Africa: A Practical Guide for Global Health Workers

9: Uganda

228 uganda x achilles katamba henry luzze james oloya christopher c. whalen The History of Uganda About 5000 bce, Bantu-speaking peoples migrated from western Africa to the east-central region now called Uganda. By the fourteenth century AD, three kingdoms dominated the region—Buganda (meaning “state of the Gandas,” and the origin of the country’s name), Bunyoro, and Ankole. The British colonized Uganda in 1894 and ruled the territory as a British protectorate until 9 October 1962, when Uganda declared its independence. Sir Edward Mutesa, the king of Buganda Kingdom, was elected the first president, and Dr. Milton Apollo Obote became the first prime minister. In 1966, Prime Minister Obote seized control of the government with the help of Colonel Idi Amin. On 25 January 1971, Colonel Idi Amin deposed President Obote, who sought refuge in the neighboring country of Tanzania. Amin governed the country as a military dictatorship. Shortly after becoming president, he expelled all Indian residents from Uganda. In 1976, he proclaimed himself president for life. In an attempt to annex the Kagara region of Tanzania to Uganda, Amin waged military attacks on the Tanzanian -Uganda border in 1978.1 As a result of these attacks, a combined force of Tanzanian troops and Ugandan exiles loyal to former president Obote invaded Uganda and ousted Amin in 1979. Amin went into exile in Saudi Arabia, where he died in 2007. Two interim administrations led the country before President Obote uganda 229 was returned to power in 1980, after a multiparty election that was tainted by alleged massive vote rigging. Obote was ousted in a military coup by his army commander, General Tito Lutwa, in July 1985. On 26 January 1986, the National Resistance Army, led by Yoweri Museveni, seized power, and Museveni declared himself president of the Republic of Uganda. Since then, most areas of Uganda have prospered from a period of relative peace and steady economic growth. However, Uganda’s northern region experienced an eighteen-year-long battle against the brutal Lord’s Resistance Army, led by Joseph Kony. The insurgence displaced up to 1.5 million people. As of 2008, peace has returned to the region, and Kony and three of his officers have been indicted on charges of crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court. Modern Uganda Uganda is in East Africa, bordered on the west by the Democratic Republic of Congo, on the north by the Sudan, on the east by Kenya, and on the south by Tanzania and Rwanda. Uganda lies across the equator and is divided into three main types of terrain: swampy lowlands, a fertile plateau with wooded hills, and semi-arid regions. Lake Victoria forms part of the southern border. Uganda is a country of 30.8 million people, with a growth rate of 2.7 percent and a birth rate of 47.8 per 1,000 population. The country’s infant mortality rate is 65 per 1,000 live births. Life expectancy is 51.6 years for males and 53.8 years for females. The capital city is Kampala, with a population of 1,461,600. Economy Although Uganda is one of the poorest countries in Africa, its economy has been among the fastest growing in sub-Saharan Africa. Building on a foundation of two decades of peace and sound development policies, Uganda has achieved impressive economic growth, low inflation, and steady reduction of poverty.2 The Gross Domestic Product (gdp; see the glossary) per capita is $1,100, with a real growth rate of 6.9 percent and inflation of 6.8 percent. The country’s economy relies mainly on subsistence agriculture and to a lesser extent on high-productivity manufacturing . Its main export earners include coffee, fish and fish products, tea, cotton, flowers, and gold.3 230 africa : a practical guide Language and Literacy English is the official language and the language of instruction in schools at all levels in Uganda. However, there are many local languages spoken by different ethnic groups. Luganda (one of the Bantu languages) is the most commonly spoken by people from the central part of the country. Other common languages include Nilo-hamitic, Luo, Swahili, and Arabic . The literacy rate among Ugandans fifteen and older is estimated to be 67 percent, and it is higher among males (77 percent) than females (58 percent). The Ugandan Education System The current educational system in Uganda was established in the early...