Today In History: The 37 Year Old Prime Minister of Uganda Apollo Milton Obote Addressed The Nation

On October, 8, 1962, the 37 year old Prime Minister of Uganda Apollo Milton Obote addressed the nation-“country men and friends at mid-night tonight Uganda shall become independent, we shall have a Uganda flag, National Anthem and Coat of Arms. These will be our symbols, but independence does not begin and end with the selection and raising of a flag; singing of a National Anthem and the display of a Coat of Arms”.

Milton Obote warned that independence would mean great responsibility for everyone in Uganda, and gave an assurance that he and his government was determined to fulfill its duties to the people.

In his own words “our independence shall mean great responsibilities for all of us without exception. Collectively, we shall be responsible to safeguard our independence and to ensure peace and stability within our country. In addition, the government in whose name I now speak, offers you a firm determination to protect life and property and opportunities for your advancement”.

Obote called upon all Ugandans “to pass an irrevocable resolution marking our new status and guiding us into the future”. He urged Ugandans to “add to that resolution that we are of Uganda and Uganda is ours”.

Premier Obote told the nation that it was vital to “recognize and pay tribute to friends from inside and outside Uganda who have helped us on our way to independence. Let us remember the best

we have received and now inherit from the British administrators”, urging Ugandans “to give the missionaries past and present a special praise for the light they brought and do still maintain”.

He told the nation that he could not “forget our men of commerce and industry and also our peasant farmers and the working men and women. Our ability to have a higher standard of living as in the past will depend on their success, security and happiness”.

He ended his maiden address by praying “to God to give us and our country the will to safeguard our freedom and to serve our country in peace. I pray that He may give us reason and in reason we may seek and find; and may what I have said tonight bind us into the community of hope who shall think and strive and toil in such patterns, that work of more noble worth may yet be done. All these and more; for God and my country;”

Prime Minister Obote’s broadcast was heard by millions of listeners throughout the country, radio sets in towns and villages were tuned into to hear the message, which was greeted with applause in many places where large crowds had gathered around loud speakers.

On October, 9 itself, at Kololo Stadium more than 50,000 people watched and applauded intricate and spectacular military tattoo, which culminated at midnight in the lowering of the Union Jack as the British National Anthem was played to signify the closing seconds of British rule.

Then, as the Uganda Flag was picked out in a brilliant spotlight, the Uganda National Anthem was played as the vast crowds in the stadium stood in hushed and respectful silence.

When anthem was over, a spectacular firework display lit up the sky overhead, and bonfires could be seen bursting into flame on hilltops, carrying the message of independence throughout the country.

For many thousands of people, the celebrations continued throughout the night, and Kampala was crowded with people up to the early hours of next morning.

Bars and restaurants saw record business as they struggled to cope with the unprecedented demand. It was a joyous salute to the birth of the new Uganda.

On October, 10, 1962 Milton Obote told the nation that the independent state of Uganda was to be very different from the Uganda Protectorate “in which we have lived for most of our lives”. He noted that he had no illusion to the problems “that confront us”.

Indeed the problems which confronted Milton Obote as a person and Uganda as a newly independent country were enormous.

Uganda had been qualified for independence for years, but Ugandans inability to come together to attain their common goal had delayed independence until the ninth of October 1962.

There was the outstanding issue of the lost counties which were lost from Bunyoro to Buganda during the 1880’s when the Mukama of Bunyoro Kabalega lost the battle against a combined British and Buganda forces where upon the disputed area was handled over to Buganda.

With the coming of independence, Bunyoro’s demands for the return for the lost counties became insistent and determined. The noises of Mengo Establishment were loud and clear “there should never be a word about

Buganda’s counties reverting to Bunyoro”.

The Mengo establishment even suggested that Buganda was prepared for war to protect the counties.

Milton Obote had to get Buganda to compromise and differ any decision on the counties for atleast two years and get this huddle out of the way so that Uganda can get her independence as one nation.

Milton Obote had to do this since his new government was to rely on a UPC-Kabaka Yekka collusion where Baganda/Mutesa party (KY) was to control about one-fifth of Parliament and would not hesitate to throw UPC government out of office where Buganda’s interests were threatened.

Apart from postponing the thorny issue of lost counties, for at least two years after independence, Buganda was extended full autonomy which meant that it was in federal relationship with the central Government were Buganda was like a sub-state, a state within the state of Uganda.

This meant the Buganda Kingdom was to continue to exist and operate its administration in the same way it had done during the colonial period – a virtually independent Kingdom with all the entrenched privileges that it had enjoyed since the conclusion of the 1900 Buganda Agreement.

In other words, Buganda entered “independence era” much as it had been before. The Kingdom’s constitution was annexed to the Uganda constitution.

To the rest of Uganda, Obote’s compromise to Buganda was in effect a surrender of Uganda to Buganda. Members of Parliament of independent Uganda were in two categories; those from Buganda were nominated by the Lukiiko.

The rest of the members including those from the other Kingdom areas were directly elected by the people. This difference made the Buganda members of Parliament delegates of their legislature rather the representatives of the Buganda electorate and yet the Parliament of Uganda was basically that of a unitary state. Thus, Milton Obote took the reins of power of a Uganda which was neither a federal nor a unitary state.

Milton Obote as a person, had to bring this compromise in order to bring Buganda into an independent Uganda.

He balanced his person charm and nationalism to keep the newly independent nation together. A hardworking person who had a reputation for efficiency and a knack for negotiating tricky deals, Obote was confident he would hold the new nation together.

He had a reputation of a brilliant debater a fact which led to his election as a leader of the combined African representatives of the legco from which his Uganda People’s Congress was born. Therefore the solution to holding Uganda together in this tricky independence compromise, lay primarily on Prime Minister Milton Obote’sskills as a negotiator.

Today In History: The 37 Year Old Prime Minister of Uganda Apollo Milton Obote Addressed The Nation