Is Uganda independent? – A brief history

In relation to the question above, the expected answers would be either “yes” or “no” but the most important phenomenon is the reasons that a person can base on to support how or her view. This requires a clear and concrete analysis of the circumstances and conditions which are prevailing in the country, the material conditions in which a common citizen in Uganda is living in. As pointed out in the earlier analysis of Uganda’s class composition that before the arrival of the British colonialists, Uganda was already a class society under feudal modes of production , literally speaking Uganda under kingdoms had political and economic independence in other words the economic substructure existed along with it’s corresponding superstructure under feudal relations of production, the British arrival focused on two things, to acquire land either forcibly and to make the indigenous people to provide labour this can be evidenced with the signing of the 1900 Buganda agreement which further divided land into two Milo land and crown land, over 50% of the Land was given to the queen, this increased the landlessness of poor peasants who worked as serfs to their feudal landlords, after acquiring land another thing was to integrate the peasants into the wage labor system to grow cash crops to be used in home industries and to also purchase ready industrial goods from their home industries hence served two purposes, as source labor and source of market.

As contradictions increased , out of exploitation of the workers in white firms, unpleasant working conditions and touch desires to end foreign domination, indigenous people represented by intellectuals formed unions and indigenous political parties with the aim of demanding for self rule, though various factions had varying views and ideology on the nature and system of governance that an independent Uganda should adopt, some demanded for a single republican government while others advocated for cessation this posed a great political question that is still existing. The period of 1962 and beyond was a period of struggle for self governance and sovereignty, the struggle to end exploitation of Ugandan citizens by fell citizens, Hence the 1967constitution abolished feudal kingdoms in Uganda and declared Uganda as a republic this is a mile stone that created a republican country and it aimed at ending the feudal relations of production that created the real meaning of one government, one parliament, one justice system and one Uganda other wise the independence of 1962 was just independence that was given to the disjointed kingdoms and states that existed at that time, why?  the British had capacity to unite the whole country but it was a calculated move to remain controlling the affairs of Uganda through indirect means , Uganda was simply shifted from direct rule to indirect rule from a colonialist state to a neocolonial country.

The prevailing circumstances are the following: Uganda simply was exchanged from the hands of white oppressors to the hands of black oppressors who are still supporting the continued existence of the capitalistic mode of production that was laid by the colonialists. This system is the origin of exploitation and oppression basing on class struggles and all it’s contradictions are the root cause of the sufferings of the common man, for instance private property ownership that has selectively turned majority of Ugandan peasants landless either through corruption, land conflicts, land theft and evictions. The wage labor system has caused majority of Ugandan proletarian class to only survive on their labour of which the rate of employment creation under private sector is smaller than the late of increase in the country’s labor productive force.

The high rates of poverty is the clear manifestation of failure of the capitalist mode of production to allocate resources, where by the ownership of the means of production is in hands of very few capitalists and compradors plus the national Bourgeois, the capitalist relations of production directly allocate the products, wealth and means of production to their original owners and this makes majority of Ugandans who don’t own any viable means of production to remain slaves of the system, stuck in the vicious cycle of poverty and unemployment and the income inequality gap keeps on increasing despite an increase in the country’s Gross Domestic Product, the minority rich are becoming richer and the majority poor continues to become poorer, The capitalist contradictions in the capitalist relations of production directly leads to inflation through persistent increase in the general prices of commodities in Uganda, From the Marxist point of view, this arise from expansionary monetary policies that are adopted by comprador Regimes, from the Marxist economics puts it clear that, inflation is one of major contradictions of commodity production under capitalist relations of production and it benefits the owners of capital and means of production at the expense of the workers, peasants and consumers. All such challenges at hand can not be solved by neoliberal policies, or reforms like how it has been approached ,these can work but at a short term basis, these are temporary solutions, at the moment the system is to be uprooted, dismantling the capitalist and re-establish the strong socialist system, replacing the capitalist relations of production with the socialist relations of production, substituting the capitalist economic substructure with socialist economic sub-structure, and most importantly is the Ugandan proletarian, working class and peasants should acquire political power and definitely can be able to conquer and transform nature to create social wealth, to establish a collective ownership pattern of means of production and mutual social relations of production and this can lead to even distribution of social wealth under a socialist economy guarded by the socialist super structure. This will inevitably improve people’s livelihood and standards of living, this will end exploitation of man by man , this will end the wage system that turns the country’s productive force into wage slaves because the wage slavery system drains the workers’ blood. Through centrally planned economy, unemployment will be eliminated and inflation will definitely be eliminated into the commodity production process. The collective ownership of means of production will enable people to engage in collective production and resources can be shared from each according to his own ability to each according to his own needs. This will definitely eliminate classes , in the end political and economic independence will be achieved starting from, family level, house hols level, village levels and national levels. it’s also important to note that the full independence of Uganda can truly be achieved through the advancement of the National Democratic Revolution that was initiated by Dr AM Obote under the guidance of the common man’s charter in the interest of the common man.

Happy independence day!

The struggle continues!