UGANDA

NATIONAL CONFLICTS
families members who once sat together to share food. 79 The political conflict created by
religious affiliation cuts across ethnic and social lines, causing numerous impediments to
democratisation processes in Uganda. Some politicians use religion to win votes through
appealing to a common sense of identity and belonging, obtaining citizens’ support
irrespective of their leadership capabilities.
4. Conflict between British colonial administrators and traditional
leaders (colonial times)
Before the British colonial administration came to Uganda, communities were governed
on the basis of traditional lineage systems. The establishment of the British in Uganda,
through their collaboration with the Buganda leadership (formalized in the
Buganda Agreement of 1900), 80 sparked numerous clashes with traditional
leaders in many communities around the country.
Before the signing of the Buganda Agreement, the king of the Baganda,
Kabaka Mwanga II, resisted British rule, declaring war on the colonialists in
1897. He was promptly defeated. British violence against the Baganda led
to grievances that have yet to be addressed. The Bunyoro Kingdom was the
last Kingdom to become part of the British protectorate of Uganda in 1933,
owing to both a long-fought resistance movement against British troops
led by Sir Gerald Portal, as well as Bunyoro’s longstanding conflict with the
Buganda Kingdom. 81 To this day, the Banyoro still demand reparations and
compensation from the British over atrocities committed on their land and
against King Kabalega. 82
In Acholi the Lamogi Rebellion of 1911 is still remembered. 83 The Karamoja
region was integrated into the state of Uganda through various armed
conflicts beginning in 1926, and as a result of the British containment
strategy of designating vast areas of land as game parks and reserves, a
policy that set in motion a relentless squeeze on traditional livelihoods
that continues to date. 84 In West Nile, the British are also blamed for
the disappearance of Chief Aliku during the pre-Independence period. 85
5. North-South Division (colonial times – present)
Long-running tensions between the North and South of Uganda can
be traced back to colonial recruitment policies. People from the north were
79 Research conducted in Pader District
80 Mugambwa, J.T. (1987) Legal aspects of the 1900 Buganda Agreement revisited. Journal of Legal Pluralism,
25 (26), p. 243
81 Research conducted in Luwero District
82 Research conducted in Hoima District
83 Research conducted in Gulu District
84 Research conducted in Luwero District
85 Research conducted in Adjumani District
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