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Ugandan Constitutional Conference

The Ugandan Constitutional Conference was held at Lancaster House, London to draft plans for the independence of Uganda.

A Times article reporting on the Conference foreshadowed later developments relating to the status of Buganda in an independent Uganda:

“… Deadlock over Buganda threatens the Uganda constitutional conference… Mr. Mcleod is to meet the Buganda delegation this morning for a further discussion in the parallel series of talks. Last night he had a meeting with the Kabaka, and there was a feeling among the Buganda delegation that the outstanding issues still remaining to be settled would in fact be amicably resolved. They felt that fears of deadlock were unduly pessimistic, and that Mr. Mcleod would be able to bring the Uganda conference to a successful conclusion by the end of next week.

Explaining his fears of deadlock, Mr. Kiwanuka said the trouble was that Buganda was proving adamant over the administration of the main towns in Buganda, including Kampala, the present commercial and probable future political capital of Uganda, and also over the headship of state. The Baganda insisted that the Kabaka should be by right the head of independent Uganda. Mr. Kiwanuka remarked that they had no objection to the Kabaka’s being head of state, if that was the free choice of the majority of the people of Uganda.”

Source: From Our Special Correspondent. “Uganda Talks Disagreement.” Times, 28 Sept. 1961, p. 10.

Check out the Secretary of State for the Colonies’s concluding remarks on the Ugandan Constitutional Conference: https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/written-answers/1962/jul/03/constitutional-conference-conclusions

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