Synopsis for the 63rd Independence Day Anniversary Celebrations-2025

“Freedom is fragile and must be protected. To sacrifice it even as a temporary measure, is to betray it.” Germaine Greer

On the dawn of Tuesday 9th October 1962, Ugandans from all walks of life, regardless of class or tribe, jubilated when the Union Jack came down and the Ugandan flag was raised. Indeed, independence came with high expectations that everything would change for the best: that all people would equally enjoy free education and health care services; that girls would easily access education, and that Ugandan school teachers would take over from the British; that Ugandans would engage in gainful business - just like the Asians and the British who dominated [even] the smallest of shops on the high streets of Kampala - that Ugandans would have money in their pockets; that a Ugandan leader would expunge the lines of division drawn by the colonial master along tribal territories; and that Uganda would be able to make national decisions without reference to London – the seat of the colonial power.
Remembering our critical agitators for independent Uganda
Contrary to the commonly held view that Uganda’s independence was handed over to us peacefully, our independence was fought for although there was no physical war fought. Ugandan elites organized their followers into various forms civil disobedience against the British rule and emancipated the citizens to shun the colonial government until it became clear for the colonizers that they had no other option but to agree to self-rule.

The Global Pan-African outlook undoubtedly had an influential aspect to our own founding fathers of Uganda’s Independence struggle which was in turn led by the following key figures in our own struggle for Independence. These include but not limited to; Ignatius Kangave Musaazi (Formed the 1st Political Party in Uganda; the Uganda National Congress UNC in 1952, assisted by Abubakar Kakyama Mayanja for Buganda, Stefano Abwangato (from Bugisu) Yekosefat Engur (from Lango), Ben Okwerede (from Teso) and S.B Katembo (from Toro).

Others were Sir. William Wilberforce Nadiope (who was part of the Ugandan delegation that went to the 1961 Lancaster Conference in England to advocate for Independence), Benedict Kiwanuka (1st Prime Minister of Uganda from 1st March 1962 to 30th April 1962 when he was succeeded by Milton Obote), Semakula Mulumba (severely clashed with the Colonial Protectorate Government Officials in Entebbe and British Government Officials in London while pursuing studies.

As part of the crackdown on Independence Freedom Fighters, the British Government terminated his scholarship. Impressed by his eloquence, charisma and wealth of knowledge, the members of the Bataka Party raised money and sent him back to England to complete his course on 2nd October, 1947), Grace Ibingira (was co-founder of the UPC Party with Milton Obote in 1960 and was elected to the Legislative Council in 1960), William Wilberforce Rwetsiba, John Kakonge and Tiberio Okeny (who joined DP in 1959 prior Independence and participated as a representative of the Acholi in the London Constitutional Conference that wrote the Uganda Constitution in 1962) among others.

Therefore, we bow to all those men who made enormous sacrifices to make it possible for us to live in a free Country we call home today. Therefore, today is a cause for celebrations not only of us but for every advocate of human freedom and liberties around the world. It is also a day to uphold the strides made in attaining progress of the Nation for the good of those alive today as well as posterity.

Uganda’s ‘false start’ independence journey

A loose coalition of two political parties i.e Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) led by Apollo Milton Obote and Kabaka Yekka (KY) led by Kabaka Edward Mutesa II ushered Uganda to independence in 1962. The coalition was made by these two to defeat the Democratic Party (DP) of Benedict Kagimu Mugumba Kiwanuka who was the Chief Minister and more popular. Kiwanuka who was catholic was not favoured by the British colonisers and were uncomfortable handing him power as they exited Uganda.
These two political parties, i.e UPC and Kabaka Yekka were meant to share political power. Obote became the Executive Prime Minister in 1962 while Kabaka Edward Mutesa II was elected president by parliament in 1963 but with residual powers.
Whereas UPC was a republican party, Kabaka Yekka was pro Buganda monarchist party that catered for the interest of the quasi-federated Buganda Kingdom. It wasn’t a particularly advantageous time for Uganda to come to grips with independence. Civil wars were raging in neighbouring southern Sudan, Zaïre (now DR Congo) and Rwanda, and refugees poured into the country.
However, it also soon became obvious that Obote had no intention of sharing power with the Kabaka (the Buganda king). After many political and policy disagreements between the two, in 1966 Obote ordered his army Chief of Staff, Idi Amin, to storm the Kabaka’s palace and violently occupied the palace and Kabaka Edward Mutesa II fled Uganda and decamped in the UK.
Obote declared the whole of Uganda a republic. Different kingdoms across Uganda were abolished and Obote became president.
But events soon started to go seriously wrong. Obote rewrote the constitution to consolidate virtually all powers in the presidency. He then began to nationalise, without compensation, US$500 million worth of foreign assets. In 1969, Amin was implicated in a financial scandal, and he responded to the bad press by staging a coup. Obote fled and so began Uganda’s first reign of terror.
The army was empowered to shoot on sight anyone suspected of opposing the regime. Over the next eight years an estimated 300,000 Ugandans lost their lives. Amin’s main targets were the Acholi and Lango tribespeople, the professional classes and the country’s 70,000-strong Asian community. In 1972 the Asians – many of whom had come from other British colonies to work Uganda’s plantations as far back as 1912 – were given 90 days to leave the country with nothing but the clothes they wore.
Meanwhile, the economy collapsed, infrastructure crumbled, the country’s prolific wildlife was machine-gunned by soldiers for meat, ivory and skins, and the tourism industry evaporated. The stream of refugees across the border became a flood.
Inflation hit 1000%, and towards the end the treasury was so bereft of funds that it was unable to pay the soldiers. Faced with a restless army wracked by intertribal fighting, Amin foolishly chose to go to war with Tanzania in 1978. The Tanzanians rolled into the heart of Uganda and on 11th April 1979, Kampala fell to the liberation forces assisted by the Tanzanian army. Amin fled to Libya.
In 1980 the government was taken over by a military commission, which set a presidential election date for Uganda later that year. Obote returned from exile in Tanzania to an enthusiastic welcome in many parts of the country and swept to victory in a blatantly rigged election.
Obote’s second rule began with a wrong footing. He wasn’t fully in charge of the military. The military faced with a rebellion led by Yoweri Museveni in the Luwero Triangle became brutal to the population especially in Buganda where the war was raging on and Western Uganda. Large numbers of civil servants, army and police commanders belonging to southern tribes were arrested and the prisons began being filled once more. Reports of atrocities leaked out of the country and several mass graves were discovered especially in Buganda region. In mid-1985 Obote was overthrown by his own army in a coup led by Gen. Tito Okello who was his Army Commander.
Shortly after Obote became president in 1980 after brutally rigging the election, a guerrilla army opposed to his government was formed. It was led by Yoweri Museveni, who had lived in exile in Tanzania and participated militarily in ending Amin’s reign of terror in 1979.
From a group of 40 fighters that launched the guerrilla war after the attack on Kabamba Barracks on the 6th of February 1981, Museveni mobilized a force of about 20,000 fighters and launched a people’s protracted struggle to remove the Obote regime. In the early days few gave the guerrillas, known as the National Resistance Army (NRA), much of a chance, but by the time Obote was ousted and Okello had taken over, the NRA controlled a large slice of western and central Uganda. Fighting proceeded in earnest between the NRA and Okello government troops, and by January 1986 it was clear that Okello’s days were numbered. The NRA launched an all-out offensive and took state power after the fall of capital Kampala on 26th January 1986.
President Yoweri Museveni proved to be a pragmatic leader, appointing several archconservatives to his cabinet and trying to reassure the country’s influential Catholic community. Meanwhile, almost 300,000 Ugandan refugees returned from across the Sudanese border. The economy took a turn for the better and aid and investment began returning to the country.
President Yoweri Museveni who has been at the helm of power since 1986 has made many political and economic reforms to turn around Uganda. The country got a new constitution in 1995; multiparty politics were returned in 2001. One of Museveni’s major challenges in the late 1990s was the north, which was plagued by various anti-government rebel factions such as the bizarre Christian group known as the Lord’s Resistance Army, allied with Sudan’s Islamic government, and the West Nile Bank Front, led by Idi Amin’s former minister. These and other rebel groups were finally defeated in 2006, and Uganda has been peaceful from all corners of its boundaries.

The economy
Uganda’s economy has strengthened its resilience to domestic and external shocks and been growing at estimated 6% over the last 30 years. In nominal terms, the size of the economy is estimated at Shs. 226.3 trillion, equivalent to USD 61.3 billion. This is equivalent to USD 174.2 billion in Purchasing Power Parity terms. This growth is broad-based, including in agriculture, industry and services like ICT. To align with the Ministry of Finance, Planning, and Economic Development’s goal of expanding Uganda’s economy tenfold by 2040, the government, alongside the National Planning Authority, has highlighted four key sectors to realize this dream; agro-industrialization, tourism, mineral development, and science, technology, and innovation (STI), including ICT as central to this strategy.
Regional and global context, the East African Community (EAC) and African Union (AU) continue to prioritize integration to foster economic growth, infrastructure development, and regional stability. A significant milestone was achieved on July 25, 2024, when the Tripartite Free Trade Area (TFTA) uniting COMESA, EAC, and SADC officially came into force. This integrated market creates expansive trade opportunities across three major regional blocks. The EAC, in partnership with the AU Border Programme, has also launched a peace caravan to promote harmony among communities in Uganda, Kenya, and South Sudan.
Uganda remains actively engaged in regional infrastructure and trade initiatives, including the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) and the rehabilitation of key railway networks like the Malaba-Kampala line. In December 2024, Uganda inaugurated its first African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Export Facility in Entebbe, focusing on exporting high-value products like coffee, dairy, fish, and pharmaceuticals to markets such as Nigeria and the 2 Balkans. These efforts aim to deepen regional value chains, align trade policies, and drive shared prosperity in East Africa.
Education
In 1997, the NRM government launched UPE with the aim of providing free primary education to all children in the country. Since then, significant progress has been made in improving access to education and increasing enrollment rates, especially for girls and disadvantaged children. Over the past years, the Ugandan government has invested heavily in education infrastructure, teacher training, and curriculum development. The government has also implemented various policies and programs aimed at increasing access to education, such as providing free textbooks and abolishing school fees for primary education.
Uganda recognizes the contributions of all stakeholders who have played a role in the success of UPE, including teachers, parents, civil society organizations like Plan International Uganda, development partners, and the private sector.
As a Country, Uganda is on course to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning through Universal Education from Primary to Secondary levels. In this way, we have been able to restore Gender parity with the enrollment of females and males almost balanced. Science and Technology remain high on the agenda of the country.
Following the launch of UPE in 1997, gross enrolment in primary schools increased from a total of 2.5 million in 1996 to 5.3 million in 1997, an increase of 73% in one year and to over 8.6 million in 2023, according to the Uganda Bureau of Statistics.
The pupil-teacher ratio, which gives an indication of contact between pupils and teachers in classrooms, has improved. Large quantities of learning materials have been supplied to schools which have reduced the pupil –textbook ratio. In 1993, there were 37 pupils per book, compared to today’s 3:1 for P3 and P4, for core subjects. The increase in education inputs explains the gradual improvement of some education quality indicators from the time UPE was introduced.
The post-UPE period witnessed a narrowing gap between the number of girls and boys enrolled in primary schools. The number of girls attending school has also increased, with the gender parity index improving from 0.88 in 1997 to 1.04 in 2021.
After the introduction of UPE, by 2003 the number of children with disabilities in primary school was 247,953, and the Government has continued with affirmative action to address special needs of children with disabilities. In rural areas, children that were previously missing out totally from primary education are now benefiting.
Government has increased funding to the education sector, more classrooms have been constructed, teachers deployed, the number of primary school teachers almost doubled in years from 81,564 in 1996 to 136,819 in 2023. The Universal Education Programme in Uganda demonstrates that a Country with a committed Government can fight poverty through ensuring access to education for its citizens.
Similar investments have been made in the higher institutions of learning. Vocational Colleges that offer practical knowledge are being given attention to have graduates that can create jobs. Government is working to address the remaining challenges and is committed to increasing access to education and improving the quality of education for all Ugandan children.
Energy Development
Energy investments are transforming Uganda's economy by promoting new industries, creating jobs, enhancing energy access, and driving economic diversification through renewable energy and oil production. These investments foster innovation, reduce reliance on imported fossil fuels, and aim to position Uganda as a regional energy hub. The shift also empowers communities with affordable energy, boosts productivity, and supports sustainable growth by creating a more skilled workforce to manage the evolving energy sector. 
Uganda's total electricity generation is 2,052 megawatts (MW) following the completion of the 600-MW Karuma Hydropower Plant. The Karuma plant, financed by the Export-Import Bank of China and government of Uganda. As a result, more than 2.17 million people have been connected to the national grid, advancing the government's goal of achieving universal electricity access by 2030 through on-grid connections, solar home systems, and mini-grids.

The electricity transmission capacity has now increased to 4,218 km of high voltage from 3,500 km in 2020. Electricity shortages are no more, instead the country is struggling to consume the surplus power generated.
Transport infrastructure development
Uganda has made significant investments in transport, heavily favoring roads, though the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) and air transport also receive substantial funding. The government is developing infrastructure to support regional and international trade, including upgrading Entebbe International Airport and designating other airports for international traffic. The focus is on creating a seamless, sustainable multi-modal transport system aligned with national and regional development goals
Ministry of Works and Transport indicates the national paved road network has grown to approximately 6,850 km by early 2025, with a target to reach higher numbers with ongoing projects. Overall, road network in Uganda is around 21,000 km. 
The government has also been building numerous bridges across the country. More than 30 new bridges have been built, and the old ones have been rebuilt. More bridges and road infrastructure projects are underway across different categories of the road network. 

Industrial development and manufacturing
Uganda’s tenfold growth strategy government is stepping up efforts to accelerate diversification of the economy, add value to raw materials to boost exports and import substitution to continue reducing our import bill, and also build more basic industries to produce items that Ugandans use on daily basis such as sugar, soap, cooking oil, clothes, medicines, construction materials, etc. Our industrialization efforts are being undertaken mainly through the private sector, but with the State playing a de-risking role. Government through the Uganda Development Corporation (UDC), is undertaking targeted investments to increase Uganda’s manufacturing capacity.
Information and Communications technology (ICT)
By 2025, Uganda's ICT infrastructure is advancing rapidly through efforts like extending the National Backbone Infrastructure (NBI) to more areas, establishing the National ICT Infrastructure Spatial Data Store (NISDS) for coordinated planning, and building ICT incubation hubs to foster innovation. These developments aim to reduce internet costs, improve connectivity, and support digital transformation across sectors, although challenges like equitable access remain. The focus is on inclusive, sustainable development, leveraging public-private partnerships to accelerate the country's digital future and enhance economic growth. 

The following have been achieved in the ICT sector: i) A total of 4,354 Km of optic fiber cable have been laid across the country connecting 1,523 key Government service delivery units to the National Backbone Infrastructure; ii) The internet penetration in the country has increased to 64 percent, and the share of Government services provided online is now at 40 percent. A PDM Information System has been developed and rolled out in all the 10,585 parishes across the country.
Health
Uganda continues to register improvements in the health sector. Access to and utilization of health services has significantly improved over the years, with the population living within a 5km radius of a health facility increasing 86 percent. Furthermore, NDPIII noted that the health infrastructure network improved significantly, with 2 national referral hospitals, 19 regional referral hospitals, 147 district hospitals, 193 Health Centre IVs (HC4s); 1250 Health Centre IIIs (HC3s), and 3610 Health Centre IIs (HC2s) spread across the country.

Uganda's overall routine immunization rates show improvement up to 2022, with DTP3 coverage at 89% and BCG and rotavirus coverage above 80% for children aged 12-23 months. By April 2025, Uganda was also integrating the R21 malaria vaccine into its routine schedule, prioritizing districts with high malaria transmission. While specific overall rates for 2025 are not yet available, the focus is on expanding coverage for this new vaccine and maintaining high levels of protection for other preventable disease

Finally, as we celebrate 63 years of independence and close to 40 years of president Yoweri Museveni progressive leadership, we are aware that peace, stability and rule of law can only take one so far, but if one does not feed the people, those bragging rights can become a thing of nightmares. It is time to focus on the objective of prosperity for all. It is with this thought in mind that the Ugandan Government has declared all-out war on poverty.
This was done with the knowledge that it is only through embracing our sense of togetherness, national identity and unity that we can tackle the huge task of eradicating poverty. If we don’t pull in the same direction, then we risk the unenviable situation of pulling ourselves apart.
Government has taken tangible actions to signify our intent on tackling poverty. Several programmes to further uplift Ugandans out of poverty i.e. Emyooga, Parish Development Model, Youth Livelihood Fund, Skilling Uganda etc. which will oversee and consolidate all government’s efforts in tackling poverty. Staying true to the principle of Open Government, government is engaging Ugandans, the citizenry, to receive first-hand account of the problems that they are facing.
Looking at the past 63 years of independence, government can confidently say that as a nation, we have made significant progress in our developmental trajectory. Bringing about prosperity is the next frontier for economic emancipation, and the strategy is in place to pursue this objective.
Our democratic growth is getting better with continuous improvements. Tribalism and sectarianism vises that were planted by the colonialists are slowly being eliminated. As Ugandan’s gather at Kololo Ceremonial Grounds to celebrate 63 Years of Independence, let us keep in mind that unity in diversity is our binding tool as we build a progressive nation.

Happy 63rd Independence Anniversary to all Ugandans


References.
- Thomas P. Ofcansky, Uganda: Tarnished Pearl of Africa (Boulder: Westview Press 1996), p. 39.
- Phares Mutibwa, Uganda Since Independence: A Story of Unfulfilled Hopes (Trenton, N.J.: Africa World Press, 1992), pp. 8-9.
- Ibid., p. 6. See also Samwiri Lwanga-Lunyiigo, "The Colonial Roots of Internal Conflict," in Kumar Rupesinghe (ed.), Conflict Resolution in Uganda (Oslo: International Peace Research Institute, 1989); and Amii Omara-Otunnu, Politics and the Military in Uganda (London: Macmillan, 1987).
- Samwiri Rubaraza Karugiire, “A political history of Uganda”- 1980 Uganda. Nairobi, Exeter, N.H, USA; Heinemann Educational Books.