Customer Reviews

Uganda Since Independence: A Story of Unfulfilled Hopes

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This book is good for the student who wants a quick overview of Uganda history from 1960 to 1990. Mutibwa writes a good brief history of Ugandan colonial history and avoids political bias in his discussions of the governments of Milton Obote, Idi Amin and Yoweri Museveni. He draws upon unpublished material and his own experience in government plus a range of secondary material to provide the reader with a well-written and concise book.

Yet I do have some complaints about the book. First, while Mutibwa presents an astute analysis of political intrigue and debates in Kampala, he fails to give enough time to social history, especially to the vast majority of the Ugandan population that lives in rural areas. Second, he spends too little time on the economic history of Uganda, neglecting such important events as Amin's economic war in the '70s and Obote's structural adjustment program in the early '80s. Third, he fails to utilize the works of such Ugandan experts as EA Brett, HB Hansen, Kenneth Ingham Dan Mudoola and TV Sathyamurthy in his analyses. Finally, while no fault of Mutibwa, this book is now ten years old, making it unsuitable for the student interested in a history of the NRM.

The above reservations aside, however, this book is still a good read for the average reader.

[Contains 12 black and white photographs and 4 maps]