Ethnicity,State power and the Democratization process in Uganda

One of the post-independence political concerns in Uganda today is that ethnicity has been detrimental to national unity, democracy and development here is no doubt that many conflicts in Uganda have had ethnicity as one of the driving factors. The central problem has been the politicisation of ethnicity, that is, its use for purposes of group mobilisation in social conflicts that also involve the state. However, ethnicity cannot be taken as a given. The problem is not of ethnicity in itself. Ethnicity is more intimately linked to political and economic conditions such as the unequal distribution of and competition for power and wealth. This Discussion Paper critically reviews the impact of ethnicity on the democratisation process in Uganda from colonialism to the present. After a theoretical overview of the issues of ethnicity and democratisation, the author examines the nature of ethnicity construction and express enhancement of ethnicity in Uganda. Finally he discusses the possibility of deconstruction of ethnicity through democratisation and the 'no-party movement'-system. In conclusion, the contention is that there is a need to understand the substantive underlying political, economic and social configurations that enhance ethnicity rather than denouncing them.