”

During his eight-year rule, Amin presided over the devastation of Uganda’s social, economic, and political foundations. Achievements made in the post-independence era, in the 1960s, began to unravel. For instance, Uganda had constructed 22 modern hospitals across the country. They deteriorated. Maintenance was poor, the structures started crumbling, crippling service delivery. Many skilled health professionals fled abroad, beginning a wave of brain drain that persists today.

The education sector fared no better. No new schools were built, and existing institutions struggled. Teachers, like doctors, were underpaid and demoralised, prompting many to leave the country. Meanwhile, individuals with little to no formal education were appointed to senior government roles, sidelining professionals. Amin’s cronies, often equally unqualified, were appointed to big jobs, resulting in widespread mismanagement and institutional decay.

The value of education declined. With unqualified individuals—often soldiers—occupying key positions, schooling was devalued. Many people began to believe that success didn’t require an education, after all, those who had not been to school got jobs.

As if to demonstrate that education had no value, in 1976, Amin had his son admitted to Makerere University to study engineering, despite the boy only having primary-level education. He stayed briefly at the university, living in a flat, armed and guarded. When students complained about him, Amin allegedly responded by ordering his son to carry out an operation on campus, during which several students were beaten.

With about three-quarters of Uganda’s population now under the age of 35, most citizens were born after Amin's fall. Many in this generation are unfamiliar with the depth of the era’s hardships and have been exposed to a revisionist narrative that paints Amin as a patriotic leader who developed Uganda.

When he seized power, Amin promised to fix the economy, create jobs, reduce crime, curb corruption, and improve service delivery. These were pledges made amid the initial excitement that followed the coup. Perhaps he meant well, but his limited education and lack of political experience left him ill-equipped to govern, and Uganda bore the consequences of his shortcomings.

All the major gains made after independence were lost. Though a few projects were completed—such as the International Conference Centre (now Serena Hotel), the Mpoma Satellite Station in Mukono, and Entebbe International Airport—most sectors stagnated or declined. No new roads were constructed, and those built in the 1960s remained intact largely because traffic was minimal. Few Ugandans could afford vehicles due to widespread poverty, and the airport, despite being new, operated far below capacity due to Uganda’s international isolation.

In 1972, Amin expelled Uganda’s Asian community, mistakenly believing it would empower indigenous Ugandans. In reality, their departure stripped the economy of experienced entrepreneurs and vital investment. Businesses and factories collapsed due to poor management, lack of raw materials, and a crippling shortage of capital.

Jinja, once the country’s industrial hub, gradually turned into a ghost town as factory after factory closed, and thousands of jobs vanished.

Ugandans who inherited Asian-owned properties lacked the skills to run them. Popular retail outlets were converted into grocery stores selling bananas and tomatoes. This economic collapse led to a sharp drop in government revenue, and with it, the near-total breakdown of public services. Social services deteriorated, salaries went unpaid, and essential goods became scarce.

Those who lived through the 1970s remember a time when sugar, salt, and soap were not available luxuries. Substitutes like ash for salt, and pawpaw leaves for soap to wash clothes became common. People were desperate and had to find means to survive.

Electricity supply was another major issue. By the late 1960s, the Owen Falls Dam (now Nalubaale) generated 150MW, but by 1986, output had dropped to just 60MW. Few households had access to electricity, and frequent power cuts were normal. Kerosene lamps and candles lit homes, even in upscale neighbourhoods. In rural areas, an entire generation grew up without electricity.

Amin’s reign was not only defined by economic collapse and scarcity, but also by brutality and fear. Dissent was met with violence, and thousands of Ugandans disappeared or were killed. Prominent figures like Archbishop Janani Luwum, who dared to speak out, paid with their lives.

With no functioning Parliament, a weakened judiciary, and a silenced press, the people suffered in silence. Many fled into exile and later joined the efforts to oust Amin in 1979. Amin ruled by decrees. In other words, his pronouncements became laws.

Amin’s era stalled economic, social, and political development. The 1970s would have been a decade for Uganda’s takeoff, but instead was a period when the foundation laid before and after independence was destroyed. So, what should have been done then is being worked on today.

X-@dmukholi1