Sauda Nabukenya

Politics of Constitution Making in Africa: the Power Dynamics of Constitution Making Processes: Lessons and Perspectives from Uganda Sauda Nabukenya

Politics of Constitution-Making in Africa addresses the forces and power dynamics of constitutional making processes that shaped the development of the national constitutions using Uganda as a case study. Democratic processes of constitution-making have become the norm and have assumed a new value within the context of debates about politics, statehood, and democracy. This book's emphasis is on the processes that were used to make decisions that determined the outcome of Uganda's constitutions. Outcome of the process depends less on its design than other dynamics like, political leaders,politics of the day, international community agenda;and the like. Uganda has gone through consultative and non-consultative constitution-making processes since 1958. But these processes have not resulted into durable constitutionalism because successive governments have manipulated the process to suit their own political needs. Hence, the constitutions Uganda has had,have not stood the test of time. The central focuss therefore, is on the processes,the forces and the underlying power dynamics that have influenced the constitution-making processes which have rendered the constitutions unworkable.