How colonial rule took root in Uganda
In the first of a series of stories as the 64th Independence Day draws closer, we examine how colonial rule took root in Uganda. Joshua Kato writes
Kabaka Daudi Chwa and Semei Kakungulu. (File)
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INDEPENDENCE SERIES
British acquisition of what is now Uganda combined diplomacy, military force and missionary influence. Treaties were signed in some areas, while armed expeditions subdued resistance in others. Yet, as historian Samuel Karugire says, the process was neither straightforward nor guided by a single master plan.
“The process of acquiring Uganda did not proceed according to a logically worked out programme or plan,” Karugire writes.
The 1900 Buganda Agreement
The most significant step in consolidating British control was the signing of the 1900 Buganda Agreement. While the agreement appeared to formalise relations between Buganda and the British Protectorate government, several of its provisions substantially reduced the kingdom’s autonomy.
According to Karugire, Articles 5, 6, 8, 13 and 20 made recognition of the Kabaka dependent on loyalty to the Protectorate administration. The agreement also laid down procedures for the election of future Kabakas, effectively placing the monarchy under colonial oversight.
The powers of Buganda’s institutions were similarly curtailed. Buganda courts in both civil and criminal matters were subordinated to Protectorate courts, while the Kabaka lost authority over the kingdom’s armed forces.
“The jurisdiction of Buganda courts in civil and criminal matters was limited in such a way that they were made subordinate to the Protectorate courts while the Kabaka lost his powers of arming the army,” Karugire noted.
Defining boundaries and finances
The second part of the agreement dealt with territory and administration.
Buganda’s boundaries were formally defined, and the kingdom was divided into 20 administrative units. At the same time, Buganda renounced territorial claims over neighbouring areas, including its claims to tribute and suzerainty over Busoga.
The agreement also formalised the role of the Lukiiko and defined the duties and remuneration of ministers and chiefs, all under the supervision of the Protectorate government.
“Duties and remuneration of Buganda ministers and chiefs were also defined, and the Lukiiko was formally instituted and its functions defined and subjected to the overall control of the Protectorate government,” Karugire observes.
Articles 4, 7, 12, 15, 16 and 17 focused on financial administration. They introduced hut and gun taxes and established guidelines for how revenues collected within the Protectorate would be managed.
While the agreement strengthened the land rights of regents and chiefs who signed on behalf of the young Kabaka Daudi Chwa, critics argue that it significantly reduced Buganda’s political and administrative independence.
While treaties helped secure British influence in Buganda, colonial authority in eastern Uganda was established largely through military conquest and administrative expansion.
The British considered Busoga strategically important because of its proximity to the source of the River Nile. For centuries, Busoga had maintained close ties with Buganda, and some chiefdoms paid tribute to the kingdom.
In 1896, the British deployed the influential Muganda military commander Semei Kakungulu to extend their influence in the region. Kakungulu had already earned a reputation through campaigns against Kabalega’s forces in Bunyoro.
Over time, he established British authority across parts of Busoga, Bugisu and Bukedi. Acting on behalf of the Protectorate government, he created administrative structures and stationed his followers in the conquered territories.
Maintaining those forces, however, proved costly. “In order to maintain himself and his followers, Kakungulu had to survive on food and animals got from the local peasantry population. This in turn created resentment from the locals,” Karugire says.
As dissatisfaction grew, the British moved to reduce Kakungulu’s influence. A young administrator, Walker, was dispatched to take charge of the territories he had brought under colonial control. Many of the estates Kakungulu had distributed to his followers were reclaimed, and the Protectorate gradually established a more direct system of administration.
By the early years of the twentieth century, British authority had spread throughout eastern Uganda, completing another crucial stage in the consolidation of colonial rule.
