1. Nationalism refers to ones love for his country, it was the desire for East Africans to administer themselves thus it involved activities that aimed at gaining independence.
The pace of development of nationalism in Uganda was indeed too slow and this was due to a number of factors namely:
- Effects of colonialism where the British used their indirect rule that was characterized by divide and rule, tribes were kept completely apart, hence delaying the development of nationalism. For example, during the development of nationalism, Ugandans looked at Buganda with envy or jealousy due to divide and rule where Buganda was used as Kings and chiefs over other areas.
- Religious divisionism that characterized the social and political set up of Uganda made people too disunited.
- Absence of a common language as the case was in Kenya, where Swahili was and it tried to unite the Kenyans but such was not in Uganda.
- The absence or lack of common big problems against British rule in Uganda. In other East African nations like Kenya, the colonialists opened large plantations; the white settlers removed land from people. Such issues were non existent in Uganda; hence people were not fully united.
- British policy of favouring Buganda in the colonial days made the whole of Uganda turn against Buganda other than looking at nationalism at large.
- The British colonialists in Uganda tended to offer several facilities like schools, roads, hospitals that blindfolded Ugandans in the eyes of colonialism, hence delayed nationalism.
- Uganda lacked fully determined and charismatic leaders like Jomo Kenyatta of Kenya and Julius Nyerere of Tanganyika that could have easily mobilized the masses.
- In Uganda, there was very slow town development or Urbanization and therefore, people were mainly in the villages than in urban centres as the case was in Kenya where there were: Nairobi, and Kisumu among other town. This indeed slowed down the development of nationalism.
- Too much monarchism. In Uganda by 1930, the people had stronger attachment to their Kingdoms, for example Buganda, Bunyoro, and Ankole and among others. This limited the growth of nationalism in Uganda.
- Differences in ideologically within the parties that were formed in Uganda. Uganda National Congress (UNC) and Uganda People Congress (UPC) became socialist centred while Democratic Party (DP) was capitalist oriented.
- Buganda had the best infrastructural development, social and economic power was totally opposed to the idea of unity hence delaying the growth of nationalism.
- Very many people in Uganda were still uneducated because they preferred to stay in their villages. Attempts made to circulate leaflets to create awareness could not work because many people were illiterate.
- Trade unions in Uganda that could have fully united Ugandans were not vibrant like in Kenya, hence leading to slow nationalism.
- The scope of the Press was too limited in Uganda, for example the most recognized news papers were only in Luganda, for example Munno, and Uganda Eyogera among others. Therefore, such papers only appealed to Buganda’s interest.
- Lack of bigger political parties like the case was in Kenya with KANU delayed the development of nationalism.