Resurgence of Nationalism and the demise of Martial Race Ideology in Uganda, 1971-1986

Abstract

When, on 19th June 1979, newly installed President of Uganda Professor Yusufu Lule, announced plans
to reform recruitment into the armed forces to reflect the ethnic composition of the country, he was
ousted by the army the next day. His successor, Godfrey Lukongwa Binaisa, made a similar mistake and
attempted to end the hegemony of northerners in the military, by removing army Chief of Staff Brigadier
Oyite Ojok. He also suffered a coup. The lesson Ugandans learned was that the century old military
ethnocracy in the country could not be ended by a mere stroke of the pen. It required a protracted
people’s struggle, which explains why Yoweri Museveni succeeded in 1986 where Lule and Binaisa had
failed in 1979 and 1980 respectively. This paper illustrates the growth and metamorphosis of a military
ethnocracy in Uganda, and how it was defeated through a popular people’s resistance.