Ethnic Conflict in Uganda's Political History

Abstract

In Uganda, ethnicity has manifested itself in overtly negative terms and has been a source of conflict rather than unification. Throughout Uganda’s political history, ethnicity has been a major factor behind murderous campaigns, social-economic exclusion and political control. This paper maps the divisive role of ethnicity in Uganda from the colonial era under the protectorate government, followed by Edward Muteesa’s regime, then the Milton Obote presidential era, the Idi Amin regime and finally the incumbent Yoweri Museveni regime. The critical approach employed in this paper serves to shed light on all contentious ethnicity related events that have shaped the social, economic and political landscape in Uganda.