I helped create federo â€" Obote

Oct 24, 2003

UGANDA People’s Congress (UPC) president Milton Obote has said his party helped to constitutionalise federo in 1962

By Milton Olupot

UGANDA People’s Congress (UPC) president Milton Obote has said his party helped to constitutionalise federo in 1962.

This was contained in a statement presented by UPC Presidential Policy Commission chairman Dr. James Rwanyarare, at the swearing in of the 15-member National Organising Committee on Wednesday. The committee is headed by Kampala lawyer Peter Walubiri.

The team is to reactivate the party from the grassroots to the national level. The launch was attended by representatives from other political organisations.

“The 15 UPC nationalists will tell the people everywhere that without UPC, which is most passionate to deliver on its promises, there would not have been a constitution in 1962.

“They will tell the people that federo in the 1962 constitution was conceived on the night of the elections of 1961 when the Kabaka of Buganda rang and spoke to the UPC President and urged him to defeat DP in the elections which Buganda had effectively boycotted,” Obote said.

He said if Kabaka Yekka had been a real political party and not a movement like the NRM, it would not have been hijacked by chaotic politicians who caused its collapse.

Obote said Buganda had a mindboggling political cocktail which made federo prey to ambitious and selfish politicians who wanted to wield power without corresponding responsibilities.

“So federo was born without a father or a guardian and that is why it was taken over in 1965,” he said.

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