Monthly Archives: October 2011

Written and researched by Robert Asketill Historical documents have shown us that at this (1875) period Kabaka Mutesa was having considerable trouble with those he called the “Turks” or “Egyptians” within the capital itself The situation was critical and reading documents we are surprised that the Egyptians and Baganda did not come to actual blows. The credit for this was due partly to Mutesa himself and partly to Ahmed bin Ibrahim, the one who many years previously had given Kabaka Suuna his first introduction to Islam. Ahmed bin realised that retaliatory measures on the part of Colonel Gordon would put an end to the Zanzibar trade in Buganda. He acted … Continue reading →

Written and researched by Robert Asketill We have seen in Part 22 how Colonel Gordon, frustrated and by now very wary of the politics of Kabaka Mutesa, gave up his personal  ambition of seeing Buganda under the Egyptian flag and handed over the mission to  the Belgian named Ernest Linant de Bellefonds. Obviously Egypt still planned to see Buganda under the flag of the Khedive for records show us that Linant was given an escort of 70 highly trained military along with a number of carpenters and assortment of technicians to build a house on European lines near Mutesa’s residence.  His expedition arrived to meet the Kabaka in April 1875 … Continue reading →

Written and researched by Robert Asketill Here is shown the magnificent leadership of Kabaka Mutesa saving his kingdom from foreign dominance.  We introduce once again Samuel Baker as in the ending of Part 21; a Briton praised for his exploration of the Nile region by the Royal Geographic Society and the Paris Geographical Society and also knighted by Queen Victoria.   Kabaka Muteesa saw him, and rightly so, as an arrogant adversary who was to cause serious divisions amongst the royal family within the kingdom of Bunyoro and, working for the Khedive of Egypt, had his eye on seizing Buganda. Muteesa received the news of Baker’s activities in Bunyoro with mixed … Continue reading →

Written and researched by Robert Asketill We shall now get closer to Kabaka Muteesa to see how he handled external forces that were a danger to his country shortly before the arrival of the quarrelling Christian Missionaries who were almost as troublesome and dangerous as the European slave traders. In 1869 Muteesa’s neighbour and rival, the Omukama Kamurasi of Bunyoro, died after a short illness. According to invariable custom, several of Kamurasi’s innumerable sons proceeded to fight each other for the vacant throne. On this occasion the strife was prolonged and embittered by the intervention of the ivory traders from Khartoum. Each aspirant sought the aid of the traders. This … Continue reading →

Written and researched by Robert Asketill We were told with some pride by elders in the early fifties that King Mutesa had taken the trouble to learn Kiswahili from the Arabs so he would be able to talk to the Europeans, who we were led to believe were explorers looking for the source of the Nile, about which we will be writing more in the future. It is enough to say here that two of the earliest and perhaps the ones to become most famous were the English, Speke and Grant. Both Speke and Grant were most exasperated by Mutesa’s continuous procrastination in his promises to expedite their journey down … Continue reading →

Written and researched by Robert Asketill A great deal has been written at one time or other by travellers and missionaries about Muteesa of Buganda and certainly when looking into the greatness of Buganda there are thousands of documents available. Previous writers have described his failings and his vices but have been aware also of the better and finer traits in his character. The general impression left after one has read their works is that of an absolute ruler of a sycophantic race, a man of regal bearing but a superlative egoist, always capricious and at times revoltingly cruel. In Part 19 we  have not the slightest intention of attempting … Continue reading →

Written and researched by Robert Asketill We are writing about the important status of Buganda in the general interaction between Africa and the European colonial powers because the young generation need to know about the powerful part played by their ancestors and why they should take great pride in their country. They have been denied the history of their kingdom and this seems to be a deliberate policy for we have seen and heard determined efforts by some Africans within Uganda to destroy traditions and past knowledge of Buganda. The reason, no doubt, is because of the high regard in which they were held by influential Europeans like Lord Lugard … Continue reading →

Written and researched by Robert Asketill Sir Andrew Cohen has already been introduced. He was appointed Governor of Uganda in 1952, then charged by the Colonial Office to follow the directive given in 1947, by the then Colonial Secretary Creech Jones, for colonial governments to develop an efficient and democratic system of local government, with the task of preparing the country for independence, a directive to challenge the abilities of even the most experienced colonial servants. Andrew Cohen had Buganda close to his heart, especially as he had been a friend of Muteesa in their Cambridge days, even inviting him to his home on many occasions for talks on Africa. … Continue reading →