CONSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF UGANDA, TANZANIA & KENYA

Constitutional Development of Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya

OVERVIEW OF CONSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya are the three east African countries that were under the rule of Britain. Though mainly settlements, they had varied classifications and titles legally. Tanzania was a trusteeship, Uganda a protectorate and Kenya a colony. In the initial years of 1960, these east African states regained their independence in 1961(Tanzania), 1962(Uganda) & 1963(Kenya). Following that varied constitutional arrangements were followed keeping in mind their economical situation. Kenya has had a very interesting constitutional history. Kenya's independence talks were carried out in constitutional conferences held at Lancaster House, London and Nairobi in 1963. It was at these talks that the Independence Constitution was prepared. In May of the same year elections were held on the principle of one person one vote in leading to victory for the Kenya African National Union (KANU). Internal self-government was attained on 1st June and full independence on 12th December, 1963. The 1963 Constitution of Kenya has been amended several times since independence. The most far-reaching amendments are those which dismantled the multiparty democracy and ushered in a one party state and later the reversal of that system and the reintroduction of a multiparty political system in the 1990s. Tanzania commenced as a multiparty democracy at their independence with the Tanganyika African National Union (TANU) working alongside with different small parties. Soon after that Tanzania became a republic with an executive president, and this was carried out in 1962, by the Republican Constitution. The United Republic of Tanzania came into existence in the year 1964 with the merger of Zanzibar and Tanganyika. The unification was given legitimate support by the temporary charter of the year 1965.Tanzania was declared as a one party democratic state by the very same constitution. An everlasting charter for the state was opted in the year 1977. The very constitution has amended for 13 times ever since then. The intervention for Ugandan freedom came into existence during 1961 to 1962, in London at the House of Lancaster. The parties at the arbitration bench were: the government of Britain Heads of the major most 2 parties. (DP, UPC and KY) legislatures of the 4 realms and Busoga Kyabazinga, the Independence Constitution of 1962, came into existence as a result of these deliberations. Its major characteristics: an Executive Prime Minister and a Constitutional Presidency, the head of the mainstream social gathering in the assembly.

UGANDA

Unlike neighbouring Kenya, Uganda has not been a British colony but a protectorate. Moreover, as trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness) and malaria were rampant across much of the territory, the British have never considered making a settlement, however, missionaries, Catholic and Protestant, were very present. It is in fact until 1952 that the Uganda National Congress (UNC), the first anti-colonial party, is formed, and this was in 1953 that King Mutesa II cast the first stone to the colonial administration. Immediate consequence: he is dethroned, exiled in the UK and hailed as a national hero ...