Uganda Since the Seventies

Book excerpt: This is a political study of Uganda since the seventies. It is also a work of comparative analysis of the leaders who have been the most dominant political figures in the country during the post-colonial era. The leaders are Dr. Milton Obote who led the country to independence in 1962 and who returned to power in 1980 after Idi Amin overthrew him in 1971; Idi Amin who was Uganda's military ruler for eight years until 1979; and Yoweri Museveni who waged guerrilla warfare to seize power in 1986 and who transformed himself into a civilian ruler. Museveni became the longest-ruling Ugandan leader and one of the longest-serving in Africa's post-colonial history. The work also looks at the successes and failures of the three leaders across the spectrum and how they have shaped Uganda's destiny. No other Ugandan leaders have had as much impact on the country as they have had. The book is written in the context of post-colonial analysis in an attempt to provide some solutions to the problems which have dogged the country since independence.