At independence the Queen of England remained the Head of State of Uganda while Obote was the Prime Minister. On the ground she was represented by the Governor-General, Sir Walter Coutts . This arrangement was temporary and on 4 October 1963 an election to of a replacement took place. Sir Edward Mutesa, Kabaka of Buganda was elected to fill this position.
It had been part of the bargain for the KY/UPC alliance that the Kabaka of Buganda would be Head of State. This was a very suave move. The Baganda of those days could not imagine anybody being in status above their Kabaka. And so by making the Kabaka Head of State their sentiments was very well-taken care of. There is another purpose the Kabaka's election served. Ever since 1949 Buganda had sought to separate itself from the rest of the colony. Among the tasks Sir Andrew Cohen as Governor, came to do was to counter the separatist tendencies of Buganda. It was in the process of handling this that the 1953 crisis erupted. In 1961 Buganda actually filed for separate independence from the rest of the colony. It is the KY/UPC alliance which got Buganda to participate in the election of 1962. making the Kabaka president was getting Buganda to be more involved in the politics of Uganda. It is in this vein that Obote once said.......
The other reason for having the Kabaka become Head of State is what has been well-argued by professor Wright: "What can be the functional equivalents of monarchy in countries like the United States and India which have lost that institution irretrievably? One such (used by the Soviet Union in its constituent republics) is the ceremonial presidency which can be safely bestowed upon some prestigious and cooperative member of the former ruling elite for the vicarious satisfaction of the rest of the group. Indians never tire of pointing to the late President Zakir Husain, Chief Justice Hidayatullah and a covey of state governors from the Muslim minority. These men may be ineffective, or unwilling to be real representatives of their community, but they do seem to lend the state some of the desired legitimacy in the eyes of the minority. They constitute a kind of "tokenism" for the downwardly mobile. If the American presidency had developed in the direction in which it seemed headed under Eisenhower, it might have become a harmless sop of this sort for the Wasps in their decline." (Wright T.P. 1976:61)
How was the Kabaka to become Head of State? An election procedure of some sort was contrived. In this procedure, it was Constitutional Heads who were qualified to contest. The heads of kingdoms and the Kyabazinga of Busoga automatically qualified. In order not to have those districts or nationalities without Constitutional Heads feeling left out, the position of Constitutional Heads of each district was created and filled. Teso District refused to fill its position. With the positions of Constitutional Heads filled, elections were then held. Prior to the elections, the UPC caucus discussed the matter. The majority of UPCs came up in support of their Vice President, William Wilberforce Nadiope, the Kyabazinga of Busoga, leaving their President of the UPC with the Kabaka without support. After very prolonged deliberations, with Obote threatening to resign as leader, the UPC caucus grudgingly accepted to support Mutesa. Mutesa himself has given us his take of the arduous struggle Obote went through to get him elected President.
"In October I was elected president. Though important in my life and career, this moment was not so significant as a political straw in the wind as some thought. There were rumours that I must have made secret concessions to Obote over the lost counties, and that the Prime Minister was reversing his anti-Buganda policy, which was by now clear, if not threatening. These held no truth. Sir Walter Coutts had become Governor General after independence, but this was always meant to be a temporary appointment by the National Assembly. Indeed a few months before he said to me at a dinner in government house, where the next head of State would live, "And when are are you coming here?" Genuinely misunderstanding, I replied, "On Saturday for lunch. Don't you remember?" He probably took this as a diplomatic manouevre to avoid answering. After discussions,it had been decide to elect one of the rulers for a five-year term. in that case there was little choice either for Obote or for me. He was not in a position to snub the Baganda, who would have been enraged if any other ruler was chosen, as the new president would have precedence over the Kabaka even in Buganda. Similarly, it was difficult for me to refuse. I was told of the possibility of the election when I was in Ndaiga. The only factor which caused me to hesitate was wondering whether there would be a conflict between my duty as President and my duty as Kabaka. I decided that I could separate the two roles as I could separate my position as Commander-in- chief from the position as colonel in the Granadiers, to which I had just been promoted. I sent a word to the Katikiro, still Michael Kintu. this illustrates my relationship with the Lukiiko. I would have felt free to refuse without referring to anyone, but I asked for permission to accept. Negotiations were secret as this was merely to allow my name to be put forward, a necessary manouevre to avoid the embarrassment of my being elected and then refusing. Kintu sounded public opinion through the chiefs, found it favourable, and I accepted nomination, knowing that in this case I had the full support of the Prime Minister and thus almost certain to be elected. Still there was some comedy before the election. One of the candidates as the Kyabazinga of Busoga was Sir William Wilberforce, known as uncle Billy, who was also vice President of UPC. Perhaps in an unguarded moment someone had made him some promise. In any case, when the time came for the election he insisted on remaining in the national assembly, though it was suggested that as an interested party it might be more tactful for him to leave. As he sensed things were not going his way, he rushed up to the Prime Minister, who feared a physical attack and backed round the table. They completed two or three circuits with Obote explaining at a safe distance that all would be well and he must calm down. A special title of Vice President was created for him, but do not think he must have found his duties onerous. I was elected by more than two thirds majority, but it was a secret ballot so it is not certain how many members of DP voted for me and how many of UPC against, in spite of Obote having made his support clear........" (Mutesa, E. 1967: 172)
It is also interesting to see what a Muganda academic, Professor Mutibwa thought of Mutesa's election as President of Uganda: "The choice and election of the Kabaka of Buganda, on 4 October 1963, as the first President of Uganda should not, in the normal course of events -at least in the view of the Baganda -have stirred any hairs and caused the hullabaloo it did at the time. Mutesa was the natural choice in appreciation of what Buganda had contributed to Uganda. In particular, credit was due to Sir Edward's great grandfather, Mutesa I, for what he did in consolidating Islam which he patronised for ten consecutive years, and in bringing other aspects of civilisationand modernity, particularly Christianity, to what until then was a dark corner of the African continent. But there were other aspirants to the the land, the leading one being Mr (later Sir) William Wilberforce Nadiope Kadhumbula, the Kyabazinga of Busoga and the one next to Obote as chief of the ruling party, UPC. But wiser counsel, as they say, prevailed. What knocked out Nadiope from the race was an unwritten and apparently closely guarded 'understanding' between Obote and Mutesa (or Mengo, which was the same thing), while the famous alliance was being negotiated, that as part of the reward for supporting Obote to become Prime Minister at independence, the Kabaka would become the President of Uganda. And so it was, despite some stiff opposition to the choice of Mutesa and in support of the man from across the River Nile. For this, at least Obote should be commended for having stood up for his principle and word in favour of the Kabaka of Buganda. The election of Sir Edward Mutesa as the first President of Uganda was no mean that he believed went with the position he was being called achievement for Buganda. It was a landmark in the history of the kingdom and a deserving recognition of the contribution Baganda had made to the creation and development of Uganda ever since the first White men stepped on Buganda (or Uganda) soil on 19 February 1862 and were received by Kabaka Mutesa I at his palace at Banda, near present-day Kampala. It was another event that highlighted the significance of Buganda as a major factor in the politics and history of Uganda." (Mutibwa, P.M. 2008: 66)
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I am amazed that UaH could post my article without stating the author. Is this a form of plagiarism?
ReplyDeleteYoga Adhola.