What you did not know about Buganda
Kabaka (king) Edward Frederick Muteesa stands next to his throne. He was king of Buganda from 1939 to 1969. photo/file
What you need to know:
Its history spans more than 800 years and yesterday, another milestone was reached as the kingdom celebrated 30 years under the leadership of its 36th ruler Kabaka Ronald Muwenda Mutebi
As is often sung in its anthem, Buganda Kingdom has stood the test of time.
Buganda’s history is coloured with the glory of conquest and expansion, the dejection of abolition and the celebration of its restoration after turmoil.
Its history spans more than 800 years and yesterday, another milestone was reached as the kingdom celebrated 30 years under the leadership of its 36th ruler Kabaka Ronald Muwenda Mutebi.
According to A.B.K Kasozi in The Bitter Bread of Exile, a biography of Sir Edward Muteesa II, Buganda’s rulers, their ancestors and people are part of a long heritage dating back as early as 400AD to the six original clans of Buganda known as the Nansangwawo.
They include Lugave (Pangolin), Mamba (lungfish), Ngeye (colobus monkey), Njaza (reedbuck), Nyange (white egret) and Fumbe (civet cat).
Arriving from the eastern mountains of Elgon, Kato Kintu is said to have defeated the original rulers and was installed as king at Buddo (Naggalabi) Hill in the first half of the 14th century. The people with whom he arrived are referred to as the abalasangeye or the killers of the colobus monkey.
This account lines up with those of other scholars who document the establishment of Buganda as having been before the 12th Century with Kintu as its first king.
According to Buganda.or.ug, what is Buganda today was known as Muwaawa, which means a sparsely populated place. It is said to have been inhabited by people from Abyssinia, who came through the rift valley and the mountains of Elgon.
Some of the notable kings of Buganda over the years include Kabaka Kimera said to have ruled around 1370 and whose ancestry has been linked by some accounts to that of Bunyoro; Kabaka Jjunju (1764-94) who is said to have added Buddu to Buganda, among others.
According to Rev Fr J.L. Ddiba in his book Eddiini mu Uganda, Kabaka Kiggala was the most loved king who reigned from 1434 to 1464. He abdicated the throne to his son, Kiyimba, but returned to power in 1484 as a result of the demand from the Baganda. He ruled until 1494.
The Kabaka’s throne, known as Nnamulondo, has existed since 1555 when it was made hereditary during Kabaka Mulondo’s reign.
Wrestling, which was introduced by Kabaka Ssuuna I, is said to be Buganda’s favourite sport.
It is commonly known as Ekigwo ggumbya.
The king reportedly loved the sport so much that he once challenged a prisoner to a match.
During Kabaka Ssuuna II’s reign, Islam was introduced in Buganda. The king converted to Islam and was named Rashid.
The king reportedly gifted the Sultan of Zanzibar his wife, Gwokyalya, who was the mother of his son and future king Muteesa I, after she allegedly committed a grave offence which would ordinarily merit execution.
Kabaka Muteesa I was the first king to be buried at the Kasubi Tombs. Other kings buried in the tombs are Kabaka Mwanga II, Kabaka Daudi Chwa and Kabaka Edward Muteesa II.
In 2010, the tombs were burnt down leading to Kabaka Mutebi weeping—a rare sight for a Kabaka— for the loss.
After Kabaka Muteesa I came Kabaka Mwanga II who is mainly remembered for ordering the execution of the Uganda Martyrs. He was the first king to build a brick perimeter wall around the Lubiri Palace in Mengo.
The supremacy of Buganda and her kings ended at the signing of the 1900 Buganda agreement. The Kabaka was no longer the supreme leader, his rule was subject to British rule.
Two of its 20 counties, Buyaga and Bugangayizi, were also taken from it after the 1964 referendum.
This and several other issues led to the 1966 Buganda Crisis, which culminated with the exiling of Kabaka Muteesa II, who was also the President of Uganda, and his subsequent death in exile in 1969.
The crisis led to the abolition of a kingdom that had lasted more than 700 years up to that point.
After the collapse of the Obote I regime in 1971, the new government of Idi Amin facilitated the return of the remains of Ssekabaka Edward Muteesa II for a formal burial.
This was also when many got a glimpse at his successor, then 16-year-old Prince Ronald Muwenda Mutebi, identified through a discreet ceremony of laying bark cloth on his father’s body.
The Prince would wait another 20 years before taking up the throne on July 31, 1993 at Buddo Naggalabi on the same site where his forefathers were crowned.
