The Baganda

Buganda is located in south-central Uganda and is home the Baganda or Ganda people (Muganda singular). The Baganda people comprise the largest ethnic group in the country (approximately 1/5 the population)and speak Luganda. Uganda is the swahili term for Buganda and was officially used by the British after the Uganda Protectorate was established in 1914. The Kingdom of Buganda is naturally bordered by Lake Victoria to the south, the Nile River to the east, Lake Kyoga to the north, and the Kafu River to the northwest. Kampala, Uganda's capital, is located in Buganda.

This map of Uganda represents Buganda in red.

Historically the Baganda are Bantu speaking people that descended from people arriving between 500 B.C-1000 A.D. In the 1300's kingdoms were formed by these peoples that later became the states of Bunyoro, Buganda, and Ankole. By the 1800's the Bunyoro state was the largest, but the Buganda later grew larger. Between 1900 and 1910, the culture and traditions of the Baganda were intensively researched and documented by the British. The Kabaka, or ruler of the Buganda, was Mwanga in 1884, with some 32 rulers before him starting with Kintu. In 1888 Mwanga was taken from power trying to dispel missionaries (Protestants, Roman Catholics, and followers of Islam were fighting for control of the area). In 1889 Protestants and Catholics put Mwanga back in power. In 1894 Buganda was made into a British Protectorate. In 1914 the region was known as the Uganda Protectorate. In the 1920's and 30's the British systematically reduced the control of Buganda's Rulers. In 1953 Kabaka Mutesa II was forced out of the country. In 1955 Mutesa II returned as the ruler of Buganda despite British control of Uganda. In October 1962, Mutesa II became president of Uganda. In 1966 Milton Obote overthrew Mutesa II and made laws that stipped Buganda's right to self-govern. Obote sent troops led by Idi Amin, and Amin forced Mutesa II to flee to Britain. The stories of Presidents throwing each other from power continues until the current president Yoweri Musevini took control in 1986. As for the Kingson of Buganda, they have been left little more than symbolic power in relation to the national government. Their prized Kasubi Tombs burned to the ground on March 18, 2010 (just weeks ago) by an alleged mad man who thought the tombs were satanic. The four story thatched roof hut and home of the last king before Colonial occupation, enclosed the tombs of deceased Kabakas. Here's a picture of the Tombs before the blaze:

This is a picture during the blaze:

The prevailing rumor before a suspect was identified was that the fire was the cause of the government, as tensions between the Baganda and President Musevini have been high.