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Presidential Commission of Uganda

Interim government of Uganda (1980)

Summary

Interim government of Uganda (1980)

Field	Value
name	Presidential Commission of Uganda
formed	May 22, 1980
dissolved	December 15, 1980
jurisdiction	Uganda
headquarters	Kampala, Uganda
chief1_name	Paulo Muwanga
chief1_position	Chairman
parent_agency	Government of Uganda

The Presidential Commission of Uganda was a transitional governing body in Uganda that operated from May 22 to December 15, 1980, following the overthrow of President Godfrey Binaisa. Chaired by Paulo Muwanga, the commission served as the de facto executive authority as the office of President of Uganda during a turbulent period in Uganda’s history, bridging the gap between Binaisa’s presidency and the general election that restored Milton Obote to power. The commission was established to stabilize the country amid political instability and to oversee the controversial 1980 election, which sparked significant unrest.

Composition and Role

The Presidential Commission was a six-member body, with Paulo Muwanga as its chairman. Other members included key political and military figures. The commission’s primary role was to govern Uganda during the transitional period, managing state affairs and preparing for the December 1980 general election. As head of the commission, Muwanga wielded significant influence, overseeing both executive and electoral processes. The commission operated under the Uganda National Liberation Front (UNLF), a coalition formed to unify opposition groups after Amin’s fall.

It was composed as follows:

Leaders and member Interim Government of Presidential Commission of Uganda

#	Position	Name	Inaugurated	Left office
	National Resistance Army
—		Godfrey Binaisa	5 May 1980	5 May 1980
1	Chairmen (rotating monthly)	Paulo Muwanga	5 May 1980	12 May 1980
2		Yoweri Museveni	May 1980	May 1980
3		Oyite-Ojok	May 1980	May 1980
4		Tito Okello	May 1980	May 1980
5		Zeddy Maruru	May 1980	May 1980
—		William Omaria	May 1980	22 May 1980
—		Steven Kashaka	22 May 1980	22 May 1980
6		Joram Mugume	22 May 1980	22 May 1980
—		Pecos Kuteesa	22 May 1980	22 May 1980
—		Smith Open Acak	22 May 1980	22 May 1980
	Presidential Commission of Uganda
7		Saulo Musoke	22 May 1980	15 December 1980
8		Polycarp Nyamuchoncho	22 May 1980	15 December 1980
9		Yoweri Hunter Wacha-Olwol	22 May 1980	15 December 1980
	Presidential Commission of Uganda
10		Milton Obote	15 December 1980	15 December 1980

1980 General Election

The commission’s most significant responsibility was overseeing the general election held on December 10, 1980. Muwanga, as head of the Electoral Commission, declared the Uganda People’s Congress (UPC), led by Milton Obote, the winner, securing Obote’s return to the presidency. However, the election was marred by allegations of fraud, including ballot stuffing and voter intimidation, leading to widespread controversy. Opposition groups, particularly Yoweri Museveni’s Uganda Patriotic Movement, rejected the results, claiming the commission manipulated the outcome to favor Obote. This dissatisfaction fueled the Ugandan Bush War, a guerrilla conflict led by Museveni that eventually toppled Obote’s government in 1986.

The commission dissolved on December 15, 1980, when Obote assumed the presidency.

References

Sources

References

Writer, JAVIRA SSEBWAMI. (2019-09-08). "ARCHIVE: Museveni takes centre stage as Military Commission takes charge of Uganda affairs".
report, Jay Ross. (1980-05-14). "Military Commission Forms New Government in Uganda". The Washington Post.
(2021-01-14). "Uganda: A History of Political Turmoil".
(2021-01-09). "Why Museveni's UPM party lost the 1980 election".
(2019-03-22). "The Political History of Uganda: From Independence to Museveni".
"Obote regains Uganda presidency but disputes, challenges remain". Christian Science Monitor.

Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

1980-in-uganda government-of-uganda milton-obote history-of-uganda

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