Situation (Hansard, 2 June 1959)

§ Mr. J. Amery

Since my Answer in the House on 5th May, the Uganda Government's hopes that public opinion and good sense would prevail to bring about an end to the intimidation and violence arising from the Uganda National Movement's boycott of non-African trade have not been fulfilled, even although firm action has been taken by the Protectorate Government and some fifty prosecutions have been launched for either intimidation or violence. One of the movement's leaders is already serving an eighteen months' prison sentence for threatening arson. Serious acts of personal violence against individuals not in sympathy with the boycott have occurred, and several frican farmers have had their coffee trees and other crops slashed and destroyed 9W because their owners were said to have bought goods at non-African shops. There have been increasing indications that African witnesses were too afraid to give evidence of incidents in the Protectorate courts for fear of reprisals.

A recent serious development has been the throwing out of work, as a direct result of the boycott, of some 2,000 African workers in Kampala. This has led to serious clashes between the unemployed, who had banded together, and the supporters of the Uganda National Movement.

The security situation had so deteriorated by the middle of May that the Governor, with the agreement of Her Majesty's Government, declared the whole of Buganda Province a disturbed area under the Police Ordinance. This gave the police power to control movement of individuals and vehicles, the carrying of arms and if need be, to impose curfews. The Governor also declared the Uganda National Movement an illegal organisation dangerous to the good government of the Protectorate. This rendered its managers and leaders liable to prosecution if they continued its activities.

A few days later a fresh organisation was formed called this time the Uganda Freedom Movement with substantially the same executive committee and the same declared aims and objectives. It was likewise proscribed and its leaders, the very next day, proclaimed the formation of yet a third organisation called the Uganda Freedom Convention. This body claimed to have different and purely political objectives, but it soon became clear that it intended to continue the aim of the now proscribed Uganda National Movement and to extend and make more effective the trade boycott. It was also clear that its leaders were determined to frustrate Government's attempt to restore law and order.

The Governor decided that the time had come when they should be rendered ineffective and their adverse influence removed. On Saturday, 30th May, therefore, six of the ringleaders were arrested under the provisions of the Uganda Deportation Ordinance and under the terms of that enactment will shortly be brought before a Judge of the High Court to determine the facts and any questions of law involved, and recommend to the 10W Governor whether they should be deported to some other part of the Protectorate. If the activities of other leaders of the movement continue to menace law and order similar action will be taken against them.

Since these latest measures were taken last Saturday there has been some decline in acts of intimidation and violence and the situation in Buganda is generally quiet, but the Governor reports that it is too early yet to say whether the trouble will now come to an end. It is significant, however, that many Baganda and the entire non-Baganda African population working in Buganda have severely condemned the acts of intimidation and violence which have been carried out under the cloak of so-called political activity of the Uganda National Movement. It is my earnest hope that the Kabaka's Government will now exert its full influence in co-operating with the Protectorate Government to bring the present unfortunate situation to an end.

I ought, perhaps, to make it quite clear that this movement, backed as it is by some Baganda interests which have derived profit from the boycott, and the troubles associated with it are confined solely to the Buganda Province of Uganda and that despite initial efforts to extend its influence beyond Buganda the movement has been entirely rejected by public opinion outside Buganda.

Turning to Buganda constitutional matters, I have arranged for a copy to be placed in the Library of my right hon. and noble Friend the Minister of State's reply to a letter from His Highness the Kabaka to Her Majesty The Queen forwarding a memorandum from the Buganda Lukiko requesting that talks should be held in London under the chairmanship of the Secretary of State, and possibly with Her Majesty's representative in Uganda, the Governor, being present.