— Our Community —

Established in the late 14^th century, Buganda is one of the numerous kingdoms that sprung up after the collapse of the vast medieval Chwezi Empire, growing so much over time in size, power and influence to become the power broker in the late 19^th century, as the British established colonial rule in Uganda. Foreign influence in Buganda began with the incursion of the agents of Christianity and Islam from the 1820’s, before their influence escalated into politico-religious hostilities as the century ground on, culminating into Buganda becoming part of the British sphere of influence in 1894, and its status being formalized as a protectorate in the 1900 Buganda Agreement. Uganda was declared a British Protectorate in 1894, with Buganda and other kingdoms negotiating agreements with Britain to secure privileges and a level of autonomy. Buganda and her people subsequently played a major role in assisting the British administration in East Africa.

Following Uganda’s independence in 1962, the Buganda Kingdom  was abolished along with other traditional monarchies by the country’s first Prime Minister Apollo Milton Obote in 1966, who in the process, declared Uganda a republic. After two subsequent decades of turbulence that included the five-year civil war that brought President Yoweri Tibuhaburwa Museveni to power in 1986, Buganda Kingdom was officially restored in 1993 as a cultural institution with its monarch, the Kabaka, having a largely ceremonial role. Buganda’s status as a constitutional cultural institution was formalized by the 1995 Constitution, which states that, “Subject to the provisions of this Constitution, the institution of traditional leader or cultural leader may exist in any area of Uganda in accordance with the culture, customs and traditions or wishes and aspirations of the people to whom it applies”.