The Kingdom of Buganda - Essay Example

The Kingdom of Buganda The kingdom of Buganda is one of the oldest and most enduring s within the African continent and it carries with it the legacy of over a millennium of an advanced centralized government and a long ruling monarchy. Buganda is situated in the northern shores of Lake Victoria and is the largest kingdom in the Uganda. With a highly centralized government under the leadership of the king, known as the kabaka, its day to day government is conducted by the katikiiro, who is the prime minister and who, alongside his cabinet and parliament, are responsible for all the governmental affairs within the kingdom. The people of Buganda are of diverse clans and all of these are tied together because of their common history under the leadership of the royal family for centuries, as well as the bonds of kinship that exists within all the clans as their members have married into each other for many years. The ability of the Baganda to remain a unified people despite their different clan affiliation can be attributed to the fact that in one way or the other, all the clans have a history of being a part of the royal family because a large number of them have, in one way or the other, produced a king for the state. In addition, the kabaka is a unifying factor among his people because of the deep reverence that all of them have for him and this has ensured that the kingdom has remained stable despite the various setbacks that it has had to suffer in its recent history. The oral history Baganda states that their kingdom as it currently is was founded by one Kato Kintu, who at the head of thirteen clans moved from the Mt. Elgon area and settled in the present day Buganda among the six clans that he found there. In his new home, he was able to establish his authority over all the six clans that he found there and in addition to his thirteen became the founder of Buganda, as well as the direct ancestor of the current kabaka (Bruner, 89). From a small core area immediately on the northern shores of Lake Victoria, this kingdom would in subsequent generations expand at the expense of its rivals especially the kingdom of Bunyoro Kitara to its north. The kingdom of Buganda had a highly centralized government where all the political and social authority was in the hands of the kabaka and those to whom he had delegated some authority (Hanson, 180). The ability of the kabaka to have so much power was based on the fact that he was not only the head of government, but he was also the high priest of the traditional religion of the kingdom. In the former role, his word was the law and all of his decisions were binding, and because of the deep reverence that his people had for him, he was considered to be a minor deity who had the power of life or death over them. This reverence for the kabaka ensured that the royal line of succession was also revered and this helped in the development of the stable environment where all the people within the state were unified. In addition, because of his absolute power, the kabaka was able to control the rivalries that occurred between the members of different clans as they vied for his favor. The kabaka had a prime minister, known as the katikiiro who alongside the parliament or Lukiiko, worked towards the preservation of the authority of the kabaka as well as ensuring that the commands and decrees of the king were carried out in the best manner possible. In addition, they were also responsible for the passing of laws within the state, although this could only be done with the approval of the kabaka because to do otherwise would have meant death. The kingdom of Buganda was divided into a number of counties and all of these were headed by chiefs, men whose positions were initially hereditary but later came to be based on direct appointment from the kabaka. Moreover, these counties were further divided into subcounties, many of which were based on clans and these were headed by sub-chiefs who reported directly to the chiefs of their counties. The authority of the sub-chiefs was also based on appointment from the kabaka and this ensured that their first loyalty was to the king before their own and clan interests (Kodesh, 197). The strong centralized government of Buganda ensured that the state remained unified and powerful enough to sustain itself for as long as it did. The role of the kabaka as high priest also increased the importance of the monarch because his people revered him as the chosen one of God who could not do any wrong and that his authority was divine. The reverence that the Baganda had for their king was important in the smooth running of the government and this ensured that there was little conflict between the people and the throne, as well as the swift transition that took place on the death of a monarch. One of the most compelling factors for the continued endurance of the kingdom of Buganda is based on the fact that there was no established royal clan. All the children of the kabaka were assigned to the clans of their mothers and this ensured that no clan could complain of not having one of their own within the royal household. This policy was also important because it was customary for the kabaka to marry from as many clans within his realm as possible and this provided each of these clans the opportunity of having one of their daughters becoming the mother of the next kabaka. This tended to foster the unity of all the Baganda because they could all at one point or the other claim to have produced a ruler for the state and this worked towards the lessening of any of the clan rivalries that might have led to the breaking up of the kingdom. Another means through which the stability of the kingdom was maintained was through the kabaka ordering the killing of all the potential rivals to his throne, thus ensuring that there were no alternative leaders who could challenge his authority. Most of the rivals to the throne tended to be the kabaka’s own brothers as well as royal cousins and these were almost always eliminated whenever a new kabaka came to the throne. It is for this reason that many of the potential rivals to the throne always kept a low profile and never openly challenged the authority of the person on the throne. The lack of rivals also ensured that most of the kabakas who came to the throne has sufficient time to consolidate their rule to such an extent that they could rule safe in the knowledge that they were secure (Reid, 322). Moreover, it was customary for the kabaka to lead most of the major religious ceremonies in the kingdom as high priest, and this provided all the people who attended the opportunity to witness his tasks, resulting in the further development of his authority over his people. The throne of Buganda was also considered to be the final court of appeal in the kingdom and it is for this reason that the people often took their difficult cases to the kabaka so that he could make judgments. Since the kabaka was considered to be an all-wise ruler, all the decisions that he made under these circumstances were final and all of the parties had to accept his judgment. This was not only a means through which the stability of the state was ensured, but it also gave the kabaka power over all the judicial matters in the kingdom, thus working in favor of the maintenance of his authority. The position of county chiefs in the kingdom had for a long time been hereditary and it had normally been passed from further to son for many generations. However, this hereditary system also worked towards the erosion of the power of the central government, since most of the chiefs had come to develop their own spheres of power which were independent of the kabaka and in some instances; they often led to the potential of revolt over his authority since some chiefs had become too powerful (Tuck and Rowe, 403). In order to counter the authority of the hereditary chiefs, the kabakas abolished the institution of hereditary chiefly power and instead maintained the position of county chiefs through appointment. The ability to appoint the chiefs meant that all the power in the counties returned to the kabaka since all the chiefs came to owe their positions to him rather than to inheritance. The result was that the chiefs were no longer able to feel secure in their positions, often having to implement the decrees and wishes of the kabaka in a manner meant to win hi favor so that he could see it fit to retain them in their posts. Another means which the kabaka used to ensure that his authority was maintained no matter what the circumstances was the imposition of taxes. The taxes were normally collected through the chiefs and sub-chiefs who forwarded all of it to the kabaka, who could use it as he saw fit (Reid, 325). The ability to tax his people meant that the kabaka could conduct all the desired government activities as well as be able to maintain an army to secure the kingdom. Taxes were a major means of maintaining the authority of the kabaka and whenever there was the potential of revolt, it was the policy to exact heavy taxes on the people so that they could concentrate more on the production of the necessary crops used for taxation rather than on revolt. The kingdom of Buganda was one of the greatest military powers within the central African region and it was always considered a threat by most of its neighbors, especially Bunyoro to its north. The kabaka, through the heavy taxation of his people was able to maintain an army that numbered in the hundreds of thousands and it is this army which was able to maintain security within the boundaries of the kingdom (McKnight, 138). In addition, the army was used to launch expeditions against Buganda’s neighbors such as Bunyoro to the north and Busoga to the east whenever a kabaka saw the need to expand his kingdom. There were also instances where the army was used to conduct punitive expeditions against Buganda’s neighbors whenever they conducted raids into its territory and it is for this reason that Buganda came to be very feared by its neighbors in such a way that it guaranteed its internal security. It is also because of its powerful military that Buganda was able to expand very quickly so that it can be estimated that it expanded continuously at least once in every generation. The military prowess of the Buganda military was important in fending off some of its most powerful neighbors and rivals such as Bunyoro Kitara which often fought wars with Buganda for dominance of the region. It is partly because of the constant defeats that it suffered at the hands of Buganda that the empire of Bunyoro ended up weakening a century before the coming of colonial rule and this played an important role in its conquest and occupation by the British with the aid of Buganda. Furthermore, it is a fact that Buganda also had a navy which was based in Lake Victoria and this navy has been said to have been so efficient that it could attack any part of the lake’s shores that they targeted in a matter of days. This was truly an amazing achievement and it ensured that the kingdom dominated the entire lake, thus being able to secure all the trade routes that passed through it and increasing its source of wealth and power (Wright, 224). When Buganda came into contact with the Arab traders from Zanzibar, its military was able to acquire guns and muskets which became an essential part of the kingdom’s defense against its enemies and rivals, thus increasing its regional dominance. The coming of the colonialism into Buganda was a fairly peaceful affair mainly because of the kabaka, Mwanga II, decided to accept British protection in 1894. This, however, did not limit his power because the British administrators, having been impressed by the system of government of this kingdom, chose to retain its institutions and expand its power. It is for this reason that Mwanga retained considerable autonomy but within a few years, fearing that his authority was being infringed on, he revolted against British rule and this resulted in his defeat and exile, thus ending the direct power of the kabakas over Buganda (Kasfir, 56). The succeeding kabakas were only allowed a ceremonial role with most of the power in the state being transferred to the katikiiro and the county chiefs who achieved unprecedented power as well as large tracts of land which they claimed for their own. In addition, the government of Buganda was used by the colonial government as a means of controlling those kingdoms neighboring it and this was done in a manner which not only increased the power of the Buganda government, but also that of its chiefs (Reid, 346). The result of this was the fall of the highly centralized authority of Buganda while at the same time having its system used as a colonial tool to dominate its former rivals. This led to the decline and fall of Buganda since it lost its dominant position over the region and ended up serving the whims of the colonial government. As has been discussed above, the kingdom of Buganda is one of the oldest and most enduring institutions within the African continent and it carries with it the legacy of over a millennium of an advanced centralized government and a long ruling monarchy. It had a highly centralized government where all the political and social authority was in the hands of the kabaka and those to whom he had delegated some authority. One of the most compelling factors for the continued endurance of the kingdom of Buganda is based on the fact that there was no established royal clan. All the children of the kabaka were assigned to the clans of their mothers and this ensured that no clan could complain of not having one of their own within the royal household. In addition, the position of county chiefs in the kingdom had for a long time been hereditary and it had normally been passed from further to son for many generations. In order to counter the authority of the hereditary chiefs, the kabakas abolished the institution of hereditary chiefly power and instead maintained the position of county chiefs through appointment. Moreover, the kingdom of Buganda was one of the greatest military powers within the central African region and it was always considered a threat by most of its neighbors, especially Bunyoro to its north. The coming of the colonialism into Buganda was a fairly peaceful affair mainly because of the kabaka, Mwanga II, decided to accept British protection in 1894. This led to the decline and fall of Buganda since it lost its dominant position over the region and ended up serving the whims of the colonial government. Works Cited Bruner, Jason. "Beyond the Royal Gaze: Clanship and Public Healing in Buganda." African Studies Quarterly 12.4 (2011): 89-91. Hanson, Holly. "Mapping Conflict: Heterarchy and Accountability in the Ancient Capital of Buganda." Journal of African History 50.2 (2009): 179-202. Kasfir, Sidney Littlefield. "Up Close and Far Away: Renarrating Bugandas Troubled Past." African Arts 45.3 (2012): 56-69. Kodesh, Neil. "Networks of Knowledge: Clanship and Collective Well-Being in Buganda." Journal of African History 49.2 (2008): 197-216. McKnight, Glenn H. "Political Power in Pre-Colonial Buganda: Economy, Society, and Warfare in the Nineteenth Century." African Studies Review 46.3 (2003): 138-9. Reid, Richard. "Casualty of Empire: Britains Unpaid Debt to an African Kingdom." Journal of African History 48.2 (2007): 346-7. Reid, Richard. "Nationhood, Power and History: Unfinished Business and the Longue Duree in Uganda." Journal of African History 46.2 (2005): 321-5. Reid, Richard. "A Popular History of Uganda." Journal of African History 42.2 (2001): 325-6. Tuck, Michael W., and John A. Rowe. "Phoenix from the Ashes: Rediscovery of the Lost Lukiiko Archives." History in Africa 32 (2005): 403-14. Wright, Marcia. "Landed Obligation: The Practice of Power in Buganda." African Studies Review 47.3 (2004): 224-6. Read More