The Government of Uganda

Add caption

The Republic of Uganda is a sovereign state. It is a member of the United Nations, African Union, The East African Community and the Commonwealth. The Government of Uganda is a democracy consisting of three arms: The Executive – comprising of the President, the Vice President, the Prime Minister, and the Cabinet; The Legislature – which is the Parliament; and The Judiciary – including the Magistrates' Courts, High Court, Court of Appeals (Constitutional Court), and Supreme Court. The Constitution of Uganda was promulgated on October 8, 1995, on the eve of Uganda’s Independence Day anniversary held annually on October 9 since 1962.

The Executive

The power of the Executive arm is vested in the President of Uganda, who also acts as head of state and Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces. The President is responsible for implementing and enforcing the laws written by Parliament and, also appoints the Cabinet. The Vice President is also part of the Executive Branch, ready to assume the Presidency should the need arise. The head of state in Uganda is the President, who is elected by a popular vote to a five-year term. Yoweri Museveni, is the current president, and is also the head of the armed forces. The two previous Presidential elections were held in February 2006 and in February 2011, where Museveni was elected with 68% of the vote. The cabinet is appointed by the president from among the elected legislators. The Prime Minister, currently Apolo Nsibambi, assists the president in the supervision of the cabinet. The Cabinet of Uganda, according to the Constitution of Uganda, "shall consist of the President, the Vice President and such number of Ministers as may appear to the President to be reasonably necessary for the efficient running of the State."

The President

Yoweri Kaguta Museveni became President of the Republic of Uganda on January 29, 1986 after leading a successful five-year liberation struggle. He established the National Resistance Movement and National Resistance Army (NRM/NRA) with 26 other men to oppose the tyranny that previous regimes had unleashed upon the population. After victory, he formed a broad-based government that helped to unite the country's political groups. Previous to the struggle of 1981-1986, Museveni had been one of the leaders in the anti-Amin resistance of 1971-1979 that had led to the fall of that monstrous regime. 

Museveni, who has been politically active since his student days at Ntare School, Mbarara, in south west Uganda, studied political science at the University of Dar es Salaam, graduating in 1970 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and Political Science. The office of President is contested for every five years when the constitutional term of office expires. In March 2006, Uganda had the first presidential and parliamentary elections in 25 years. The NRM party won the election under the Chairmanship of Mr. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni. He was first elected president in 1996 and re-elected in 2001 and 2006. He was elected for a fourth consecutive term in office in February 2011 and sworn in on 12 May 2011.

The Vice president

The current Vice President is Edward Kiwanuka Ssekandi, who has been in office since the 24th of May 2011. He is a lawyer and politician. Prior to his appointment, he served as the Speaker of Parliament of Uganda, a position he held from 2001 until 2011. He is also a Member of Parliament, representing Bukoto County Central, a constituency he has continuously represented since 1996. The primary responsibility of the Vice President of Uganda is to be ready to assume the Presidency were the President unable to perform his duties, whether it be  due to death, resignation, or temporary incapacitation, or if the Vice President and a majority of the Cabinet judge felt that the President was no longer able to discharge the duties of the presidency. The Vice-President is second in Uganda’s command chain. Below the Vice President is the Prime Minister who is Co-Coordinator of Government and Head of Cabinet in Parliament.

The Prime minister

Patrick Amama Mbabazi is the current Prime Minister of Uganda, a position he has held since 24 May 2011. He was born on 16 January 1949 in Mparo village, Rukiga County, in present-day Kabale District.Mbabazi and holds a Bachelors Law (LLB) degree, from Makerere University, which obtained in 1975. He also holds the postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice obtained from the Law Development Center in Kampala. He is an Advocate of the Courts of Judicature of Uganda and a member of the Uganda Law Society since 1977. Prior to his current position, he served as the Minister of Security, from February 2009 until May 2011. He also served as the Secretary General of the National Resistance Movement political party from June 2010 until June 2011. Amama Mbabazi also serves as the Member of Parliament for Kinkiizi West constituency in Kanungu District, a position he has held since 2003. He is the 10th Prime Minister in Uganda's history.

The Cabinet

The Cabinet of Uganda, according to the Constitution of Uganda, "shall consist of the President, the Vice President and such number of Ministers as may appear to the President to be reasonably necessary for the efficient running of the State". Cabinet Ministers are deputized by Ministers of State.

The Legislature

The Legislative arm of Government is the Parliament of Uganda. The Speaker of Parliament deputized by a Deputy Speaker heads Parliament. Parliament consists of 303 members when fully constituted. The majority of Members of Parliament are elected through universal suffrage, with a provision for special interest groups namely: women, the armed forces, the disabled and youth elected through Electoral Colleges.

The role of the legislature is to scrutinize and authorize revenues and expenditures, and to ensure that the national budget is properly implemented. How governance affects the wellbeing of the populace depends on tax levels, spending patterns, the impact of policies on investment and on interest rates, as well as on the ways that domestic priorities and choices interact with international economic and financial trends.

The Judiciary

The Judiciary is the third arm of Government, under the doctrine of separation of powers. The Lord Chief Justice deputized by a Lord Deputy Chief Justice heads the Judiciary. The superior courts of Uganda are the Supreme Court, Court of Appeal and the High Court. The Constitution Court sits whenever necessary. The Judiciary is formed by the various courts of judicature, which are independent of the other arms of government. They include the magisterial courts, High Court, Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court. The Uganda Judiciary has undergone tremendous changes since the turn of the last century.

Politics

Uganda is a presidential republic, in which the President of Uganda is both head of state and head of government; there is a multi-party system. The government exercises executive power. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the National Assembly. The system is based on a democratic parliamentary system with universal suffrage for all citizens over 18 years of age. In a measure ostensibly designed to reduce sectarian violence, political parties were restricted in their activities from 1986. In the non-party system instituted by the current president Yoweri Museveni, political parties continued to exist but could not campaign in elections or field candidates directly (although electoral candidates could belong to political parties). A constitutional referendum cancelled this 19-year ban on multi-party politics in July 2005. General elections in Uganda are carried out every  five years