CONSTITUTIONAL REFORM IN UGANDA - THE NEW APPROACH

The article examines the constitution-making process in Uganda, from t he days when Museveni's National Resistance Movement conducted its gue rilla campaign, declaring its intention to re-establish democracy with a new constitution. It considered that Uganda's cycle of violence in the past sprang from the lack of a good constitution and much store wa s placed on constitutionalism as a panacea. Accordingly, a constitutio nal commission was set up to consult the people and make proposals for a new constitution. The article examines how far this was a genuine a ttempt to consult widely, or whether the government 'guidelines' were intended to steer the discussion along pre-determined lines, and at a deliberately slow pace. The constitution itself is seen to contain som e valuable improvements on previous constitutions but also to safeguar d and preserve the existing ideology of the National Resistance Moveme nt as far as possible.