Kampala — The colonial legacy is responsible for the political instability that has charaterised Uganda's politics since independence, the deputy Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga, has said.

Kadaga said colonial masters segmented the country by encouraging people from the north to join the military, while the southerners were trained in production and wealth management.

She was speaking at the opening of a three-day seminar on the contribution of Parliament to peace and reconciliation in Uganda at the Imperial Royale Hotel in Kampala yesterday.

The subsequent governments, Kadaga said, inherited the divide and rule mentality of the colonial government and also divided people according to tribe and religion, which resulted in a lot of conflicts in the country.

She cited the military coups that toppled elected governments in the 1970s and early 1980s as results of the colonial policies.