Uganda is a Sovereign State and a Republic and a member of the United Nations, African Union, the Commonwealth and a number of international organisations.
The Constitution promulgated on 8 October 1995 on the eve of Uganda’s Independence Day Anniversary which falls on 9 October. In 2005, The 1995 Constitution was amended in 2005 to provide for a multi-party political system. It is Uganda’s fourth constitution since the country’s independence from Britain in 1962.The first Constitution was adopted in 1962 only to be replaced 4 years later in 1966 with a constitution passed under a tense political environment and without much debate. The 1966 Constitution was again replaced in 1967. The 1995 Constitution provides for three branches of government namely the executive, the legislature, and the Judiciary. The roles and powers of each of the Government branch are enshrined and spelt out in the 1995 Uganda Constitution.
Branches of Government
The Government of the Republic of Uganda is a Democracy made up of three branches:
The Executive
The power of the Executive Branch is vested in the President of Uganda, who also acts as head of state and Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces. The President is responsible for implementing and enforcing the laws written by Parliament and, also appoints the Cabinet. The Vice President is also part of the Executive Branch, ready to assume the Presidency should the need arise.
The office of President is contested for after every five years when the constitutional term of office expires.
Figure 1: Structure of the Executive