Business After graduating from the Railway Traffic School, Obwangor worked in Kenya at the
East African Railways and Harbours Corporation before returning to Uganda in 1951. He first entered politics in Kenya, when he worked for
Jomo Kenyatta and the
Kenya African National Union executive council.
Political career Pre-Independence In 1952, Obwangor entered
Ugandan politics. He was elected to the
Teso District Council and was elected to represent the
Teso District at the
Uganda Legislative Council, the precursor to the
Parliament of Uganda during
British colonial rule when
Uganda was the
Uganda Protectorate.
Obote Government After the
Independence of Uganda, the
Uganda Legislative Council of the
Uganda Protectorate dissolved on Tuesday 9 October 1962, being replaced on Wednesday 10 October 1962 by the independent
Parliament of Uganda for the newly independent
Republic of Uganda. Obwangor represented
Teso again in the
Parliament of Uganda. Ethnic conflict threatened to spry up after the independence of Uganda, and ethnic groups were naming kings to fight for their respective ethnic groups, and the traditionally kingless I
Teso people attempted to name Obwangor as Iteso king, but Obwangor refused as he was dedicated to a multi-ethnic unified Uganda. Obwangor was a committed member of the
Uganda People's Congress, the party of President
Apollo Milton Obote that emerged from the pre-independence
Uganda National Congress political party.
Felix Kenyi Onama also can lay claim to the Minister of Interior position between 1962 and 1964, as he was Minister of Works and Labour. That role assumed some of the other responsibilities of the Minister of Interior such as leading the
Ugandan National Police Force. Obwangor and
Felix Kenyi Onama were succeeded in their roles in 1964 by
Basil Kiiza Bataringaya, who headed the newly created Ministry of Home Affairs, later renamed to be the
Ministry of Internal Affairs. Bataringaya assumed the role after he flipped parties and joined the Obote administration. After he left the
Ministry of Internal Affairs, Cuthbert Joseph Obwangor became
Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs in 1964, succeeding
Grace Ibingira. He also assumed the role of Minister of Housing and Labour in February 1966, serving in that role concurrently with being the Ugandan Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs. with the following an excerpt from the journal of the
Parliament of Uganda with his speech on 11 July 1967: After this disagreement and pushback upon
Apollo Milton Obote's assumption of additional powers, Obwangor was fired from his role as Minister of Commerce and Industry of Uganda. On 19 December 1969, there was an Assassination attempt on
Apollo Milton Obote's life, wounding him. The assassination attempt was allegedly led by
Baganda civilians. Despite this, Obwangor along with
Benedicto Kiwanuka,
Paul Ssemogerere,
Mathias Ngobi, and others were arrested, allegedly on the orders of
Basil Kiiza Bataringaya and
Felix Kenyi Onama.
Post Imprisonment career Obwangor reentered the political arena following his release, rejoining the
Uganda People's Congress after the party temporarily excommunicated Obwangor after the leader of the
Uganda People's Congress imprisoned Obwangor. The Nationalist Liberalist Party was a splinter group from the leading opposition party at the time, the
Democratic Party of Uganda. The Nationalist Liberal Party was created in response to former acting Secretary General of the
Democratic Party Tiberio Okeny Atwoma's unsuccessful challenge to
Paul Kawanga Ssemogerere for the leadership of the
Democratic Party (Uganda). In 1997, Obwangor left the
National Resistance Movement, rejoining his original political party the
Uganda People's Congress, although he left them after four years becoming a political independent which he remained until his death, stating in a 2007 interview that "politics is like wind, you move with the current affairs and temperature of the time". == Death ==