Ignatius Kangave Musazi and his ANC wing had nothing to do with Obote’s UPC

Obote at the last independence celebrations he ever attended in Uganda. Entebbe Airport 1984

Uganda People Congress (UPC) and Uganda National Congress (UNC) are different. Just because UPC came out of the original UNC, it doesn't make it the same. It is like saying that FDC is the same as NRM which is not true. Or it is like saying that SDP is the same as DP which is also not true, at least officially. Obote was a snake at night and a friendly cat during the day as far as politics is concerned. He was one's friend during the day but he could 'bite' his friends at night whenever he saw an opportunity to promote himself. In other words, he was an animal in politics. He broke Ignatius Musaazi's jaw as UNC later disappeared off the map of Uganda. He also later broke Kabaka Yeka(KY)'s jaws as KY also later disappeared off Uganda's political map.

In 1959, the UNC split into two factions. UPC was formed in March 1960 by merging Obote's antibuganda wing of the Uganda National Congress (UNC) with the anti-Buganda party of Uganda People's Union (UPU). UPU was led by Cuthbert Obwango at the time of the merger. Musazi's ANC never had anything to do with UPC.

UPC was specifically an anti-Buganda party right from its inception and this was to remain throughout its history .It was also originally an anti-Catholic coalition, dominated by a Protestant leadership as well as based on Protestant associations .

All political parties have been created in Buganda including UPC but it does not make them friends of Buganda. NRM, for instance, was created in Buganda but they are not friends with Buganda anymore as it's seeking to weaken it. DP was also formed in Buganda but they were not friends of Buganda in 1960s though things have changed a little bit recently. The rest of the current political parties have all been formed and launched in Buganda but it means nothing, brother.

Anyway, the politics of Uganda at independence, like now, was unabashedly sectarian: DP was mainly for Catholics, UPC mainly for Protestants outside Buganda, and KY for Protestants in Buganda. That's why it was easy for UPC and KY to form that short lived alliance.

DP, on the other hand, under Ben Kiwanuka was looked at as enemies of KY as Uganda's ARGUS reported a demonstration that was held on Sunday, 10 June 1961, against Kiwanuka's DP. Kiwanuka was a catholic who had opposed the protestant establishment (Buganda kingdom).

NRM's 10-point Program was supposed to address the religious and tribal imbalances in the country especially when they quoted the religious sectarianism and the ' unprincipled struggle for jobs' in Ankole in their 10 point program, but things have been more or less remained the same since Museveni came to power. If they were different, we would not be mourning over westerners dominating everything in public service right now.

So, the same game continues: the Muslims in Uganda continue to be marginalized. So are other tribes at the expense of those tribes in power. The 'cowards' like us are working from abroad because we could not fit in Uganda's 'survival' game. We feel more secure abroad than in our country of origin.

Byebyo banange
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Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
United Kingdom