Paper short abstract:

This paper analyses the politics of Buganda-central government relations since 2000, and the implications of this for state formation and national identity in Uganda. To that end it examines struggles over territorial demarcations and the (non-)recognition of various cultural-political identities.

Paper long abstract:

The relations between the central government and Buganda region/kingdom have always shaped Ugandan politics in fundamental ways. The mutual embrace that characterised the relations between Buganda and the NRM government during 1990s gradually deteriorated, with the 2009 riots as a low mark. This process has reactivated contestation over state formation and national identity in Uganda. This paper examines the politics of this since around 2000, with particular attention paid to the scalar dimensions of territory and community. The latter involves struggles over the territorial and administrative demarcations of and within Buganda region, including Kampala city; the loci and scope of authority with regards to these units, the struggles over access to land in Buganda, and the (non-)recognition of various cultural-political identities in Buganda region.