Government
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Uganda
conventional short form: Uganda
Data code: UG
Government type: republic
Capital: Kampala
Administrative divisions: 39 districts; Apac, Arua, Bundibugyo, Bushenyi, Gulu, Hoima, Iganga, Jinja, Kabale, Kabarole, Kalangala, Kampala, Kamuli, Kapchorwa, Kasese, Kibale, Kiboga, Kisoro, Kitgum, Kotido, Kumi, Lira, Luwero, Masaka, Masindi, Mbale, Mbarara, Moroto, Moyo, Mpigi, Mubende, Mukono, Nebbi, Ntungamo, Pallisa, Rakai, Rukungiri, Soroti, Tororo
Independence: 9 October 1962 (from UK)
National holiday: Independence Day, 9 October (1962)
Constitution: 8 October 1995; adopted by the interim, 284-member Constituent Assembly, charged with debating the draft constitution that had been proposed in May 1993; the Constituent Assembly was dissolved upon the promulgation of the constitution in October 1995
Legal system: in 1995, the government restored the legal system to one based on English common law and customary law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Lt. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta MUSEVENI (since
seizing power 29 January 1986); notethe president is both
chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Lt. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta MUSEVENI
(since seizing power 29 January 1986); Prime Minister Kintu MUSOKE
(since 18 November 1994); notethe president is both chief
of state and head of government; the prime minister assists the
president in the supervision of the cabinet
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president from among elected
legislators
elections: president elected by popular vote for a NA-year term;
election last held 9 May 1996 (next to be held by 31 May 2001);
notefirst popular election for president since independence
in 1962 was held in 1996; prime minister appointed by the president
election results: Lt. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta MUSEVENI elected president;
percent of voteLt. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta MUSEVENI 74%, Paul
Kawanga SSEMOGERERE 24%, Muhammad MAYANJA 2%
Legislative branch: unicameral
National Assembly (276 members214 directly elected by popular
vote, 62 nominated by legally established special interest groups
and approved by the presidentwomen 39, army 10, disabled
5, youth 5, labor 3; members serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 27 June 1996 (next to be held NA 2001);
election results: NA; noteelection campaigning by party
was not permitted
Judicial branch: Court of Appeal, judges are appointed by the president; High Court, judges are appointed by the president
Political parties and leaders:
only one political organization, the National Resistance Movement
or NRM [Dr. Samson KISEKKA, chairman] is recognized; notethis
is the party of President MUSEVENI; the president maintains that
the NRM is not a political party, but a movement which claims
the loyalty of all Ugandans
note: of the political parties that exist but are prohibited from
sponsoring candidates, the most important are the Ugandan People's
Congress or UPC [Milton OBOTE]; Democratic Party or DP [Paul SSEMOGERERE];
and Conservative Party or CP [Joshua S. MAYANJA-NKANGI]; the new
constitution requires the suspension of political party activity
until a referendum is held on the matter in 2000
International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, EADB, ECA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in
the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Edith Grace SSEMPALA
chancery: 5911 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20011
telephone: [1] (202) 726-7100 through 7102, 0416
FAX: [1] (202) 726-1727
Diplomatic representation from
the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Nancy J. POWELL
embassy: Parliament Avenue, Kampala
mailing address: P. O. Box 7007, Kampala
telephone: [256] (41) 259792, 259793, 259795
FAX: [256] (41) 259794
Flag description: six equal horizontal bands of black (top), yellow, red, black, yellow, and red; a white disk is superimposed at the center and depicts a red-crested crane (the national symbol) facing the hoist side