Religious parties sparked off disunity in Uganda
<b>A learned friend With a historical perspective</b><br><br><b>Peter Mulira Mayanja</b><br><br>When Captain Frederick Lugard arrived in Buganda in 1890 to set up the suzerainty of the Imperial British East Africa Company (IBEAC) he found the centre of power in the hands of the catholic party wh
A learned friend With a historical perspective
Peter Mulira Mayanja
When Captain Frederick Lugard arrived in Buganda in 1890 to set up the suzerainty of the Imperial British East Africa Company (IBEAC) he found the centre of power in the hands of the catholic party which viewed him and the company as a threat to their entrenched position.
The Kabaka himself was a catholic which added clout to the catholic party’s position. The protestant party was on the periphery while the muslims had been excluded from power in 1899. The rise of these religio-political parties in Buganda can be traced to 1877 and in 1879 when the first protestant and roman catholic missionaries first arrived here. The Arab muslims had arrived earlier in the century.
In time, all the three religious groups won adherents at the court who were later to play important roles. In order to buttress his authority against the chiefs, young Kabaka Mwanga who succeeded Mutesa created a hierarchy of personal agents known as batongole whom he chose from the new religions.
The position of the adherents of the three religions who were known as “Readers†or abasomi viz a vis the Kabaka was the same though different at times which led the readers to stage a coup in 1888 that forced Mwanga into exile and a new Kabaka was temporarily installed. The alliance of the readers lasted only one month and a new struggle erupted, this time pitting the Christians (catholics and protestants) against the muslims.
The muslims won and established a sultanate under their own muslim Kabaka Kalema which was followed by a policy of islamisation of the country. For the first time one particular religious group in Buganda claimed exclusivity at the expense of the other two religions. Soon war ensued to dislodge the muslims.
Following their victory in October 1889, the Christians also demanded the same exclusivity by keeping the muslims away from any office of influence. However, antagonism developed between the two Christian factions during the allocation of offices and the situation was only saved by a treaty which was mediated by missionaries under which public offices were allocated among the Christians on the principle of equal sharing between the two denominations.
The christians, once in power, brought back Mwanga and reinstated him on the throne while the christian batongole leaders who had originally acted as Mwanga’s agents grew in importance and replaced the old class of bakungu chiefs in the administration of the kingdom. The centre of power was then controlled by an oligarchy whose membership was defined by affiliations to the two Christian parties for purposes of administration namely Bakatoliki (Catholics) and Bapolotesitanti (Protestants).
This division brought about its own tensions which were exacerbated by the attitudes of the French and the British to local developments. Upon his return, Mwanga declared his conversion to Catholicism and the fact that the Kabaka belonged to the catholic party legitimised the party and acted as inducement for people to join it.
The increased switch of people from the protestant party to the catholic party distabilised the system of allocation of office based on the principle of equal sharing and it was accordingly decided that the person who switched allegiance also lost his office but the tensions continued nevertheless. When these tensions erupted into warlike clashes on January 24, 1892, Lugard came to the assistance of the protestants for two reasons. First, Mwanga had consistently refused to recognise the company’s authority. Secondly, the catholic oligarchy had not warmed up to him fearing that he would encroach on its entrenchment in power in favour of the protestants and instead the catholics showed their preference to the Germans while protestants became loyal to him. Lugard therefore opted to be on the side of the protestants who were loyal and intervened on their side with his troops at a critical stage of the war with the result that the catholics were defeated.
Mwanga escaped to an island in Lake Victoria from where he went to Sukuma in the German territory of what is today Tanzania where he lived with the French catholic bishop. Soon after Mwanga’s arrival in Sukuma, the catholic bishop started negotiations with Lugard for the return of Mwanga on the condition that either the catholics were reinstated in their previous positions of supremacy or they would be given half the country as their own exclusive area. Lugard turned down the proposals.
Mwanga in the end returned as a defeated Kabaka with truncated powers and authority. During his exile, tensions had developed in his relationship with catholics and as soon as he returned, he announced his conversion to protestantism. Lugard soon realised that the strength of the protestant party had been exaggerated and that they were fewer than either the catholics or muslims. He therefore decided to do a fair deal with the catholics. The principle territorial sharing was introduced and on April 5, 1892, Lugard concluded a treaty with catholic chiefs under which the province of Buddu was to be exclusively catholic with people of other religions having to move to other parts of the country.
On April 20, 1892 in a decisive meeting with chiefs of all parties held under the chairmanship of Lugard, it was agreed that the Katikkiro would be protestant and the Kimbugwe (later omulamuzi) would be a catholic in a new power sharing dispensation. This history demonstrates that religious parties rather than religious discrimination were responsible for divisions in the country.
The Provincial Commissioner of Buganda, one Knowles wrote to the Chief Secretary on November 14, 1913 thus: “There is no doubt that it is now a matter of party feeling more than that of religious differences which have caused these unfortunate differences.... It is also observed that there was no official British government policy to anglicanise the country and that both catholic and protestant chiefs discriminated against the muslims.
“These two points are borne out in a letter dated December, 1913 written by the Ag. Provincial Commissioner to the Chief Secretary in the following terms:- “……….It is simply bigotry and religious intolerance. To penalise a man because he chooses to embrace the Muhammedan religion is unchristianlike and contrary to the principles of the British constitution through the empire …….. I think this is a grand opportunity to show the chiefs of this protectorate that the British government disfavour anything in the shape of religious intolerance and that a deserving chief should not be debarred from promotion because he follows the crescent and not the cross.â€
Peter Mulira Mayanja
When Captain Frederick Lugard arrived in Buganda in 1890 to set up the suzerainty of the Imperial British East Africa Company (IBEAC) he found the centre of power in the hands of the catholic party which viewed him and the company as a threat to their entrenched position.
The Kabaka himself was a catholic which added clout to the catholic party’s position. The protestant party was on the periphery while the muslims had been excluded from power in 1899. The rise of these religio-political parties in Buganda can be traced to 1877 and in 1879 when the first protestant and roman catholic missionaries first arrived here. The Arab muslims had arrived earlier in the century.
In time, all the three religious groups won adherents at the court who were later to play important roles. In order to buttress his authority against the chiefs, young Kabaka Mwanga who succeeded Mutesa created a hierarchy of personal agents known as batongole whom he chose from the new religions.
The position of the adherents of the three religions who were known as “Readers†or abasomi viz a vis the Kabaka was the same though different at times which led the readers to stage a coup in 1888 that forced Mwanga into exile and a new Kabaka was temporarily installed. The alliance of the readers lasted only one month and a new struggle erupted, this time pitting the Christians (catholics and protestants) against the muslims.
The muslims won and established a sultanate under their own muslim Kabaka Kalema which was followed by a policy of islamisation of the country. For the first time one particular religious group in Buganda claimed exclusivity at the expense of the other two religions. Soon war ensued to dislodge the muslims.
Following their victory in October 1889, the Christians also demanded the same exclusivity by keeping the muslims away from any office of influence. However, antagonism developed between the two Christian factions during the allocation of offices and the situation was only saved by a treaty which was mediated by missionaries under which public offices were allocated among the Christians on the principle of equal sharing between the two denominations.
The christians, once in power, brought back Mwanga and reinstated him on the throne while the christian batongole leaders who had originally acted as Mwanga’s agents grew in importance and replaced the old class of bakungu chiefs in the administration of the kingdom. The centre of power was then controlled by an oligarchy whose membership was defined by affiliations to the two Christian parties for purposes of administration namely Bakatoliki (Catholics) and Bapolotesitanti (Protestants).
This division brought about its own tensions which were exacerbated by the attitudes of the French and the British to local developments. Upon his return, Mwanga declared his conversion to Catholicism and the fact that the Kabaka belonged to the catholic party legitimised the party and acted as inducement for people to join it.
The increased switch of people from the protestant party to the catholic party distabilised the system of allocation of office based on the principle of equal sharing and it was accordingly decided that the person who switched allegiance also lost his office but the tensions continued nevertheless. When these tensions erupted into warlike clashes on January 24, 1892, Lugard came to the assistance of the protestants for two reasons. First, Mwanga had consistently refused to recognise the company’s authority. Secondly, the catholic oligarchy had not warmed up to him fearing that he would encroach on its entrenchment in power in favour of the protestants and instead the catholics showed their preference to the Germans while protestants became loyal to him. Lugard therefore opted to be on the side of the protestants who were loyal and intervened on their side with his troops at a critical stage of the war with the result that the catholics were defeated.
Mwanga escaped to an island in Lake Victoria from where he went to Sukuma in the German territory of what is today Tanzania where he lived with the French catholic bishop. Soon after Mwanga’s arrival in Sukuma, the catholic bishop started negotiations with Lugard for the return of Mwanga on the condition that either the catholics were reinstated in their previous positions of supremacy or they would be given half the country as their own exclusive area. Lugard turned down the proposals.
Mwanga in the end returned as a defeated Kabaka with truncated powers and authority. During his exile, tensions had developed in his relationship with catholics and as soon as he returned, he announced his conversion to protestantism. Lugard soon realised that the strength of the protestant party had been exaggerated and that they were fewer than either the catholics or muslims. He therefore decided to do a fair deal with the catholics. The principle territorial sharing was introduced and on April 5, 1892, Lugard concluded a treaty with catholic chiefs under which the province of Buddu was to be exclusively catholic with people of other religions having to move to other parts of the country.
On April 20, 1892 in a decisive meeting with chiefs of all parties held under the chairmanship of Lugard, it was agreed that the Katikkiro would be protestant and the Kimbugwe (later omulamuzi) would be a catholic in a new power sharing dispensation. This history demonstrates that religious parties rather than religious discrimination were responsible for divisions in the country.
The Provincial Commissioner of Buganda, one Knowles wrote to the Chief Secretary on November 14, 1913 thus: “There is no doubt that it is now a matter of party feeling more than that of religious differences which have caused these unfortunate differences.... It is also observed that there was no official British government policy to anglicanise the country and that both catholic and protestant chiefs discriminated against the muslims.
“These two points are borne out in a letter dated December, 1913 written by the Ag. Provincial Commissioner to the Chief Secretary in the following terms:- “……….It is simply bigotry and religious intolerance. To penalise a man because he chooses to embrace the Muhammedan religion is unchristianlike and contrary to the principles of the British constitution through the empire …….. I think this is a grand opportunity to show the chiefs of this protectorate that the British government disfavour anything in the shape of religious intolerance and that a deserving chief should not be debarred from promotion because he follows the crescent and not the cross.â€