The Cost of Rule by Force

Political instability in present-day Uganda predates its being mistakenly named Uganda by the British, who proceeded to exploit the existing political instability in Buganda, and indeed elsewhere in the territory, in order to establish, even maintain their colonial rule over it for well over half a century. But how has the persistence of political instability in Uganda for another well over half a century following the formal departure of the British been possible?This book draws on not only its author’s extensive knowledge of the political biographies and regimes of Uganda’s longest-serving leaders, namely, Apollo Milton Obote, Idi Amin Dada, and Yoweri Tibuhaburwa Kaguta Museveni, but also serious consideration of each of the of transitional regimes of Yusuf Kironde Lule, Godfrey Lukongwa Binaisa, Paulo Muwanga, and Tito Okello Lutwa, which are normally considered unworthy of it, to understand political instability in Uganda in terms of the attempt by each successive regime to remain in power indefinitely through non-democratic means, mainly coercive force, resulting, sooner or later, in its rejection by enough people to cause political instability enough to threaten its very existence, to which it responds with even more of, more or less, the self-same non-democratic means, mainly coercive force, thereby creating a vicious circle of political repression and political instability which is only broken by its forced replacement by another regime. This book will be of interest to anyone who is interested in the political history of Uganda or comparable African and indeed other countries.