Milton Obote (28 December 1925-10 October 2005) was President of Uganda from 15 April 1966 to 25 January 1971 (succeeding Edward Mutesa and preceding Idi Amin) and from 17 December 1980 to 27 July 1985 (succeeding Amin and preceding Bazilio Olara-Okello). He was a member of the Uganda People's Congress.
Biography[]
Milton Obote was born in Apac, Uganda in 1925 as the son of a local chief. He was active in the movement for Kenyan independence, but returned in 1955 to join the Uganda National Congress, which he transformed into the Uganda People's Congress from 1962. Upon Ugandan independence, he became Prime Minister, and in 1966 deposed Mutesa II to assume the presidency. His government was plagued by scandals, and he became dependent upon the army under Idi Amin. with the latter, his increasingly repressive regime expelled 30,000 Kenyan workers in 1970. Their departure precipitated an economic crisis, which further increased his unpopularity. He was deposed by Amin in 1971, and went to exile in Tanzania. After Amin's overthrow he was "elected" President in a corrupt and violent election. Having abandoned his socialist olicies, he was supported by the United States and the United Kingdom, despite reports of continuing human rights violations under his regime. His repressions triggered off opposition by the National Resistance Army under Yoweri Museveni. Never a figure of much integrity or charisma, he was deposed in 1985 and retired to Zambia. He died in Johannesburg, South Africa in 2005.