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Sub Saharan Africa

Uganda

 Flag of Uganda

Last reviewed: 31 July 2009

Country information

Map of Uganda

Area: 197,058,000 sq km (93,104 sq miles)
Population: 31.9 million (UN, 2008)
Capital City: Kampala (population 1.3 million)
People: Over 20 tribes. Baganda (17%), Banyankole (8%), Basoga (8%), Iteso (8%), Acholi and Langi. Small Asian and European communities.
Language(s): English is the official language. Swahili and Luganda widely spoken.
Religion(s): Christianity, with a sizeable Muslim minority.
Currency: Uganda shilling (Ush)
Head of State: President Yoweri Museveni (elected February 2006)
Prime Minister/Premier: Professor Apolo Nsibambi
Foreign Minister: Sam Kutesa
Membership of international groupings/organisations: East African Community (EAC), Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), African Union (AU), Commonwealth, United Nations (UN) – Non-permanent member of the Security Council 2009-10, Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) – Uganda held the chair 2003/5.

HEALTH

Health requirements: Fit For Travel

ECONOMY

Basic Economic Facts

GDP: US$14 billion (2008 est)
GDP per capita: $440 (2008-9)
Annual Growth: 7% (2008-9)
Inflation: 5.7% (2007 est)
Exchange rate:  2060 Ush = $1 (July 2009) 3373 Ush = £1 (July 2009)
Major Industries: agriculture (coffee, tea, fish, fresh flowers, tobacco), mining, construction, manufacturing, textiles services.
Major trading partners: Kenya, UK, South Africa, India. UAE

Uganda relies heavily on agriculture, the basis of livelihood for 80% of the population.  Plantains, cassava, sweet potatoes and maize are major subsistence crops.  The major export crop is coffee, with some revival of tea, tobacco and cotton production.  There is a modest manufacturing and tourism sector and relatively new development of horticulture.  Exports continue to rise.  Successful exploration has revealed oil reserves which may have an important future economic impact.

Uganda's economy has performed well in recent years, averaging around 6% annual growth between 1998 and 2005. By maintaining macroeconomic stability and liberal economic policies it has been able to attract some multinational investment and donor support. GDP is still growing but is below the levels required (approximately 7% per annum) to meet the Millennium Development Goal poverty reduction targets, and the current global economic problems may impede this still further.  Public Administration expenditure still represents too big a percentage of the budget (around 18%) and sufficient revenue collection continues to be difficult.  Despite recent convictions for theft of Global Fund Money, corruption remains a serious problem for Uganda.

Uganda relies heavily on agriculture, the basis of livelihood for 80% of the population.  Plantains, cassava, sweet potatoes and maize are major subsistence crops.  The major export crop is coffee, with some revival of tea, tobacco and cotton production.  There is a modest manufacturing and tourism sector and relatively new development of horticulture.  Exports continue to rise.  Successful exploration has revealed oil reserves which may have an important future economic impact.


IMF Country Reports - Uganda

HISTORY

Uganda developed from the 19th century kingdom of Buganda, which was declared a British protectorate in 1894. The protectorate was extended to other traditional kingdoms in 1896 and the rest of the country brought under central administration by 1914. British administration followed the principles of indirect rule, which included special measures of autonomy for the Baganda. African representation in government increased steadily after 1945. This met some resistance from the traditionalists and separatists among the Baganda. Uganda became independent in October 1962 under a constitution that safeguarded the autonomy of Baganda and the other kingdoms. Milton Obote, leader of the Uganda People's Congress (UPC), was elected Prime Minister, with the Kabaka (Buganda monarch) as non executive President.

Obote moved against the Kabaka in 1966. A new centralised constitution stripped the kingdoms and monarchical institutions of their powers. In 1971 Obote was ousted in a military coup. Idi Amin then established a brutal dictatorship which lasted until 1979. It was finally removed with military assistance from Tanzania. Hastily organised elections in 1980 returned Obote's UPC to power on a disputed mandate. 'Obote II' relied heavily on the support of the army and soon became embroiled in a savage guerrilla war against Yoweri Museveni's National Resistance Army (NRA). Obote was overthrown in an army coup in 1985. General Tito Okello established a short-lived military council but in January 1986, the NRA occupied Kampala and Museveni was installed as President. One million Ugandans had been killed by war; two million uprooted as refugees; 500,000 seriously injured; and the economy was in ruins.

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

East African Community (EAC)

The new EAC was formally launched in January 2001.  It has a parliament, the East African Legislative Assembly, and a secretariat in Arusha (Tanzania).  A Customs Union protocol, signed in 2004, came into effect on 1 January 2005.  As a member of IGAD (comprising Uganda, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti, Somalia and Sudan), Uganda has taken an active interest in the Somali peace process and has deployed   over 2,500 troops in Somalia as the initial component of an African Union peace support operation.

Great Lakes regional conflict

Uganda played an active role in the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo from 1996 and was one of five signatories to the 1999 Lusaka Cease-fire Agreement. Under the terms of the 2002 Luanda Agreement between Uganda and DRC, Uganda completed the withdrawal of its troops in June 2003.

Relations with Rwanda suffered over the DRC, culminating in clashes between the Ugandan and Rwandan armies at Kisangani (DRC) in 1999 and 2000. Tension was bolstered by mutual accusations of support for dissidents. The UK facilitated a series of meetings between Presidents Museveni and Kagame between 2001 and 2004 which have helped to ease the strains.Relations are now much improved across the region.

Sanctions

In early 2004, UNSCR 1533 established an Arms Embargo monitoring mechanism for Eastern DRC, with the primary aim of denying arms to militia groups and identifying those trying to supply such groups.

Uganda's Relations with the UK

Visits

The UK has a strong bilateral relationship and a significant development partnership with Uganda. There are frequent contacts, the most recent ones were:

  • Visits to Uganda by Ivan Lewis, Under Secretary of State for International Development (February 2009) Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh and Their Royal Highnesses The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall (November 2007), Prime Minister Gordon Brown (November 2007), David Miliband, Foreign Secretary (November 2007), Hilary Benn, Secretary of State for International Development (May 2006 and April 2005), Lord Bach, Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (August 2005).

  • Visits to the UK by President Museveni in March 2009 and March 2008.  Visits by Hon Sam Kutesa, Minister of Foreign Affairs in March 2009 and March 2008, twice in 2007, including as a Guest of Government in September 2007, and by Hon Amama Mbabazi, Minister of Security in September 2008.

UK Nationals

An estimated 3,000 UK nationals live and work in Uganda.

Cultural Relations

The British Council in Uganda is the focal point for cultural relations between Britain and Uganda.

British Council: Uganda

Policy

For recent statements of UK government policy towards Uganda see Hansard, and enter Uganda in the search engine.

GEOGRAPHY

Uganda is a land-locked country lying on the equator in central Africa. It shares borders with Sudan, DRCongo, Rwanda, Tanzania and Kenya. 20% of the country is covered by inland lakes. The rest ranges through tropical rain forest to savannah with mountains on the western border. The climate is tropical.

TRADE AND INVESTMENT

Trade and Investment with the UK

The UK exported £50m worth of goods to Uganda in 2008 (up 7% on 2007) and is among Uganda’s top 10 sources of imports. The UK is one of the leading investors in Uganda, with investments worth over US $500m since 1996.

UK Trade & Investment Country Profile: Uganda

Development

Uganda has made significant strides in reducing poverty, though it remains one of the world's most impoverished countries, placed 154 out of 177 on the 2007 World Development Report. Between 1992 and 2006 it achieved a reduction from 56% to 31% of the population living below the poverty line. Primary school enrolment rose from 62% to 86%, putting Uganda on track to meet the Millennium Development Goals for education, though there have been problems with the drop-out rate. There have been improvements in healthcare indicators and significant success in tackling HIV/AIDS.HIV prevalence has been reduced to 6.4%, although the number of new infections is on the increase.  Uganda also has many other challenges, including its high population growth rate, one of the biggest in Africa.

Uganda was the first country to receive HIPC debt relief in 1998, and achieved Completion Point in April 2000. Debt relief is currently worth about $100m annually. Lower interest rate and export earnings forecasts have seen the key debt: export ratio rise from 150% to around 300% but debt service ratios as a percentage of domestic revenues (c. 10%) remain well below the critical threshold.

United Nations Development Programme

World Bank

The UK is one of Uganda's largest bilateral donors and has provided over £800  million in development assistance since 1986. Uganda is one of DFID's largest programmes in Africa.  In 2007 the UK committed to a new ten-year development partnership worth £700 million, guaranteeing at least £70 million a year in development assistance.  DFID have also announced its new 5 year £100 million programme to support development in the north.

DFID Country Profile - Uganda

Uganda Interim Country Assistance Plan (2003) (PDF, 377KB)

Uganda Country Strategy Paper (1999) (PDF, 197KB)

POLITICS

A key, and controversial, feature of Uganda's politics since 1986 was the so-called 'no party' political system, or Movement System. Uganda's 1995 constitution provided for political participation and voting but prohibited political parties from sponsoring candidates. A Referendum in 2000 found 91% in favour of continuing the Movement system, although turnout was low and the pro multiparty side had limited opportunity to present their case. Museveni won 74% of the vote in the 1996 elections and 69% of the vote in 2001. The 2001 elections were marred in places by violence and intimidation and Museveni's main rival, Dr Kizza Besigye, subsequently left the country to spend the next four years in South Africa.

After 2001 calls for multi-party democracy in Uganda became more persistent.  In July 2005 a further referendum was held to decide on the political system.  This time the government supported the change and secured a 92% vote in favour of restoring multi-partyism.  The opposition boycotted the referendum and turn out was low (47%).  Political parties had already emerged in expectation of the switch to a multi-party system.  The National Resistance Movement (NRM) is the previous establishment in its new guise, led by President Museveni.  The Uganda People's Congress (UPC), Democratic Party (DP) and Conservative Party (CP), Uganda's pre 1986 parties, have declined; with the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) emerging as the main opposition group in parliament holding 37 seats.

Parliament voted in August 2005 to lift the constitutional two-term limit on the office of President to allow unlimited terms.  Museveni therefore stood again in elections held in February 2006, the first multi-party elections since 1980, and won with 59% of the vote.  His nearest challenger, Dr Kizza Besigye, gained 37%.  The NRM  won 191 of 215 parliamentary seats in the main ballot; the rest of the 305-strong parliament was made up of 69 District Women’s Representatives and representatives of the Ugandan Army, the youth, persons with disabilities, and workers, a large majority of whom represent the NRM.

Besigye returned to Uganda from exile in South Africa in October 2005. He was arrested on treason and rape charges three weeks later, which led to violent street protests in Kampala and elsewhere in Uganda. While in detention he was nominated as the Presidential candidate for the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC). He was obliged to simultaneously defend himself in the High Court on the criminal charges and campaign on behalf of the FDC and his own Presidential candidacy. The arrest and detention of such a major opposition figure, as well as the blocking of campaign rallies and unequal access to state resources, raised some concerns about the election process. The EU Observation Mission and the Commonwealth Observer Group concluded that the election had represented the will of the people, despite identifying significant flaws in the campaign process.

Tensions between the opposition and government have centred on the subversion of the independence of the judicial process, particularly during the ongoing trial of individuals suspected of involvement with a rebel group called the People’s Redemption Army.  On 31 January 2007 opposition MPs suspended their participation in Parliament for three weeks protesting over political manipulation of the justice system, and in March 2007 judges and lawyers went on strike in protest.

Uganda staged a successful Commonwealth Heads of Government Conference in November 2007, hosting more than 50 heads of state and government including Queen Elizabeth II.

Northern Uganda

The Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) has been conducting an insurgency in the Acholi area of Northern Uganda for 20 years. This has involved a brutal campaign of atrocities against the local Acholi and Langi population, often in punishment for failure to support their cause. Almost 2 million people from Gulu, Kitgum and Pader Districts in northern Uganda fled their homes to Internally Displaced Persons camps for protection.  Successive Ugandan military campaigns against the LRA failed to end the conflict.  Following the issue of International Criminal Court arrest warrants for the top five LRA leaders, the majority of the LRA moved to a new base in north eastern DRC.  In May 2006 the government of Southern Sudan offered to mediate between the LRA and the Ugandan government. Peace Talks between the two parties took place in Juba, Southern Sudan. The Juba Peace Talks were aided by the appointment of the former President of Mozambique, Joaquim Chissano, as Special Envoy of the UN Secretary General to the LRA affected region.  The Juba Peace Talks led to a negotiated peace deal being agreed by both sides, however despite many opportunities Joseph Kony, leader of the LRA, has refused to sign the agreement.  Kony’s refusal to sign the Final Peace Agreement (FPA), led to the Governments of Uganda, DRC and Southern Sudan launching military action against the LRA in December 2008.  This action aimed to bring pressure on Kony to sign up to the FPA.  The FPA remains unsigned and Kony and the LRA continue to attack the local civilian populations in northern DRC, southern Sudan and in CAR.

BBC News Country Profile: Uganda

BBC News: Africa

HUMAN RIGHTS

Uganda's human rights record improved enormously after Museveni came to power in 1986.  It still has a reasonably free media, though this freedom is occasionally curtailed when the government perceives a conflict with national interest.  It also has active civil society organisations.  Rule of law problems remain, including poor policing and questionable activities by security agencies such as allegations of illegal detention, torture and politically motivated harassment.  Demonstrations in Kampala have been met with a brutal response from security services,.  The judiciary has proved itself to be independent and a strong critic of government, but has come under intense political pressure and faced increasing intimidation from security services.  The worst cases of human rights abuse have occured in Northern Uganda where, for many years (during the LRA conflict) the general public was not  provided with adequate protection from either the rebels or the military.  The Ugandan military has also faced accusations of human rights abuses in the Karamoja region.

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