Political Change and Nationalism in Uganda

The most significant political change in Uganda is its colonization under the British Government. Despite the very rapid change in the political systems brought about by the British through their colonial policies, the traditional values that the people of Uganda possessed have changed very gradually.In this study, I intend to describe how the nature of the nationalism in Uganda is related to the conflict between traditional forces and modernizing forces which have been triggered by the pressures of British Colonialism. These tensions and conflicts were crystalized in the political actions of traditional chiefs in three stages, namely traditional society, colonial situation and in the rise of nationalism.On the eve of the invasion of British Colonialism, in the area now corresponding to the present Uganda there were four Kingdoms and many tribal territories. Among these kingdoms Buganda was the strongest and had a hierarchical political organization. The British selected Baganda as a major indegenous administrative force to assist them. Thus the British and the Baganda conquered other kingdoms, Bunyoro, Toro, Ankole and many other tribes, such as Busoga, Acholi, Teso, etc.The point that has to be considered here is that in the Colonial Uganda there consisted a dual relationship in rule, one between the colonial government and Buganda and another between Buganda and other kingdoms and tribes, former corresponded to the typical “indirect rule”, which was the characteristic of the British colonial policy. The latter was more complex, because outside Buganda the system of administration was nearly equal to “direct rule” by the British, using Baganda chiefs and the Ganda political system which had been adapted to suit the particular district.Bunyoro, one of the rival kingdoms of Buganda, had a part of its land annexed to Buganda Province, and consequently most of the Bunyoro people had an enmity towards the Baganda.Teso, the second largest tribe in Uganda, and traditionally organized on a segmentary basis, was also ruled by Baganda chiefs and their repulsions against Buganda were latent.Baganda chiefs were forced to work as colonial officials under the Protectorate Government but they still retained, in their spirit, their traditional values, namely their loyalty to their king, Kabaka. So once this traditional value was rejected, the chiefs protested furiously against the Colonial Government. Both the Bunyoro and Teso chiefs feared that the dictatorship of Buganda would affect them.From the facts mentioned above, the Uganda nationalist movement is characterized by a stuggle between the forces of Buganda and non-Buganda rather than a struggle against British Colonialism. The chiefs often took leadership of this movement, they joined political parties and pursued their tribal interests.After independence, Buganda separatism still remains, Uganda's future depends on how the people form a national consensus for unity

Colonial rule · Colonialism · Development economics · Government (linguistics) · Indirect rule · Kingdom · Nationalism · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Sociology · African history and culture analysis · Law

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