The rise and fall of Uganda National Congress (UNC) in Uganda, 1952-1962: A historical perspective.

Abstract

This work set out to analyze the factors for the rise and fall of UNC 1952-1962 within less than a decade of its operation i.e. it died/ fell 10 years after inception. This study was inspired by the current challenges underlying political parties in Uganda. This study was guided by four main objectives: first, to explore how the anti - colonial struggle was initially organized; to establish how initial anti - colonial struggle contributed to the demand for independence; to examine the factors that led to the rise and to examine the factors that led to fall of UNC A historical research design with, Qualitative methods of research were used in this study. These included historical accounts from the main actors in the Uganda politics, and documentary reviews of historical materials such as speeches, letters written by main founder of the UNC as well as narrative analysis from in-depth interviews. The study established that; the rise of UNC was largely a consequence of economic hardships that characterized the colonial era that included exploitation of farmers, fluctuating prices, trade monopoly and exploitation of African workers. These conditions compelled the farmers and other African workers to form themselves into a critical mass. It was also established that the demise of UNC by 1962 was largely a product of insular nationalism within Uganda with the Buganda factor at the helm. The underlying cause of the collapse and subsequent demise of UNC was the Kabaka crisis of 1953-1955. It is argued in this study that colonialism was the precursor to the many factors that affected the development of UNC.