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Around 1500 years ago the people of the Hima tribe founded their own states. Until the 15th century the first great Kingdom Bunyoro developed on the territory of today's Uganda. From the second half of the 17th century Buganda became the predominating kingdom. Smaller kingdoms were Ankole, Busoga and Toro.
In the 19th century Great Britain, France and Germany tried to gain supremacy in East Africa. After first Buganda had been annexed to Great Britain in 1890, British rule was also able to be expanded to the kingdoms of Ankole, Busoga, Bunyoro and Toro. In 1896 the Protectorate of Uganda was founded. In 1922 today's territories of Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda were united into British East Africa.
When the Gospel came to the country in 1877 there was both a radical awakening, and a spiritual battle with the powers of evil. The first 36 Ugandan martyrs were burned by order of King Mwanga in 1886. This event, however, turned out to be the roots of what was later known as the East African revival, which began in Uganda and Ruanda in 1920 and spread to extensive parts of East Africa.
In the nineteen-fifties a strong independence movement arose. After lengthy negotiations the Constitution document was endorsed in April 1962 and Milton Obote became President. But political unity was not yet established. In May 1966 Obote dispatched troops into the Kingdom of Buganda to send the Kabaka (King) into exile. After this a new Republican constitution came into force with the result that the Hima-Kingdoms (Ankole, Buganda, Bunyoro and Toro) were dissolved. Obote took over the position as President of Uganda.
Large sections of the population were dissatisfied with the strict measures for economical restructure. During Obotes' official visit abroad, there was a military coup on January 25th 1971. Idi Amin, commander of the Army, overthrew the government and replaced it by a military dictatorship that lasted altogether for eight years. Under his rule there began an unprecedented, incomparable and brutal persecution of any dissenter, especially Christians. Soon, murder, kidnapping, imprisonment and raids became the order of the day. From 1972 onwards Amin expelled all Asians, on whose shoulders the economy rested. Their possessions were confiscated by the state and the collapse of the nation began. Soon there was no functioning industry left. Uganda, once called "the pearl of Africa" plunged into anarchy, poverty and inflation, and the black market became normal. The Western states closed their embassies and imposed a trade embargo.
In 1975 Amin declared Uganda an Islamic state, although only 3% of the population were Moslems. Only the Catholic and the Anglican Church were tolerated. The Christians were forbidden to pray on any other day than Sunday, or outside the Catholic or Anglican Church. Pastors of other fellowships were persecuted, tortured and some were even killed. Despite these dangers there were still people who lived out their faith. They went underground, all confessional differences disappeared and jungle churches arose with 24-hour prayer meetings. These were not ordinary, short prayers. They were prayers crying out to God for help.
Amin's dictatorship came to an end in 1979 through troops invading from Tanzania. Peace returned to the land and religious freedom was restored. Until a new dictator Dr. Apollo Milton Obote and the People's Congress Party took over power in 1980. Civil war broke out. Whole villages were extinguished, houses burned. People either had to leave their homes to find shelter in refugee camps or they were ruthlessly killed.
The prayers that had been neglected during the short period of peace were taken up again with even more intensity and depth. Many churchmen and intercessors who spoke out frankly about the abuse of human rights disappeared or died as a result of different crimes.
Obote’s regime was overthrown by Tito Okello Lutwa who was later and shortly overthrown by the "National Resistance Army" (N.R.A.) under Yoweri Kaguta Museveni. This led to a fundamental change. The land became safe again, and freedom of speech and religious freedom were restored. The economy slowly began to recover.
With the epidemic development of AIDS new problems arose for the nation. AIDS has left a much greater mark on the whole country than all the wars it has been through. The land became full of orphans that no one could take care of. Many children became street urchins who had to provide for themselves. Some of the older girls turned to prostitution, some of the boys became criminals. Drug abuse increased greatly.
WHO experts predicted that the land would collapse by the year 1997. One third of the population would die of the HIV-Virus, another third would fall ill and the last third would be too weak to maintain the economy.
As the government was unable to see any way out, politicians called the church leadership together and asked them to do something against the desperate situation of the people. Many churches built orphanages and rehabilitation centres; the challenge exceeded the available funds, however.
Despite the awful prognosis of the WHO the intercessors did not give up. A new wave of revival swept through the land and is still touching all classes of population today.
Politicians and Christians together started a public campaign for integrity and ethics that has meanwhile taken hold of the whole country. Many corrupt statesmen, politicians and civil servants have already had to resign.
Government and churches further decided together to follow a double strategy:
Quotation: "Condoms plus moral changes through ethical renewal and a return to biblical values."
The success is phenomenal: the AIDS-rate in Uganda is the only one in Africa which is decreasing. The dismal prognosis did not come true; the WHO faces a mystery, and somewhat helplessly scrutinizes the "exemplary phenomenon of Uganda". The inflation rate sank from 380% after the civil war down to 6-8 % today. The IMF and the World Bank today regard Uganda as an "outstanding example of economic expansion".
Despite this expansion Uganda is still dependant on foreign help. Civil war and AIDS have left their mark on the families. The upkeep for many families is uncertain due to the loss of one or both parents. There are still thousands of orphans. Most of them are supported by their relatives, who can often give them nothing but the bare necessities, as their income is often hardly sufficient to provide for their own family. As a consequence many of those children cannot go to school and their future prospects do not look good.