With a political structure that functions as a one party state, Uganda’s government can easily be regarded as an authoritarian regime.

In fact since 1986, only two of Uganda’s elections have been considered multiparty elections. The President is the head of state, the head of government, and leads the armed forces.

After gaining independence from Britain in 1962, Uganda became a republic while maintaining its membership with the Commonwealth nations. Following a military coup in January 1971, General Idi Amin seized control of the country and with the support of the military, imposed a notorious dictatorship that lasted eight years. During his rule mass killings, vast human rights abuses, and forced removals of minority groups became the norm. His reign ended after the Uganda - Tanzania War of 1979, when Tanzanian forces invaded the country.

Following a protracted six-year guerrilla war, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni took power in January 1986 through a military coup, and remains in power to this day. After seizing power, Museveni quickly stacked the country’s voting commission with his henchmen and has been accused of rigging every election since. He severely restricted all political party activity in a measure to ostensibly reduce sectarian violence. Under the new system political parties officially continued to exist but were barred from campaigning. The ban was cancelled by a constitutional referendum in 2005, the same year Museveni abolished presidential terms limits.

Parliament Party Representation

Museveni was last re-elected in February 2016 in a highly contested election. Local observers claimed the elections to have been neither free nor fair, and according to international observers, the election process failed to meet international standards. Adding to this understanding is the fact that prior to the presidential elections, the Uganda Communication Commission blocked access to all major social media networks and messaging services. Additionally Opposition presidential candidates faced arrest, detention, and obstructions. The police blocked some candidates’ access to media and public meetings and arrested and beat journalists attempting to report on the house arrest of opposition leader Dr. Kizza Besigye. Free and fair elections and the ability of Ugandans to freely exercise fundamental human rights remain paltry.

CAPITAL: KAMPALA

OFFICIAL LANGUAGE: SWAHILI AND ENGLISH

GOVERNMENT: PRESIDENTIAL REPUBLIC

PRESIDENT: YOWERI MUSEVENI

IN POWER SINCE: JANUARY 26, 1986

RULING PARTY: NATIONAL RESISTANCE MOVEMENT

LEGAL SYSTEM: MIXED LEGAL SYSTEM OF ENGLISH COMMON LAW AND CUSTOMARY LAW

INTERNATIONAL LAW PARTICIPATION: ACCEPTS COMPULSORY ICJ JURISDICTION; ACCEPTS ICCT JURISDICTION

Primary human rights concerns in Uganda include threats to LGBTQ rights, as well as attacks on freedoms of association, expression, and opinion.

LGBTQ RIGHTS

The criminalization of homosexuals and same sex relationships in Uganda finds its origin in the British colonial rule and their so-called anti-sodomy law. Section 145 of the Ugandan Penal Code, termed “Unnatural Offences,” prohibits “carnal knowledge of any person against the order of nature” and any contravention carries the risk of lifetime imprisonment.

In 2009 a Ugandan politician introduced the Anti-Homosexuality Act (known as the “Kill the Gays“ act in Western media), which included the death penalty for serial offenders, and criminalized acts where an individual “aids, abets, counsels or procures another to engage in acts of homosexuality.”

In February 2014 President Museveny singed the Anti-Homosexuality Act into law, which not only outlawed homosexual acts but incited citizens to report “suspicious“ activity to the police. Even though the bill was ruled invalid by the Constitutional Court on procedural grounds only a few months later, government officials continued to voice their support for it. Unfortunately the global condemnation of the bill and the public debates only further increased intolerance and violence against the LGBTQ community in Uganda. LGBTQ Ugandans continue to face severe discrimination and harassment by the media, police and the general population. Ugandan media frequently exposes LGBTQ individuals and calls for violence against them.

FREEDOM OF ASSOCIATION, FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND OPINION

Civil liberties are severely restricted under president Museveni’s rule.

In 2015 the government passed an NGO law allowing the government to close down organizations and arrest their members at will. In the past the government also used laws such as the 2002 Antiterrorism Act and the 2010 Regulation of Interception of Communications Act to increase surveillance of the internet and phone communications.

Dissidents calling attention to these problems have been subject to arbitrary arrest, seizure of property, detention without trial, and mysterious disappearances. These violent incidents peak during campaign seasons.