Godfrey Binaisa
 |
Godfrey Binaisa |
Godfrey Lukongwa Binaisa QC (born
30 May 1920),
lawyer, former
President of Uganda and
Attorney General in the post independent government of Uganda of the 1960s.
Binaisa was educated at King's College Budo and
Makerere College and earned a law degree from
London University. He was appointed a
Queen's counsel (QC) and had a private law practice in Kampala.
Binaisa was a member of the political parties
Uganda National Congress and
United Congress Party in the 1950's. He later joined
Uganda People's Congress which in
1962 formed the first post-independent government of Uganda. He was appointed the Attorney General in 1962 a position in which he served until 1968 when he resigned over disagreements with President
Milton Obote concerning constitutional matters, particularly the presidential powers of detention.
In 1969 Binaisa went into private legal practice, and after
Idi Amin took power in 1971, he went into exile to the
United States, where he practiced law in
Mount Vernon,
New York. While in the US, he became a member of Uganda Freedom Union, one of several anti-Amin groups in exile.
Following the overthrow of Idi Amin in
1979, Binaisa returned to Uganda. After Idi Amin,
Yusuf Lule served as the interim president for 68 days. On
June 20 1979, Binaisa was appointed
President of Uganda by the National Consultative Commission, which was then the supreme governing body of the
Uganda National Liberation Front (UNLF), a coalition of former Ugandan exiles who had helped remove Idi Amin.
When Binaisa removed the army
Chief of Staff brig.
Oyite Ojok, he was himself removed from office on
12 May 1980 by the Military Commission, a powerful organ of the UNLF headed by the
Paulo Muwanga, and whose deputy was
Yoweri Museveni (then leader of
Uganda Patriotic Movement). The country was then led by the
Presidential Commission of Uganda (created a few days after the coup) with among others Paulo Muwanga, Yoweri Museveni, Oyite Ojok and
Tito Okello.
The Presidential Commission ruled Uganda until the
December 1980 general elections. Binaisa had joined, and was made vice president of the Uganda Patriotic Movement. The elections were won by Milton Obote's Uganda Peoples Congress, however, the results were disputed, leading Museveni to launch a guerilla rebellion, which subsequently led him to gain the presidency in 1986.
The development of the "
Movement" political system previously used by Museveni's government has often been attributed to Binaisa. Calling the ideology "Umbrella", Binaisa used the system to consolidate his position during his own presidency, seeking to unite all Ugandans in the same political fold. Whether this was a move of pure self-interest or a genuine attempt to curb the more divisive elements of Ugandan politics is open to debate.
Throughout the early
1980s and
1990s, Binaisa lived in New York practicing law and has since returned to Uganda, where he now leads a quiet life. He is the only surviving ex-president of Uganda being looked after by the state under provisions of the 1995 Uganda Constitution.
On 26 July, 2004 Binaisa married Tomoko Yamamoto by satellite link in front of followers of the
Unification Church. [
1] The marriage ended in July, 2005. [
2]
*
Uganda*
Uganda since 1979, part of the
History of Uganda series.
*
President of Uganda*
Politics of Uganda*
Political parties of Uganda*
Binaisa profile from MyUganda*
Contemporary Africa Database
