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Having ‘eaten’ Buganda, British turn to Bunyoro
A sketch drawing of Omukama Yohana Chwa II Kabalega of Bunyoro (L). He ruled from 1870-1899. Right is a photograph that shows the battle of Masindi against Kabalega’s forces, 1894.Courtesy photos
What you need to know:
Kabalega and wars in Bunyoro
“Kabalega, the Mukama of Bunyoro, was first made known to us by Sir Samuel Baker in his book, Ismailia. From the first moment of his succeeding his father, Kamurasi, he acquired for himself a reputation for horrible cruelties, and cold-blooded butchery of his subjects that almost rivalled those of his near neighbour Mutesa, and later on, Mwanga. From the former he may be distinguished as possessing all the bad qualities, with the addition of the basest treachery, but none of the better ones, and from the latter, by possessing courage, and hatred of us that was irreconcilable that he never once sued for peace, even when hard pressed; and never grovelled when captured. In fact he always kept his end up, and in some ways was at least a man,” Frederick Jackson in his book Early Days in East Africa.
By June 1893, Buganda’s territory had been parcelled out along religious lines to the Protestants (who were now in control of the country through Katikkiro Apolo Kaggwa), the Catholics (who harboured plans of a separate kingdom led by one of Kabaka Mwanga’s nephews) and the Muslims who remained armed and restless.
The Muslims were divided into moderate and extremist factions. Mwanga’s uncle Nuhu Mbogo, who had succeeded Kalema as ‘Kabaka’ of the Muslims, belonged to the moderates and had returned to Buganda, made up with his nephew as well as Lugard.
He had also handed over to Lugard a royal drum that was a symbol of his power (Lugard would take the drum along with him when he left in June 1892 although the drum would eventually be returned at the request of Buganda officials, many years later).
Attack against Muslims
The extremist Muslim faction refused to serve under the Catholic Mwanga whom they considered an infidel and started plotting a mutiny alongside Salim Bey, the commander of the Nubian mercenaries.
Bey had served the British valiantly but his troops were in a bad way and had not been paid for several months. He also accused the British of not helping clear his name with the Khedive in Egypt where he was wanted for leading a mutiny.
Apolo Kaggwa’s spies learnt about the planned mutiny and leaked the plans to the British. On June 17, 1893 Major MacDonald carried out a pre-emptive attack on the Muslims, arrested their leaders and defeated their forces.
It was the last time the Muslims would try to seize power in Buganda. The Muslims had received support and sanctuary from Omukama Kabalega Cwa II who had sought to set up a client regime in Buganda and who harboured a visceral hatred for the European imperialists.
“On Buganda’s northern border, Kabalega of Bunyoro remained untamed and as well disposed to the British as a hungry leopard is to an antelope,” Cedric Pulford notes in the book, Eating Uganda: from Christianity to conquest.
The British had no kind words or thoughts towards Kabalega. Their minds had been poisoned by the allegations of treachery made against Kabalega by Sir Samuel Baker after his humiliating defeat by the Banyoro in Masindi. Books and diaries of many of the imperialists at the time show that many of them hated Kabalega’s guts but secretly admired and acknowledged his willingness to resist foreign attempts to take his kingdom away.
It was a trait that would go on to define Kabalega’s relationship with all white men, in particular the imperialists. Kabalega had come to power in Bunyoro in 1870 aged 17, and five years before Kabaka Mutesa invited the white man to his kingdom. Kabalega got on relatively well with Mutesa and although there were occasional raiding parties between the two kingdoms, there was also cooperation in the form of trade and intermarriages.
Although Kabalega had traded and continued to trade with the Arabs, his antipathy and hostility towards the Europeans grew from the arrogant manner in which Baker had tried to raise the Egyptian flag over Bunyoro in 1872. Having defeated Baker, Kabalega was determined to resist any imperial adventures from the white man.
Kabalega also had the benefit of hindsight. He had seen how, in less than 20 years, the white man had gone from humbly turning up with gifts in Buganda to turning up armed and unannounced to lay claim on the land and the trade.
The Omukama of Bunyoro had played a key role in the civil wars in Buganda, helping Kalema to the throne and offering refuge to some of the Baganda chiefs. The British imperialists therefore, had an interest in ensuring that Bunyoro would not continue to stir up revolt in Buganda.
However, Lord Rosebery had instructed Colonel Henry Colville, one of several British officers sent to Buganda after Gerald Portal, to ensure British access and control over Lake Albert and the entire River Nile valley.
In order to do so, Col. Colville would have to take over areas in Buyaga, which was firmly under the control of Bunyoro Kingdom. The British made no effort to reach out to Kabalega neither did they attempt any of the diplomatic games that had succeeded in Buganda.
Not only had their minds already been poisoned by Baker but they also had broken Mwanga’s back in Buganda and could rely on the support of the client regime they had installed under Apolo Kaggwa and the Nubian mercenaries who had served them well.
Brother against brother
It must go down in history as a stroke of imperial genius; the imperialists had used religion to divide the Baganda and have them fight amongst themselves, achieving victory with only a few armed men against a vastly superior army. Now they intended to use the Baganda to fight the rival power Bunyoro, and bring it under imperial control.
Two kingdoms that, together, could have offered a robust defence of their people and territory, were now being set against each other by a handful of cunning imperialists. In December 1893 Col. Colville attacked Bunyoro.
Continues tomorrow
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