Background to the 1971 Coup
Obote's fall from power was an issue of his own making. He was responsible for the growing opposition in parliament because he was practising dictatorship. The following reasons are responsible for the fall of Obote in 1971:
1. The collapse of the UPC/KY alliance, which created poor relations
between Obote and the Baganda. Immediately after the collapse many
people started plotting for Obote's death.
2. The issue of the lost counties. Here Obote supported the transfer of
the lost counties to Bunyoro. When Mutesa refused to sign the bill for
transfer of the counties into an Act of parliament, Obote convinced
Vice President Wilberforce Nadiope to sign it. He therefore worsened
the relationship between UPC and KY.
3. Abrogation of the 1962 constitution also made Obote's government
appear illegitimate and dictatorial. A large section of the population
especially among the Baganda supported Amin because of this.
4. The Kabaka crisis of 1966 that involved the attack on the king's
palace at Mengo and the killing of hundreds of innocent Baganda made
the people to hate Obote.
5. The state of emergency that was declared all over Buganda after the
1966 crisis made Obote to lose popularity in the central region.
6. The arrest of the five cabinet ministers who were later detained
indefinitely created a silent resistance in Obote's cabinet because he
had shown signs of dictatorship.
7. Changes in the army that were made on tribal basis hence favouring
certain special ethnic groups in the country left many other army
officers complaining.
8. Arbitrary arrest and imprisonment of opposition members especially
those from the Democratic Party made some people to give much support
to Amin.
9. Failure to organise elections in a period of eight years was
considered undemocratic and dictatorial. There was no other way of
removing Obote from power apart from a coup.
10. Amin himself is said to have committed a number of crimes and was
not in Obote's good books. He was supposed to be arrested and
prosecuted because of the following reasons. Firstly, Amin together
with Felix Onama, the then minister of defence are said to have
misappropriated large sums of money, which was meant for improvement of
services in the army. Secondly, Amin was suspected to have participated
in the assassination attempt in December 1969 at Lugogo in which
President Obote was shot through the mouth. When the army officers went
to report to Amin at his Kololo residence, it was alleged that he just
jumped over fence, and took off to Bombo. He thought that they had gone
to arrest him. Amin is said to have participated in the murder of
Brigadier Okoya, the deputy commander of the army who had questioned
Amin's performance. Okoya was killed together with his wife in Gulu.
Obote had identified Okoya as a potential officer to replace Amin.
Lastly, Amin was accused of giving unauthorized military and logistical
aid to the Anyanya rebels in Southern Sudan.
11. On the external side however, there was Israel who had fallen out
with Obote because of a number of events that had taken place. For
Israel, after the 1969 coup in Sudan, Obote became friendly to
President Jeffery Nimeiri of Sudan from 1969 and could not allow the
Israelites to use northern Uganda to support the Anyanya. The Israelis
wanted to help the Christian rebels in the south to overthrow the Arab
dominated government in Khartoum. Obote did not allow them to do this.
For this reason therefore, there came a plan to topple him. Secondly,
through the move to the left and the Nakivubo pronouncements, Obote
declared the nationalization of most of the business enterprises, which
belonged to western countries. About 80 enterprises owned by foreigners
were nationalized. This created him enmity with capitalists like
Britain and USA.
12. Obote also accused Britain of selling firearms to South Africa and
acting against the UN resolutions. The resolution was that no country
should sell weapons to South Africa due her bad apartheid policies. At
the conference in Singapore Obote had even threatened to pull out of
the Commonwealth countries.
13. Obote also supported liberation movements in southern Africa. This
created him further problems with Britain, whose interests in Rhodesia
and South Africa were being threatened.
14. Lastly, Obote supported the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO)
in the Middle East. This worsened his relationship with Israel.
Alhajji, Salongo, Field Marshall Dr. Idi Amin Dada VC, MC, DSO, Conquerer of British Empire and Life President of Uganda.
All the above factors combined gave good ground to Amin in overthrowing Obote. Largely by the assistance of the mechanized battalion at Lubiri also known as Malire dominated by Kakwa, Lugbara and Madi, Amin removed on Sunday 25th January 1971.
Obote in Singapore
As the coup plotting was happening, Obote was attending the Commonwealth Conference in Singapore. The most controversial issue at the Conference was the British sale of arms to South Africa.
In 1963 the United Nations Security Council passed a resolution calling on member states "to cease forthwith the sale and shipment of arms, ammunition of all types and military vehicles to South Africa because of her apartheid policy" The government of Prime minister Edward Heath did resumed British arms sale to South Africa. This outraged the progressive elements in Africa. Obote, for one, was vocal, and soon emerged as the most outspoken African leader against this reversal of policy. When a number of very respected African heads of State threatened to pull out of the Commonwealth, Edward Heath saw this as a "test of the virility of British foreign policy in Africa."(Martin, D. 1974: 29)
The occasion for this test was the Commonwealth Prime Ministers conference scheduled for January 1971. Due to the unease at home, Obote had twice declined to attend the conference. Kaunda and Nyerere pleaded with him to attend.
At the conference, when Obote described Heath's policy as racialist, Heath tactfully remarked: "I wonder how many of you will be allowed to return to your own countries from this conference."8 The coup was absolutely successful, and, as Edward Heath had prophesied, Obote took nine long years to get back to Uganda.
Alhajji, Salongo, Field Marshall Dr. Idi Amin Dada VC, MC, DSO, Conquerer of British Empire and Life President of Uganda.
All the above factors combined gave good ground to Amin in overthrowing Obote. Largely by the assistance of the mechanized battalion at Lubiri also known as Malire dominated by Kakwa, Lugbara and Madi, Amin removed on Sunday 25th January 1971.
Obote in Singapore
As the coup plotting was happening, Obote was attending the Commonwealth Conference in Singapore. The most controversial issue at the Conference was the British sale of arms to South Africa.
In 1963 the United Nations Security Council passed a resolution calling on member states "to cease forthwith the sale and shipment of arms, ammunition of all types and military vehicles to South Africa because of her apartheid policy" The government of Prime minister Edward Heath did resumed British arms sale to South Africa. This outraged the progressive elements in Africa. Obote, for one, was vocal, and soon emerged as the most outspoken African leader against this reversal of policy. When a number of very respected African heads of State threatened to pull out of the Commonwealth, Edward Heath saw this as a "test of the virility of British foreign policy in Africa."(Martin, D. 1974: 29)
The occasion for this test was the Commonwealth Prime Ministers conference scheduled for January 1971. Due to the unease at home, Obote had twice declined to attend the conference. Kaunda and Nyerere pleaded with him to attend.
At the conference, when Obote described Heath's policy as racialist, Heath tactfully remarked: "I wonder how many of you will be allowed to return to your own countries from this conference."8 The coup was absolutely successful, and, as Edward Heath had prophesied, Obote took nine long years to get back to Uganda.
National Movements and New States in Africa