Amin's 18 reasons for the coup
The
18 reasons for the military take over of power were read out on Radio
Uganda by Warrant Officer (II) Sam Aswa on behalf of the Uganda army
under Idi Amin Dada to justify the coup:
1. The unwarranted detention without trial of very many people for long
periods. Those detained included the cabinet ministers and members of
the opposition.
2. The indefinite state of emergency that was declared all over the
country after the Kabaka crisis of 1966. The government could arrest
and detain anyone suspected without trial.
3. Lack of freedom to air views on the political and social evils by
the public. People had been suppressed and denied their human rights.
4. The frequent loss of life, property resulting from wide spread Kondoism and robbery with violence.
5. The proposal for national service. This could increase the armed robberies and general crimes when men abandoned homes.
6. The wide spread corruption and embezzlement of government funds by ministers and other top civil servants.
7. The failure by Obote's government to organize any election for the last eight years.
8. Economic policies like nationalization, which left many people poor,
unemployed and lacking essential commodities like food, clothing,
medicine,
9. High taxes like graduated tax, development tax, sales tax, social
security tax, among others. These left the common man poorer while the
rich were not paying much.
10. Increasing prices for essential needs for example food, clothes,
education, etc as opposed to the declining prices of crops like coffee
cotton, among others. This left the common man very poor.
11. Isolating Uganda from East Africa by sending away Kenyans, refusing Kenyan and Tanzanian goods and currencies.
12. The creation of a wealthy class of leaders under the cover of socialism while they grew richer and the common man poorer.
13. Failure of the defence council to meet under the chairmanship of
Obote since 1969. The essential needs of the armed officers were not
addressed.
14. The creation of a second army (GSU) under Akena Adoko. This army
comprised of people from Akokoro County in Lango where Obote and Adoko
came from.
15. The Lango development master plan which was designed in 1967 to
give all key
positions in politics, army, commercial and industrial
sector to people from Akokoro county in Lango. Emphasis was put on
developing Lango at the expense of other areas in Uganda.
16. Obote on the advice of Akena Adoko had sought to divide the Uganda
armed forces and the rest of Uganda by putting his tribesmen (Langi) in
key positions in the army and everywhere.
17. Obote wanted to divide and downgrade the army, which has been his
loyal supporter since 1962 by turning the cabinet office into another
army.
18. There should be unity to do away with Obote's bloodshed.
Despite of the exaggerated nature of some of the above points given by
the army for the overthrow of Obote, the truth is that there was
discontent among the people most especially in the central part of the
country.
National Movements and New States in Africa