History Repeats Itself: A Reflection of Civil-Military Relations in Post-colonial Uganda

This chapter examines civil-military relations in post-colonial Uganda and demonstrates how history repeats itself, from colonial to post-colonial periods, highlighting certain pivotal periods in the history of Uganda’s governance, regime changes, and colonial history on land policies. Civil-military relations have been constructed, reconstructed, and deconstructed across political regimes through the use of violence entrenched by the military, and land issues have been influenced by the military. Often, failure to control the military by the civilian political elite has emanated into conflicts and coups, constraining civil-military relations. In Uganda in particular, specific challenges can arise when the military and civilian governments are too detached, as it can lead to tensions between the two. It is essential to understand and reflect on historical social-political events that shaped civil-military relations to appreciate the current realities of civil-military relations in Uganda. It is also important to consider the historical context, at least since the arrival of colonialism in the area. This approach is necessary since colonial rule has adopted certain practices that have shaped the political and military cultures of the country to date.