Uganda was founded by the British between 1890 and 1926.Uganda is a derivative from the word Buganda which was then a kingdom. Prior to the British influence in Uganda the Bachwezi dynasty ruled and controlled parts of present day Uganda, Rwanda, Congo and Tanzania which was between 1100A.D and 1600 A.D.
It is therefore common today to find Bachwezi names in Uganda such names as Mulindwa, Kegoro, and Wanala with historical sites such as bigo bya mugyenyi lending further evidence to the bachwezi influence on Uganda. The luo also linked to the present day Uganda through the babiito dynasty which is evident in the close link of names in the luo and buganda dialect.
After the collapse of the bachwezi dynasty at around 1600A.D Toro, Ankole, Busiga Buganda and Bunyoro kingdoms replaced it. This dominion extended as far as Rwanda to parts like Mutara. During this period in time chiefs and clan elders were considered leaders. However there were some communities that had no central leadership, communities such as the karimajong, bagishu, bukedi and lugbara.
During this time inter-clan feuds were a common occurrence. The Bunyoro, Ankole and Buganda were at that time organized as kingdoms with central leaders as kings which chiefs and clan leaders under them. Arabs became the first foreigners to set foot on buganda soil in 1845.
In 1862 John Speke and Henry Stanley arrived in buganda as explorers. Stanley gained invitation by the kabaka when he joined buganda in raiding the buvuma island. Kabaka Mutesa I invited these explorers to the buganda territory in hope that they would partner with him and he would acquire guns on realizing that the Egyptian imperialism was threatening.
The rivalry between Buganda under Mutesa I and Bunyoro was also a factor that prompted Mutesa I to seek this alliance. In his letter dated 24/3/1876 Mutesa I stated that he wanted to be a friend of the white man. Based on this letter missionaries were dispatched to buganda. Among the responsibilities the missionaries had was to ensure that the buganda people wore clothes and that these clothes were products of manufacturers the Lancaster Mills from England.
Colonization of Africa employed a number of methods. The main ones were the use of the gun the Bible or religion. Buganda was colonized by the gun, Bible and koran. The Bible and koran teachings became effective ways of establishing a fanatical following which eventually played a crucial role in the political landscape of buganda. By 1867 islam was established in buganda and Mutesa I was already observing the ramadhan and learning to read the koran. Mutesa I pages at his courts fully converted though Mutesa I never converted fully to islam. The Christian Missionary Society (CMS) arrived in buganda in June 1877. After two years the roman catholic white fathers arrived in buganda. The arrival of these two groups not only ignited a rivalry between them but confused the buganda.
On a broader scale this rivalry was between the French who were catholic inclined and the English who were protestant inclined. In this rivalry was also a scramble for products and cheap raw materials source. This rivalry continued and developed into endless quarrels and disputes. However kabaka Mutesa I intention was that he would acquire guns from the white friends which was never forthcoming. The Arabs took advantage of this rivalry and continued spreading islam, improving trade and discrediting Christianity which eventually saw islam gain ground.
The protestant and catholic rivalry was also providing an opportunity for the traditional religious and political leaders of buganda to return. Eventually Mutesa I lost confidence in the missionaries with the catholic pulling out in 1882 to establish a station at Kagei. Kabaka Mwanga succeeded Mutesa I in 1884 after his death and was quickly to note the happening in present day Tanzania then the treaty between Karl Peters and the Tanzanian local leaders.
Mwanga was eying a treaty with the foreigners to counter the likely threat from the neighboring Tanzania treaties.
The coming of the missionaries caused religion to spread rapidly throughout the entire kingdom. Kabaka rule was now considered authoritarian and was being depleted of its influence together with the traditional systems of government that had been in place before.
With this threatening decline kabaka Mwanga ordered executions of some converts and later decreed the denunciation of religion by the subjects of the kingdom. Whoever refused was burnt alive at Namugongo. This caused the muslim and Christians to unite and deposed Mwanga as kabaka. The missionaries having free rein again embarked on creating a new class in buganda called the class of readers who later became a powerful group that would later assume political dimensions. In 1888 the muslim sought to trim the Christian influence and factional rivalry between them intensified again. They initiated a coup and kabaka Kiwewa was replaced by his brother Kalema. The fleeing catholics rejoined deposed Mwanga and fought to dethrone Kalema. The muslims sought an alliance with Kabalega of Bunyoro taking advantage of the buganda bunyoro rivalry. The muslims re-armed and fought back at Mengo eventually reinstating Kalemi.
In 1890 the Christians once again retook the throne, however the catholic and protestant rivalry continued. In the leadership at that time catholics had more influence than the protestants. The kabaka was viewed as an instrument of the catholic promoting French interests.
The Imperial British East Africa chose to move in and establish British sphere influence. Sending FJ Jackson who spearheaded this mission. Jackson sought to sign a treaty with Mwanga who was enjoying catholic backing after Karl Peters a German favoured by the catholics arrived in buganda. The Germany influence and interest over buganda was curtailed by the signing of the Heligoland treaty of July 1890. In this treaty buganda was officially recognized as a British sphere of influence in return for Heligoland island in the north sea to the Germans.
The Imperial British East Africa later send Captain Fredrick Lugard to counter the threat posed by Emin Kasha in Sudan who was planning to annex buganda and bunyoro to Turkey. Charles Stoke a missionary turned arms dealer was also plotting to arm Kabalega. Captain Lugard successfully forestalled their plans. However the coming of Captain Lugard was viewed by Mwanga and the catholic backed regime as a triumph for the protestant. Lugard signed a treaty with Mwanga and fought alongside him to defeat the muslim invasion. Captain Lugard also entered an agreement with Ntare V to stop arms from reaching Kabalega.
Inter religious hostilities flared once again and this time Captain Lugard armed the protestant faction. Mwanga fled to Budda but a kingdom without a kabaka was weakened so Lugard reinstated Mwanga in 1892 after signing a treaty.
Buganda land according to the agreement was divided among the religious factions with a total of 20 in number, 12 for the protestant, 8 for the catholic and 2 for the muslim. The catholic were less privileged politically. Mwanga again attempted an escape and a revolt. He chose to unite with the ankole, busoga and lango and kabalega but their resistance was subdued by the British. Both men were captured and exiled to the Seychelles.
This paved way for the 1900 buganda agreement signed by the missionaries on behalf of Mwanga’s infant son. This agreement covered administrative structure, finance and recognition of the kabaka and his government on condition that their loyalty was to the British governor. The native courts were brought under the protectorate courts and kabaka was forbidden from maintaining an army. Buganda therefore lost her independence through this treaty.
Captain Lugard had proposed that Britain colonize the region for commercial purposes. The scramble was about fostering trade ties with England and establishing a market for finished products from England. Sir Harry Johnston was sent by Britain to implement a plan for the new colony that included an overhaul of the monetary system and land tenure. The introduction of hut tax caused the kingdom to forfeit all traditional forms of exchange and work on the land, produce crop and share in taxes with the government. The new monetary system in place ensured that Ugandans would be able to use cash to buy imported goods.
Control was always established through signing of agreements that subordinated the kingdom areas of the buganda kingdom to British imperialism.
The earliest schools were built by missionaries. Both colonial and post colonial education was not geared to impart productive skills and this affected the middle class Ugandan.
Formal education was not in place until 1925 prior to which schools were conspicuously factional with catholics and protestants having their own schools. Muslims had lost out because of Turkey’s defeat in the world war and so they ended up taking less formal jobs compared to their counterparts in the protestant and catholic caliber.
Political parties were born which were based on this factional approach with ideologies based on religious differences. Similarly the local government system was based on tribal entities each being treated independently but under a common British governor. The separation of these districts here was meant to hinder national consciousness and the emergence of national political parties.
Colonial resistance took many forms in Uganda. The nyangive- abaganda rebellion was one of the earliest of these by the bunyoro and ankole directed against the baganda chiefs who the colonialists deployed after the fall of kabalega. Later other resistance movements like the nyabingi cult which was trying to overturn the colonial administrative legacy was also started. Other resistance movements such as native civil servants association and the bataka movement were formed agitating for better conditions of service and regaining of land control respectively.
It was mostly the semi educated elites who came up with organizations to fight suppression, exploitation and discrimination by the colonialist. Other organizations agitated for markets for their food products whereas some agitated against Indian domination in the trade sector.
