Last modified: 2005-11-19 by bruce berry
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When Uganda became independent, Milton Obote became prime minister. Being from the small Langi tribe, he appointed King 'Freddy' Mutesa II, Kabaka of Buganda, as president of Uganda. As has been mentioned, the Baganda were the largest ethnic group and more anglicized (by contact with missionaries and the colonial authorities) than the other groups.
By appointing Mutesa, Obote screwed up badly. He alienated other tribes
and didn't actually succeed in placating the Baganda, who by May 1966 were
openly agitating for Obote's overthrow. Obote used the then deputy commander
of the Army, one Idi Amin to do the
dirty work. Amin personally attacked the Kabaka's palace with a 122 mm
gun mounted on his (Amin's) personal jeep. The King escaped, but took the
hint and fled to Britain were he died in (I think) the early 1970s. Later,
of course, Idi Amin staged a coup against Obote. Ironically, this was initially
welcomed by the Baganda (naturally, Amin blamed Obote for their persecution).
Stuart Notholt, 15 September 1996