Obote: From a village boy to a president
Jul 10, 2008
UGANDA’S PRESIDENTS<br><br>Milton Apollo Obote<br>(December 28, 1924 — October 10, 2005)<br><br>Dr Apollo Milton Obote had an unexceptional reign as president of Uganda. The charismatic politician was president in 1962 before being overthrown in 1972 by his army commander Idi Amin. He regai
UGANDA’S PRESIDENTS
Milton Apollo Obote
(December 28, 1924 — October 10, 2005)
Dr Apollo Milton Obote had an unexceptional reign as president of Uganda. The charismatic politician was president in 1962 before being overthrown in 1972 by his army commander Idi Amin. He regained presidency in 1980, a regime that became known as Obote II.
Obote II ruled for five years until he was dramatically overthrown by one of his army officers, Bazilio Tito Okello in 1985. Obote ruled Uganda for 14 years. When he was thrown out for the second time, Obote fled to Lusaka, Zambia. He lived there with his wife Miria until he died on October 10, 2005.
Dead he might be, but Obote is well-remembered for his oratory skills and the attack on Kabaka Edward Mutesa’s palace on Mengo Hill, forcing Mutesa to flee to London.
From the time he plunged himself in politics in the 1950s, Obote showed all the attributes of a leader. He often bragged “I was born of a ruling family†because his father, Stanley Apeto, a farmer, was a minor chieftain of the Lango tribe.
It is said that out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. And so it was for Obote, a boy from akokoro village in Lira District, his words would spur him to Uganda’s presidency.
But it was more than his words. Obote studied the weaknesses of his tribal and political enemies which he thoroughly exploited.
He became the President of Uganda Peoples Congress [UPC], which controversially won Uganda’s first presidential election in 1962. Those fraudulent elections, plus his miscalculated exploitation of tribal politics, would prove to be his downfall.
In 1966, after Obote and Amin were accused of smuggling gold, Obote suspended the constitution and installed himself as executive president. Sir Edward Mutesa II, the Kabaka of Buganda and president of Uganda denounced Obote’s action and Obote responded by attacking the Kabaka at his Mengo hill palace. The Kabaka fled to London.
But on January 24, 1972, while attending a Commonwealth Summit Conference in Singapore, Obote was overthrown by Idi Amin, his Army Commander. Obote was exiled in Tanzania for eight years until he was helped back to power by the Tanzanian army under president Julius Nyerere in 1979. In 1980, presidential elections were held and under his UPC party, Obote was controversially elected president. He was, again, overthrown by Brigadier Tito Okello, one of his army officers, in June 1985.
President Museveni, who came into power in 1986, warned Obote never to step foot on Ugandan soil again or else face prosecution for the deaths of thousands of people during the early 1980s and especially in Luweero Triangle where Museveni’s National Resistance Army guerrillas operated. At that time, Uganda recorded one of the worst human rights records in the world.
One of the architects of Ugandan independence in 1962 (when he served as first prime minister), Obote was born in the village of Akokoro in the Apac district of northern Uganda. He was the third of nine children.
He joined Makerere University College in 1948 after studying at a Protestant missionary school in Lira. However, he dropped out of Makerere after two years and completed his education with a number of correspondence courses.
Obote is survived by four children. His wife Miria succeeded him as the UPC party President. She stood for presidency in 2006. In the same year, his son Jimmy Akena was elected as Member of Parliament for Lira Municipality.
Compiled by Raphael Okello
Milton Apollo Obote
(December 28, 1924 — October 10, 2005)
Dr Apollo Milton Obote had an unexceptional reign as president of Uganda. The charismatic politician was president in 1962 before being overthrown in 1972 by his army commander Idi Amin. He regained presidency in 1980, a regime that became known as Obote II.
Obote II ruled for five years until he was dramatically overthrown by one of his army officers, Bazilio Tito Okello in 1985. Obote ruled Uganda for 14 years. When he was thrown out for the second time, Obote fled to Lusaka, Zambia. He lived there with his wife Miria until he died on October 10, 2005.
Dead he might be, but Obote is well-remembered for his oratory skills and the attack on Kabaka Edward Mutesa’s palace on Mengo Hill, forcing Mutesa to flee to London.
From the time he plunged himself in politics in the 1950s, Obote showed all the attributes of a leader. He often bragged “I was born of a ruling family†because his father, Stanley Apeto, a farmer, was a minor chieftain of the Lango tribe.
It is said that out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. And so it was for Obote, a boy from akokoro village in Lira District, his words would spur him to Uganda’s presidency.
But it was more than his words. Obote studied the weaknesses of his tribal and political enemies which he thoroughly exploited.
He became the President of Uganda Peoples Congress [UPC], which controversially won Uganda’s first presidential election in 1962. Those fraudulent elections, plus his miscalculated exploitation of tribal politics, would prove to be his downfall.
In 1966, after Obote and Amin were accused of smuggling gold, Obote suspended the constitution and installed himself as executive president. Sir Edward Mutesa II, the Kabaka of Buganda and president of Uganda denounced Obote’s action and Obote responded by attacking the Kabaka at his Mengo hill palace. The Kabaka fled to London.
But on January 24, 1972, while attending a Commonwealth Summit Conference in Singapore, Obote was overthrown by Idi Amin, his Army Commander. Obote was exiled in Tanzania for eight years until he was helped back to power by the Tanzanian army under president Julius Nyerere in 1979. In 1980, presidential elections were held and under his UPC party, Obote was controversially elected president. He was, again, overthrown by Brigadier Tito Okello, one of his army officers, in June 1985.
President Museveni, who came into power in 1986, warned Obote never to step foot on Ugandan soil again or else face prosecution for the deaths of thousands of people during the early 1980s and especially in Luweero Triangle where Museveni’s National Resistance Army guerrillas operated. At that time, Uganda recorded one of the worst human rights records in the world.
One of the architects of Ugandan independence in 1962 (when he served as first prime minister), Obote was born in the village of Akokoro in the Apac district of northern Uganda. He was the third of nine children.
He joined Makerere University College in 1948 after studying at a Protestant missionary school in Lira. However, he dropped out of Makerere after two years and completed his education with a number of correspondence courses.
Obote is survived by four children. His wife Miria succeeded him as the UPC party President. She stood for presidency in 2006. In the same year, his son Jimmy Akena was elected as Member of Parliament for Lira Municipality.
Compiled by Raphael Okello