Obote didn’t annex the ‘lost counties’
Jul 13, 2009
EDITOR—On July 9, Ssemujju Ibrahim Nganda compared the current bill before Parliament to take Kampala, to the 1964 Referendum that settled the issue of the lost counties. He alleges that Milton Obote used a referendum to annex Buganda’s territories o
EDITOR—On July 9, Ssemujju Ibrahim Nganda compared the current bill before Parliament to take Kampala, to the 1964 Referendum that settled the issue of the lost counties. He alleges that Milton Obote used a referendum to annex Buganda’s territories of Buyaga, Bugangaizi, Buwekula, etc, to Bunyoro, thus dinstegrating Buganda.
He argues that President Museveni is using numbers in the ‘rubberstamp’ Parliament to do the same.
Let me inform Nganda that the lost counties were included in the 1900 Agreement to which Obote was not a party. The issue was treated with special interest by the colonial government because the colonial masters knew that it was not an inter-kingdom war as Nganda alleges. Rather, it was a mere ‘reward’ to Buganda for work well done to defeat the greatest nationalists Uganda has ever had—Omukama Kabalega of Bunyoro and our own Kabaka Mwanga who, the tormentors of Buganda like Semei Kakungulu fought and handed over to the colonialists.
Nganda should know that the manner in which the counties came to Buganda were to undermine the unity of Uganda.
This was seen even during the 1955 Namirembe agreement where the colonial government had time to resolve it but decided to ignore it for their selfish interests. And when the independence struggles continued and Uganda had to be formed, the question, of the lost counties, again came up. We should know that it was a matter tabled at the Lancaster Conference by all the delegates in this constitutional-making process.
Nganda should know that Obote was a mere leader of a political party called UPC, just as Buganda’s delegation under KY and Ben Kiwanuka’s DP were equally represented. In this conference, it was agreed to solve this question after two years when Uganda had attained independence and thereby the issue became a constitutional matter fully agreed upon by all the parties especially the UPC-KY alliance in the Lancaster House, where again, Obote was not the leader but a participant like others at the time.
Therefore there was no way Obote could have annexed the lost counties from Buganda to Bunyoro. After two years of self-rule, the constitutional clause had to be implemented. Obote did not dish out millions of shillings to MPs as was done by the NRM in 2005 to decide the presidential term limits.
Besides, Sir Edward Mutesa was the President of Uganda at the time and Obote was his executive prime minister and both had taken oath on October 9, 1962 to protect and defend the constitution of Uganda.
Videos showing the occasion are there to verify this. The constitution clearly stated Obote’s and Mutesa’s roles. As per this particular clause, the President had to endorse the results from the referendum and in case he failed, the executive prime minister had to do so.
Obote did exactly that in exercising his powers as given to him by the constitution. Besides, Nganda knows that from the results, two counties voted to return to Bunyoro and one voted to stay in Uganda.
Again, these Ugandans had exercised their constitutional rights. Obote never changed these results. Of course, the issue shaped the future events in Uganda, this is on record, but let us know that Obote was under circumstances not of his own making!
Joseph Ddamulira Katende
National Asst Youth Leader
Uganda Peoples Congress
He argues that President Museveni is using numbers in the ‘rubberstamp’ Parliament to do the same.
Let me inform Nganda that the lost counties were included in the 1900 Agreement to which Obote was not a party. The issue was treated with special interest by the colonial government because the colonial masters knew that it was not an inter-kingdom war as Nganda alleges. Rather, it was a mere ‘reward’ to Buganda for work well done to defeat the greatest nationalists Uganda has ever had—Omukama Kabalega of Bunyoro and our own Kabaka Mwanga who, the tormentors of Buganda like Semei Kakungulu fought and handed over to the colonialists.
Nganda should know that the manner in which the counties came to Buganda were to undermine the unity of Uganda.
This was seen even during the 1955 Namirembe agreement where the colonial government had time to resolve it but decided to ignore it for their selfish interests. And when the independence struggles continued and Uganda had to be formed, the question, of the lost counties, again came up. We should know that it was a matter tabled at the Lancaster Conference by all the delegates in this constitutional-making process.
Nganda should know that Obote was a mere leader of a political party called UPC, just as Buganda’s delegation under KY and Ben Kiwanuka’s DP were equally represented. In this conference, it was agreed to solve this question after two years when Uganda had attained independence and thereby the issue became a constitutional matter fully agreed upon by all the parties especially the UPC-KY alliance in the Lancaster House, where again, Obote was not the leader but a participant like others at the time.
Therefore there was no way Obote could have annexed the lost counties from Buganda to Bunyoro. After two years of self-rule, the constitutional clause had to be implemented. Obote did not dish out millions of shillings to MPs as was done by the NRM in 2005 to decide the presidential term limits.
Besides, Sir Edward Mutesa was the President of Uganda at the time and Obote was his executive prime minister and both had taken oath on October 9, 1962 to protect and defend the constitution of Uganda.
Videos showing the occasion are there to verify this. The constitution clearly stated Obote’s and Mutesa’s roles. As per this particular clause, the President had to endorse the results from the referendum and in case he failed, the executive prime minister had to do so.
Obote did exactly that in exercising his powers as given to him by the constitution. Besides, Nganda knows that from the results, two counties voted to return to Bunyoro and one voted to stay in Uganda.
Again, these Ugandans had exercised their constitutional rights. Obote never changed these results. Of course, the issue shaped the future events in Uganda, this is on record, but let us know that Obote was under circumstances not of his own making!
Joseph Ddamulira Katende
National Asst Youth Leader
Uganda Peoples Congress