Governor of Uganda
In 1952 he was appointed Governor of Uganda, with the task of preparing that country for independence. He reorganized the Legislative Council (LEGCO) to include African representatives elected from districts throughout Uganda, thus creating the basis for a representative parliament. He also introduced economic initiatives, including the establishment of the Uganda Development Corporation.
In 1953 the Lukiiko (Parliament) of Buganda sought independence from Uganda. Edward Mutesa II, the Kabaka (king) of Buganda demanded that Buganda be separated from the rest of the protectorate and transferred to Foreign Office jurisdiction. On the 30 November Cohen deposed the Kabaka and ordered his exile to London. His forced departure made the Kabaka an instant martyr in the eyes of the Baganda, whose latent separatism and anticolonial sentiments set off a storm of protest. Cohen's action had backfired, and he could find no one among the Baganda prepared or able to mobilize support for his schemes. After two frustrating years of unrelenting Ganda hostility and obstruction, Cohen was forced to reinstate "Kabaka Freddie". The Kabaka returned to Kampala on 17 October 1955. Abu Mayanja was among those who escorted Sir Edward Mutesa from his London exile in 1955.
The negotiations leading to the Kabaka's return, although appearing to satisfy the British, were a resounding victory for the Baganda. Cohen secured the Kabaka's agreement not to oppose independence within the larger Uganda framework. Not only was the Kabaka reinstated in return, but for the first time since 1889, the monarch was given the power to appoint and dismiss his chiefs (Buganda government officials) instead of acting as a mere figurehead while they conducted the affairs of government. The Kabaka's new power was cloaked in the misleading claim that he would be only a "constitutional monarch," while in fact he was a leading player in deciding how Uganda would be governed, and would become the country's first president in 1962.
Read more about this topic: Andrew Cohen (colonial Governor)
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