Competence amidst Instability: Cabinet Formation in Uganda since Independence

• In Event: Elite Politics in Africa (Panel II)

Abstract

Uganda is considered an example of a country where instability and ethnic cleavages dominate politics. My interviews with former ministers and prime ministers, academics, and journalists reveal that human capital and competence, largely overlooked, are necessary to understand the composition of most Ugandan cabinets since independence. This is a chapter of my book project, which counters the standard view that African presidents are uniquely cynical and focused solely on (short-term) political stability, such as preventing coups. Presidents, in Africa and elsewhere, demand loyalty from their ministers, but they also care about the education and competence of their ministers because it signals quality and it increases government performance and legitimacy. I also present evidence, for the case of Uganda and for East and West African countries more generally, that cabinet ministers have disproportionately and systematically hailed from more educated districts since independence. Colonial-era education was very scarce and highly unequal, so the most prepared individuals were concentrated in a few districts in each country, leading to their over-representation in government, especially until 1990. Democratization and the expansion of education attenuate–but do not eliminate–the political legacy of unequal colonial education.

Author

• Joan Ricart-Huguet, Loyola University Maryland