Christianity in Buganda
 1860s- contact with Buganda by Arabs ,Egypt and
Missionaries.
 Swahili traders and Arabs brought guns to Buganda in
exchange of ivory and slaves
 Islam takes root in Buganda, First religion in Buganda.
 Traditional religion also prevailed
 People convert to Islam and take up their way of life
e.g. eating &dressing habits
Egypt's Aggression
 Threatens Buganda during the rein of Khedive Ismail
 Expansionist policy of Egypt ,designed to take over
 Sudan and Uganda to protect the Nile.
 British in Egypt after Suez also wants Nile to be
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 protected. So they send Sir. Samuel Baker as governor of Equatorial Province
in S. Sudan
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 Baker wants to extend South and comes into conflict
 with Kingdom of Bunyoro and burns Kabaregas capital
 These activities make Buganda to feel threatened
Charles Gordon-Chinese Gordon
 Gordon a war hero in China replaces Baker .A
seasoned soldier so he wants to annex Bunyoro. He
tries to expand south
 1874-Chaille Long arrives in Buganda it treated
well by Kabaka and claims that Buganda has
agreed to be placed under Egypt. Was a lie there
was no treaty
 Arabs are alarmed at the European interest and the
are afraid of losing trade so they warn Kabaka.
 Mutesa is confused and sends two letters to
Khedive and Gordon
Kabaka Mutesa
 To Khedive he says he is a Muslim.
 To Gordon he claims to be a Christian.
 Gordon is suspicious and sends his troops down south
to invade Buganda
 But bankruptcy of Egypt halts the invasion and
Gordon withdraws troops.
 Now kabaka has known the Europeans intention so he
invites Missionaries as a diplomatic move to save his
kingdom
Missionaries
 Stanley had a arrived in Buganda to finish Livingstone's
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work .Kabaka asks him for missionaries, Stanley writes a
letter gives to de Bellefonds who was murdered but the
letter found ,hence missionaries come to Buganda
1876-CMS receive 5000 Ponds to come to Buganda,8
Missionaries attempt to reach interior only 3 managed
,some died others went back
1878 Bishop Alexander Mackay arrives in Buganda a
Scottish CMS.
1879 Catholic White Fathers arrive from England
Led to division and confusion among the African convernts
Competition
 Missionaries started to compete for converts and also to be close to kabaka.
 Suspicion existed they did not speak same language .Both wanted to convert kabaka
Mutesa,
 Muslims are also threatened and want to convert kabaka.
 Hatred led to formation of religious factions in Buganda-Wa Ingeleza –Protestants & Wa Faransa –Catholics.
 Kabaka did not accept Protestants since they wanted him to stop
 smoking tobacco, stop drinking and be monogamous.
 Catholics only wanted him to be monogamous
 Muslims wanted him to stop smoking and drinking.
 Kabaka decided to be close to Catholics
People in Buganda
 Buganda people embraced Islam, some were Protestants others
Catholic.
 Missionaries started to build schools and many people converted to
 Christianity, As the missionaries competed to get followers
 Christianity spread
 1884 Mutesa dies and is succeeded by Mwanga –comes to powe
 when the kingdom id divided on religious lines
 Secondly his authority is challenged by young Christians .Mwanga
 was a traditionalist and very unreliable character bad bisexual
 So he starts persecution of christians .Forced them to denouce their
faith and those who refused were burnt alive at Namirembe
200 converts killed
 The 200 killed led to much expansion of religion among
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the dead were Kizito and Caroli Lwanga. Mwanga is now
hated
1886 Mwanga stops persecution and appoints religious
chiefs eg catholic Henry Nyonyitono –katikiro&
Appolo Kagwa- Arms-protestant.
Muslims became unhappy since they are left out of power.
But Christians had not forgotten the persecution and are
cautious.
Mwanga feels threatened and tries to trap Christians in an
island and kill them ,but the plot is discoverd
Battle of Mengo
 1st BATTLE- Muslims& christians join forces and
fight Mwanga, Kagwa gives out guns and they win
the war and kabaka flees to Tanganyika,
 His brother Kiwewa is made kabaka and
Nyonyitono remains the katikiro
 Bugandan history has be unmade the subjects have
overthrown a king for the first time. To be a chief
you had to be a Muslim or Christian so traditional
hereditary chiefs are removed from power.
 Kiwewa was not happy because he had no say
ND
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civil war
Muslim and Christians fight to try and win the kabaka
Muslims win and throw the Christians out of
office, drive missionaries out to Rwanda and
removed Kiwewa and replaced him with a
Muslim kabaka kalema
 Christians reunite and try to fight back and take
 power but failed and Nyonyitono was killed and
 Appolo kagwa now left as leader of the christians