Mwanga, Kabalega Traced In Seychelles

By Kalungi Kabuye in Mahe, Seychelles THE former Kabaka of Buganda, Mwanga and former Omukama of Bunyoro Kabalega, are believed to have had children and left descendants in the Seychelles Islands where they were exiled by the British early last century. The two kings were taken to the Seychelles in 1901 after losing a series of battles with the British colonialists, and none of them made it back to Uganda alive. Mwanga died in 1903 and Kabalega in 1923. Records in the Seychelles, however, indicate that they both had children there. Officials of the Seychelles National Archives believe that their descendants do exist in that country. "I'm sure there are people living here now in the Seychelles with either Mwanga or Kabalega as their ancestors," Peter Lalande, deputy director of the archives, told The New Vision yesterday. "The records show that these two kings married women from here and had children with them, so there must be descendants," he added. The records show that Kabalega had at least four wives and two children in the 23 years he lived in the Seychelles, while Mwanga had a baby daughter by the time he died. The woman, described by the British as Mwanga's widow, was called Salima. Buganda historians are unaware of her existence, and are not sure where she came from or where she went after Mwanga died. See full story on Weekend Ends