The Success and Failure of Amnesty the Case of Amnesty in Uganda

Amnesties the world over are bequeathed with a lot of challenges that promote their success or failure. In this ground breaking book chapter on the success and failure of amnesty; the case of amnesty in Uganda, an invincible study was carried to determine what makes amnesty a success or failure. Accordingly, an examination of the effectiveness of the procedures for accessing amnesty in Uganda was studied to relate how the ease of accessing amnesty can lead to the success or failure of amnesty. This was part of a major PhD study entitled ‘‘Amnesty as a Panacea to Conflict: An Assessment of the Contribution of Amnesty to Conflict Resolution and Sustainable Peace in Uganda’’ which dealt with the contribution of amnesty to conflict resolution and attainment of sustainable peace. This book chapter is an extended version of the article published by Dr. Innocent MURAMUZI in the International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications, 12(3):2022. Available at DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.29322/IJSRP.12.03.2022.p12304. Ceteris paribus, cessation of conflict was expected once the Amnesty Act was promulgated. Since the promulgation of the Amnesty Act (2000), there are insurgents still at large that have not taken advantage of the Amnesty Act. The PhD study had four objectives: Determine knowledge of the contribution of amnesty to conflict resolution and sustainable peace in Uganda; examine the effectiveness of the procedures in the Amnesty Act in accessing amnesty in Uganda; assess the limitations of the Amnesty Act to conflict resolution and sustainable peace in Uganda and advance a model of amnesty as a panacea to conflict. The following were the research questions; What is the contribution of the Amnesty Act to conflict resolution and sustainable peace in Uganda? How effective were the procedures in the Amnesty Act in accessing amnesty in Uganda? What were the limitations of the Amnesty Act to conflict resolution and sustainable peace in Uganda? How is amnesty a panacea to conflict? The study used both quantitative and qualitative data collection methods. This was done to ensure that enough information is collected. The study employed the use of a questionnaire to collect data from all respondents while an interview guide was used to collect qualitative data from key informants of the study. The study employed a cross-sectional survey study design [1-4] where several sections of the population were studied through a questionnaire and interviews. A case study methodology is a popular research design that puts more emphasis on trying to establish the cause-effect relationship of certain events and their outcomes. The case study design is important when a researcher wants to establish the “whys” and “hows” of a particular research phenomenon [5-7]. Necessity of amnesty in conflict resolution and attainment of sustainable peace included that amnesty is cheaper than conflict (66.12%). Some of the challenges faced in the implementation of the amnesty Act include ignorance of the amnesty law (87.43%), inclusion of the transition clause in the amnesty Act (2000), and later exclusion of insurgency leaders from among the beneficiaries of amnesty, limited compensation and limited timeframe. Some of the limitations of amnesty seekers include ignorance of the amnesty law (63.11%), mistrust against government and limited information. The Peace for Peace Model of amnesty that was developed sees Amnesty a Panacea to Conflict. Amnesty was able to achieve a return of 26,390 insurgents who abandoned rebellion [8-11]. However, the number of insurgents still at large is not known todate. Despite the promulgation of the Amnesty Act (2000), LRA leaders have never surrendered or ever been captured.