Buganda

Buganda, kingdom, E Africa: see Uganda.

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Buganda

Precolonial kingdom, East Africa. Located along the northern shore of Lake Victoria in present-day Uganda, the kingdom was founded in the late 14th century by the Ganda people. Ruled by the kabaka, or king, by the 19th century Buganda was the most powerful kingdom in the area. In 1900 it became a British protectorate. The Ganda subsequently played a major role in assisting British administration in East Africa. When Uganda became independent in 1962, Buganda was accorded special federal status within the new country. Ensuing tensions with the central government led in 1967 to the kingdom's abolition and the area's integration into Uganda. Buganda was restored in 1993.

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Buganda

a region of Uganda: a powerful Bantu kingdom from the 17th century

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Buganda 

a state in Africa that apparently came into existence in the southern part of present-day Uganda in the 15th century. The Baganda people were the main ethnic group. Until the late 18th century, Buganda was dependent on the Unyoro (Bunyoro) state. In the 19th century, particularly during the reign of Mutesa I (c. 1860-84), Buganda became a powerful state; by the mid-19th century it had subjugated the states of Unyoro and Ankole. The system of feudal property relations began to take shape in the 18th century. Slavery also existed; it was patriarchal in nature. The majority of the population was made up of free peasant commune members (bataka). In addition, there were other categories of the dependent population, which had definite obligations to the feudal lords. Agriculture was the population’s major occupation; handicrafts became highly developed. The ruler of Buganda (the kabaka) was the supreme military commander and the highest judicial authority and priest. All the land was at his disposal. There was also a parliament (the lukiko), presided over by a speaker (the katikiro). Buganda was divided into provinces headed by bazasas. The priesthood played a very prominent role.

Buganda became a British possession in 1890. In 1900 it became part of the Uganda protectorate. After Uganda became independent in 1962, Buganda enjoyed a certain autonomy. In 1963, Kabaka Mutesa II was elected the first president of Uganda. In February 1966 the kabaka, who had led the ruling feudal-bourgeois clique’s opposition to national progressive forces, was removed from his post as president. In May 1966 a reactionary revolt broke out in Buganda; the revolt was suppressed. Mutesa II fled to England. The new constitution of Uganda, adopted in September 1967, proclaimed Uganda a unitary republic and ended Buganda’s autonomous status.

REFERENCES

Roscoe, J. The Baganda: An Account of Their Native Customs and Beliefs. London, 1911.
Irstam, T. The King of Ganda. Stockholm, 1944.

A. S. ORLOVA