Compiled by: Oğuzcan Atış / Milliyet.com.tr – The process of determining the successor to King Oyo, who passed away recently in the Tooro Kingdom of Uganda; It turned into a crisis when 36-year-old goalkeeper George Desmond Kamurasi, who played amateur football in London, rejected the throne offered to him and the royal family also rejected the second candidate chosen by the committee. Although this crisis was seen as controversial by some international institutions and political scientists, it raised the question of how such a crisis could occur in Uganda, which is governed by a constitutional democracy on paper. So how was this possible?
Although Uganda gained independence following the end of British colonial rule in 1962, this did not end the traditional kingdoms within the country. Uganda in the new era; It inherited a complex legacy of becoming a new republic, old kingdoms and a modern state. Despite the decades that have passed, these traditions have continued to live in Uganda and continue today with the existence of 5 kingdoms within the Ugandan state. The largest of these kingdoms, the Buganda Kingdom, is ruled by a king known as Kabaka. Although the king has the administrative structures to maintain his rule, he cannot exercise the administrative, legislative or executive powers of the state according to the Uganda Constitution. The Kingdom of Buganda, which traces its origins to the 13th century, is home to approximately 12 million people today. This means that Buganda, which lives within Uganda, hosts approximately 1/4 of the country's population. Traditionally, 5 different kingdoms such as Tooro and Buganda continue to exist in the country today.
THEY HAVE THEIR OWN ASSEMBLY
5 main kingdoms officially recognized by the state in Uganda; They are known as purely cultural, social and symbolic institutions that have no political authority, public budget management, army or law-making power. These kingdoms are prohibited from engaging in politics or interfering in elections in accordance with the constitution; They operate in the fields of education, health and tourism with their traditional councils, foundations and land revenues; They play a traditional mediator role in local land and inheritance disputes and protect the language and culture of the tribes they represent. There is no written information about the period when the foundations of the Buganda Kingdom were laid, which is the largest kingdom that continues to exist in the country due to the traditions within Uganda today. However, historians think that the strongest group evolved into a kingdom by incorporating other groups around it over time. In his speech on the subject, Ugandan historian Semakula Kiwanuka stated that according to oral traditions, he attributed the foundations of this union to King Kato Kintu, but it is not known whether such a person actually lived in history.
Owek Israel Kazibwe Kitooke, Minister of Information and official spokesperson of the Buganda Kingdom, stated that King Chwa I formed an alliance with 5 tribes in the early 14th century, and later 6 more tribes joined this alliance and the resulting structure turned into the Buganda Kingdom over time. Kitooke said the principles established through this system later evolved into the kingdom's constitution.
AFTER INDEPENDENCE, AUTONOMY WITH RESTRICTED POWERS WAS GIVEN
During the British colonial period, the kingdoms in Uganda experienced different administrative processes in line with Britain's "indirect rule" strategy: The Buganda Kingdom, which reached an agreement with the British administration, took an active role in the colonial bureaucracy by gaining wide administrative autonomy and land ownership with the 1900 Agreement; The Kingdom of Bunyoro, which showed military resistance against colonial rule, was defeated as a result of the conflicts, lost some of its territory and was subject to administrative restrictions. While the Tooro and Ankole kingdoms, seeking security and autonomy, accepted British protection through agreements, the chiefdoms in the Busoga region, which had a fragmented tribal structure, were gathered under a single administrative roof to facilitate central administration. These different colonial practices paved the way for socioeconomic and political imbalances between regions.
When Britain withdrew in 1962, the administrative and economic privileges the Kingdom of Buganda had obtained during the colonial period created unrest among other regions and ethnic groups. Following the political crisis in 1966, Prime Minister Milton Obote used military force to raid the Buganda Palace; King II Mutesa was forced to flee into exile, and with the 1967 Constitution, all traditional kingdoms in the country were completely abolished and their properties were confiscated by the state. The second phase began with the new legal regulation adopted in 1993 by President Yoweri Museveni, who came to power in 1986. Museveni allowed the reestablishment of kingdoms in order to achieve social reconciliation and gain local support; However, these structures are constitutionally prohibited from establishing political parties, supporting candidates in elections, using the public budget or having an army/police force.
