UGANDA
BRIEF HISTORY
- The
Kingdoms of Western Uganda have been in existence for
several centuries before the arrival of the Arabs and
Europeans. Buganda and Bunyoro date back to the
fourteenth century AD. Ankole dates from a century later
and Toro came into being as an offshoot of Bunyoro in
1822. The latter had been a powerful empire during the
seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, giving way to
Buganda during the nineteenth. The arrival of Arab slave
traders and Egyptian Empire builders during the late
nineteenth century brought Islam into their midst. In
their wake came Roman Catholic priests and Protestant
evangelists. As converts multiplied, Uganda fell into
factionalism and strife. European traders and arms
suppliers helped to fan the flames of war. Eventually
Britain intervened; Lord Lugard establishing
Protectorates over Buganda in 1894 and Ankole, Bunyoro
and Toro two years later. Each kingdom enjoyed a
considerable degree of local autonomy, Lugard's famous
policy of indirect rule. A further grouping of lesser
polities, culminated in the establishment of a fifth
kingdom, the Federation of Busoga in 1939. By the 1950s,
Britain had started to prepare Uganda for eventual
independence. A federal structure was devised, the
kingdoms were to continue to enjoy internal autonomy.
When Uganda became a republic in 1963, the Kabaka of
Buganda and Kyabazinga of Busoga became President and
Vice-President, respectively. However, these provisions
did not sit well with the ambitions of the first Prime
Minister of Uganda, Dr Milton Obote. He removed the
Kabaka by force of arms and assumed the Presidency in
1966. One year later, he changed the constitution for the
third time, this time abolishing the kingdoms and
regional autonomy. Within five years, Obote was himself
overthrown by his chief henchman and Army Chief of Staff,
Idi Amin. Uganda then entered a new dark-age when the
rule of law and decency was extinguished from its midst
and human suffering taken to new lengths. Civil war broke
out as several factions attempted to overthrow the
tyrant. Obote returned to power after Amin fled to Saudi
Arabia, but was opposed by several factions. Civil war
continued for several years more, until General Musseveni
gradually established control in the early 1990s. Coming
to power, partly with the help of Royalist forces, he
maintained his pledges to them by restoring four of the
five kingdoms in 1993. Coming from Ankole, however, he
has proved somewhat reluctant to remove the state of
abeyance of that kingdom.
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- I
would be grateful to hear from anyone who may have
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Copyright©Christopher Buyers, July
2001 - July 2008