Cuthbert Joseph Obwangor

Cuthbert Joseph Obwangor (1 November 1920 – 19 May 2012) was a longtime Ugandan minister and legislator. He was a minister and a political prisoner for the Apollo Milton Obote regime after he opposed Obote's extension of power while Obwangor was a minister.[1]

Cuthbert Joseph Obwangor
Minister of Internal Affairs of Uganda
In office 1962–1964
President	Apollo Milton Obote
Preceded by	Role Created (G Oda had the role during the Uganda Protectorate's transitional government)
Succeeded by	Basil Kiiza Bataringaya
Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs of Uganda
In office 1964–1966
President	Apollo Milton Obote
Succeeded by	Position Vacant
Minister of Commerce and Industry of Uganda
In office May 1966 – December 1969
President	Apollo Milton Obote
Minister of Housing and Labour
In office February 1966 – May 1966
President	Apollo Milton Obote
Member of the Uganda Legislative Council representing Teso
In office 1952 – Tuesday 9 October 1962
Constituency	Teso
Member of the Parliament of Uganda representing Teso
In office 10 October 1962 – December 1969
President	Apollo Milton Obote
Constituency	Teso
Member of the Teso District Council
In office 1952 – Tuesday 9 October 1962
Personal details
Born	1 November 1920 Omasia Parish, Bukedea District, Eastern Region, Uganda
Died	18 May 2012 Alakara House, Soroti, Omagoro Sub-County, Katakwi District, Teso sub-region, Eastern Region, Uganda
Nationality	Ugandan
Political party	Kenya African National Union 1947 until 1951 Uganda National Congress 1954 until 1960 Uganda People's Congress 1960 until 1982 (the party cut ties with him when its leader Apollo Milton Obote imprisoned him between 1969 and 1971, although he rejoined the party upon his release) Democratic Party (Uganda) 1982 until 1984 Nationalist Liberal Party 1984 until 1986 National Resistance Movement 1986 until 2001 Uganda People's Congress 2001 to his death (2012)
Spouse(s)	Four Wives
Alma mater	((Nyenga Seminary)), Namilyango College, City College Coventry
Occupation	Politician, minister
Profession	Minister, politician
Cabinet	Cabinet of Uganda

Early life

Cuthbert Joseph Obwangor was born in Omasia Parish, Bukedea District, Eastern Region, Uganda on 1 November 1920.[2] He is a member of the Iteso ethnic group.[3]

Education

He attended Ngora Catholic Church Primary School.[1] He later attended the Nyenga Seminary, then attended Namilyango College from 1939 to 1941 and the Railway Traffic School in Nairobi, Kenya from 1942 to 1946.[4]

Career

Business

After graduating from the Railway Traffic School, Obwangor worked in Mombasa, Kenya for five years as a businessman, returning to Uganda in 1951.[5] He first entered politics in Kenya, when he worked for Jomo Kenyatta and the Kenya African National Union executive council.[1] Upon his return to Teso sub-region, he became a prominent businessperson in Magoro within the Magoro market where he built and ran a restaurant.[4][6]

Pre-Independence

In 1952, Obwangor entered Ugandan politics. He was elected to the Teso District Council and was elected to represent the Teso District at the Uganda Legislative Council, the precursor to the Parliament of Uganda during British colonial rule when Uganda was the Uganda Protectorate.[2] He was a founding member of the Uganda National Congress, the first legal political party in Uganda that later merged into the Uganda People's Congress in 1960.[7]

Obote Government

After the Independence of Uganda, the Uganda Legislative Council of the Uganda Protectorate dissolved on Tuesday 9 October 1962, being replaced on Wednesday 10 October 1962 by the independent Parliament of Uganda for the newly independent Republic of Uganda.[8] Obwangor represented Teso again in the Parliament of Uganda. Ethnic conflict threatened to spry up after the independence of Uganda, and ethnic groups were naming kings to fight for their respective ethnic groups, and the traditionally kingless ITeso people attempted to name Obwangor as Iteso king, but Obwangor refused as he was dedicated to a multi-ethnic unified Uganda.[9]

Obwangor was a committed member of the Uganda People's Congress, the party of President Apollo Milton Obote that emerged from the pre-independence Uganda National Congress political party.[7] Obwangor served as the treasurer of the Uganda People's Congress from the party's creation in 1960 until 1967, during which he oversaw the finances of the construction of the Uganda House.[1]

During the Apollo Milton Obote regime, Obwangor served in numerous ministerial positions as a part of his cabinet. When Apollo Milton Obote succeeded Benedicto Kiwanuka, Apollo Milton Obote appointed Obwangor to be Minister of Regional Affairs, which briefly assumed the responsibilities of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.[10] Felix Kenyi Onama also can lay claim to the Minister of Interior position between 1962 and 1964, as he was Minister of Works and Labour. That role assumed some of the other responsibilities of the Minister of Interior such as leading the Ugandan National Police Force.[11] Obwangor and Felix Kenyi Onama were succeeded in their roles in 1964 by Basil Kiiza Bataringaya, who headed the newly created Ministry of Home Affairs, later renamed to be the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Bataringaya assumed the role after he flipped parties and joined the Obote administration.[12]

After he left the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Cuthbert Joseph Obwangor became Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs in 1964, succeeding Grace Ibingira.[13][14][15] He also assumed the role of Minister of Housing and Labour in February 1966, serving in that role concurrently with being the Ugandan Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs.[5] He remained as Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs and Minister of Housing and Labour until May 1966, when he became Minister of Commerce and Industry of Uganda.[4]

Imprisonment

Obwangor, then minister of Commerce and Industry in Uganda, began to fall out of favor of President Apollo Milton Obote when he spoke out in favor of restraints on the presidential power in Uganda,[16] with the following an excerpt from the journal of the Parliament of Uganda with his speech on 11 July 1967:

'I love the present President. He knows me thoroughly and I know him intimately.' He was not a machine, but even in machines there were limitations. Mr. Obwangor said that in his opinion it would be unfair to inpose all the powers of the State on him. The essential factor in a modem state was the balance of power. It would be ridiculous if the Constituent Assembly vested all the powers in one man. He strongly felt that the office of Prime Minister should be created. He should be the head of government to assist the President. The creation of such an office would relieve the President and would leave him with the work pertaining to such an important office. Mr. Obwangor suggested that the principle of collective responsibility between the Cabinet Ministers and the President should be held to.[17]

— Nelson Kasfir, The 1967 Uganda Constituent Assembly Debate: Increasing Presidential Powers, Transition, No. 33 (Oct. - Nov. 1967), pp. 52-56 (Oct. - Nov. 1967)

After this disagreement and pushback upon Apollo Milton Obote's assumption of additional powers, Obwangor was fired from his role as Minister of Commerce and Industry of Uganda. On 19 December 1969, there was an Assassination attempt on Apollo Milton Obote's life, wounding him.[18] The assassination attempt was allegedly led by Baganda civilians.[19] Despite this, Obwangor along with Benedicto Kiwanuka, Paul Ssemogerere, Mathias Ngobi, and others were arrested, allegedly on the orders of Basil Kiiza Bataringaya and Felix Kenyi Onama.[1] Obwangor was arrested while at a market in his home town of Soroti, shopping for food.[1] He was taken to Luzira Maximum Security Prison by way of Mbale, and he was imprisoned at the Luzira Maximum Security Prison. In a 2012 interview, Obwangor alleged that because he was a political prisoner, "there was no mistreatment" while he was imprisoned in Luzira Maximum Security Prison.[1]

On 2 February 1971, the new head of state of Uganda Idi Amin released Obwangor, along with all other political prisoners in Uganda.[20]

Post Imprisonment career

Obwangor reentered the political arena following his release, rejoining the Uganda People's Congress after the party temporarily excommunicated Obwangor after the leader of the Uganda People's Congress imprisoned Obwangor.[1] In 1982, Obwangor shifted allegiances and joined the Democratic Party of Uganda. In 1984, Obwangor founded the Nationalist Liberal Party alongside Tiberio Okeny Atwoma, Anthony Ochaya, and Francis Bwengye.[21] The Nationalist Liberalist Party was a splinter group from the leading opposition party at the time, the Democratic Party of Uganda.[22] The Nationalist Liberal Party was created in response to former acting Secretary General of the Democratic Party Tiberio Okeny Atwoma's unsuccessful challenge to Paul Kawanga Ssemogerere for the leadership of the Democratic Party (Uganda).[21]

In 1986, Obwangor left the Nationalist Liberal Party, joining the National Resistance Movement party led by the new Head of State of Uganda, Yoweri Museveni.[1] He was appointed by Yoweri Museveni in 1989 to serve as a member of the Justice Benjamin Josses Odoki led Uganda Constitutional Commission, which was tasked with reforming the Constitution of Uganda.[23]

In 1997, Obwangor left the National Resistance Movement, rejoining his original political party the Uganda People's Congress, although he left them after four years becoming a political independent which he remained until his death, stating in a 2007 interview that "politics is like wind, you move with the current affairs and temperature of the time".[1]

Obwangor was also committed to improving educational services for the poor of Uganda. Between 1986 and 1990 during the Lord's Resistance Army insurgency, many members of the afflicted areas fled to the more stable town of Soroti, Obwangor's hometown. This led Obwangor to help establish a school for displaced children at Moru Apesur in Soroti Town.[24]

Death

Obwangor passed away on 18 May 2012 at 93 years old. He died in Alakara House, Soroti, Omagoro Sub-County, Katakwi District, Teso sub-region, Eastern Region, Uganda.[1] Obwangor had a large state funeral that turned into a political affair. Members of the Uganda People's Congress fought with members of the National Resistance Movement at the funeral in Katakwi over who should speak, with the National Resistance Movement claiming the Uganda People's Congress neglected Obwangor in his time of need and therefore MP Olara Otunnu, a leader of the Uganda People's Congress, should be forbidden from speaking, something that resulted in brawls at the funeral until Otunnu was allowed to address the funeral.[25]

Legacy

Obwangor House at Teso College Aloet was named in honor of Cuthbert Joseph Obwangor.[26] The website for the school says that:

Obwangor House was named in honour of the political boss of First Teso District at the time, Cuthbert Joseph Obwangor, for his immense contribution to the development of Teso. Obwangor was the first Etesot to represent Teso district in Uganda's parliament. Obwangor House has a capacity of 128 students, and is closest to the dining hall. It has generally performed the best in sports and during inspections.

— Teso College Aloet, O-LEVEL Dormitories, Teso College Aloet: Our Infrastructure (2019)

Personal life

He built his home, the Alakara House in Soroti, Omagoro Sub-County, Katakwi District, Teso sub-region, Eastern Region, Uganda in 1968 and lived their until his death, save for his years in prison.[24] He lived there with his children and his four wives.[1]

Obwangor is a Christian.[27]

References and notes

1. Mubangizi, Michael (22 May 2012). "Feature: The life and times of Cuthbert Obwangor". The Observer. Archived from the original on 20 April 2019. Retrieved 20 April 2019.
2. Who's Who in East Africa 1967–68 (First ed.). Nairobi: Marco Publishing Ltd, Nairobi. 1968. p. 238.
3. Odongtho, Charles. "Museveni Mourns Former Minister Obwangor". Uganda Radio Network. Archived from the original on 20 April 2019. Retrieved 20 April 2019.
4. Wilson, E. G. (1966). Who's Who in East Africa 1965 – 1966. Nairobi, Kenya: Marco Publishers (Africa) Limited. p. 390.
5. Deutsche Afrika-Gesellschaft (1965). Afrikanische Köpfe 1962–1965. 27 Lieferungen, Bonn.
6. Friis-Hansen, Esbern (12 July 2017). Decentralized Governance of Adaptation to Climate Change in Africa. CABI. ISBN 9781786390769.
7. Apter, D E (1961). The Political Kingdom in Uganda. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press. p. 334.
8. Parliament of Uganda (2016). "History of Parliament". Parliament of the Republic of Uganda. Archived from the original on 21 April 2019. Retrieved 21 April 2019.
9. Mwakikagile, Godfrey (February 2013). Uganda: A Nation in Transition : Post-colonial Analysis. New Africa Press. ISBN 9789987160358.
10. Daily Monitor (3 August 2012). "Uganda's first cabinet ministers in 1962". Daily Monitor. Archived from the original on 8 April 2019. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
11. Taylor, Sidney (1967). The New Africans: A Guide to the Contemporary History of Emergent Africa and Its Leaders. Putnam.
12. Seftel, Adam (1994). Uganda: the rise and fall of Idi Amin: from the pages of Drum. Bailey's African Photo Archives Production. ISBN 9780958384667. Archived from the original on 12 January 2019.
13. (1952–), International Commission of Jurists (1964). Bulletin.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
14. Uganda (1966). The Constitution of Uganda, 15th April, 1966. Govt. printer.
15. Assembly, Uganda National (1965). Official Report.
16. Kasfir, Nelson (1967). "The 1967 Uganda Constituent Assembly Debate". Transition (33): 52–56. doi:10.2307/2934118. ISSN 0041-1191. JSTOR 2934118.
17. Kasfir, Nelson (1967). "The 1967 Uganda Constituent Assembly Debate". Transition (33): 52–56. doi:10.2307/2934118. ISSN 0041-1191. JSTOR 2934118.
18. First, Ruth (1971). "Uganda: The Latest coup d'état in Africa". The World Today. 27 (3): 131–138. ISSN 0043-9134. JSTOR 40394478.
19. Mohr, Charles (27 January 1971). "Leader Feared Military Coup in Kampala for Months". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 22 April 2019.
20. "Uganda's New Ruler Releases 55 Political Prisoners". The New York Times. 29 January 1971. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 22 April 2019.
21. Aber, Patience; Langalanga, Tony (14 October 2012). "Uganda: Veteran Democratic Party VP Dies, Aged 87". New Vision. Retrieved 26 November 2018.
22. Bute, Evangeline; Harmer, H. J. P. (2016). The Black Handbook: The People, History and Politics of Africa and the African Diaspora. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 272. ISBN 9781474292870.
23. Cullimore, Charles (1994). "Uganda: The Making of a Constitution". The Journal of Modern African Studies. 32 (4): 707–711. doi:10.1017/S0022278X00015949. ISSN 0022-278X. JSTOR 161573.
24. Otim, Richard; Otage, Stephen (21 April 2012). "Obwangor: The Teso Icon dies". The Daily Monitor. Archived from the original on 22 April 2019. Retrieved 20 April 2019.
25. Emwamu, Simon Peter; Otim, Richard (6 January 2012). "Opposition, NRM clash at Obwangor's funeral rites". Daily Monitor. Archived from the original on 22 April 2019. Retrieved 21 April 2019.
26. "Teso College Aloet: Our Campus Infrastructure". Teso College Aloet. Archived from the original on 22 April 2019. Retrieved 22 April 2019.
27. Otim, Richard; Naulele, Simon (13 October 2005). "Uganda: Teso Mourns 'Father of Nation'". All Africa. New Vision. Retrieved 16 April 2019.