Buganda

Buganda, powerful kingdom of East Africa during the 19th century, located along the northern shore of Lake Victoria in present-day south-central Uganda. Buganda’s insistence on maintaining a separate political identity contributed to Uganda’s destabilization after that country reached independence in 1962.

Buganda was one of several small principalities founded by Bantu-speaking peoples in what is now Uganda. It was founded in the late 14th century, when the kabaka, or ruler, of the Ganda people came to exercise strong centralized control over his domains, called Buganda. By the 19th century Buganda had become the largest and most powerful kingdom in the region. The local chiefs of conquered areas ruled as personal appointees of the kabaka, who had a sizable army at his disposal.

Foreign influences, including the Islamic and Christian religions, began to reach Buganda in the 19th century, especially during the rule of Mutesa I (1856–84). After his death the kingdom was riven by a number of politico-religious factions. In 1894 Buganda became part of the British sphere of influence, and in 1900 the Buganda Agreement made it formally a British protectorate. The Ganda people subsequently played a major role in assisting the British administration in East Africa.

When Uganda achieved independence in 1962, the Buganda kingdom was given considerable autonomy and was accorded special federal status within the new nation. Buganda’s insistence upon its separate political identity generated worsening tensions with the central government, however. In 1966 open conflict broke out between the Bugandan ruler, Mutesa II, and the prime minister of Uganda, Milton Obote, who in 1967 abolished Buganda and the country’s three other traditional kingdoms. The Buganda kingdom was not restored until 1993.