Is ethnicity the cause for the breakdowns in national unity, democracy and development in Uganda? This paper critically reviews the impact of ethnicity on the democratisation process in Uganda from colonialism to the present. The author argues that ethnicity in Uganda, as elsewhere on the African continent, has been historically constructed and subsequently reproduced. While democratisation may be problematic in the face of ethnic consciousness, the paradox is that the best way to reduce ethnic consciousness is more and not less democratisation.