Kabaka is the title of the
kingA monarch is the person who heads a monarchy. This is a form of government in which a state or polity is ruled or controlled by an individual who typically inherits the throne by birth and occasionally rules for life or until abdication...
of the
Kingdom of BugandaBuganda is a subnational kingdom within Uganda. The kingdom of the Ganda people, Buganda is the largest of the traditional kingdoms in present-day Uganda, comprising all of Uganda's Central Region, including the Ugandan capital Kampala, with the exception of the disputed eastern Kayunga District...
. According to the traditions of the
BagandaThe Ganda are an ethnic group native to Buganda, a subnational kingdom within Uganda. Traditionally comprising 52 tribes the Ganda have a rich history and culture...
they are ruled by two kings, one spiritual and the other material.
The spiritual, or supernatural, king is represented by the Royal Drums. These are
regaliaRegalia is Latin plurale tantum for the privileges and the insignia characteristic of a Sovereign.The word stems from the Latin substantivation of the adjective regalis, 'regal', itself from Rex, 'king'...
called
Mujaguzo and, as they always exist, the Buganda at any time will always have a king.
Mujaguzo, like any other king, has his own palace, officials, servants, and palace guards. The material, human prince has to perform special cultural rites on the Royal Drums before he can be declared king of the Kingdom of Buganda. Upon the birth of a royal prince or princess, the Royal Drums are sounded by drummers specially selected from a specified clan as a means of informing the subjects of the kingdom of the birth of new member of the royal family. The same Royal Drums are sounded upon the death of a reigning king to officially announce the death of the material king. According to Buganda culture, a king does not die but gets lost in the forest. Inside the royal tomb, for example the
Kasubi TombsThe Kasubi Tombs in Kampala, Uganda, is the site of the burial grounds for four kabakas , and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.On 16 March 2010, some of the major buildings there were almost completely destroyed by a fire, the cause of which is under investigation...
and the Wamala Tombs, one is shown the entrance of the forest. It is
tabooA taboo is a strong social prohibition relating to any area of human activity or social custom that is sacred and or forbidden based on moral judgment, religious beliefs and or scientific consensus. Breaking the taboo is usually considered objectionable or abhorrent by society...
to look beyond the entrance.
Election of kings
Buganda has no concept equivalent to the
Crown PrinceA crown prince or crown princess is the heir or heiress apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The wife of a crown prince is also titled crown princess....
. All the princes are equally treated prior to the coronation of a new king following the death of a reigning king. However, during the period of a reigning king, a special council has the mandate to study the behavior and characteristics of the young princes. The reigning king, informed by the recommendation of the special council, selects one prince to be his successor. In a secret ceremony, the selected prince is given a special piece of
bark clothTapa cloth is a bark cloth made in the islands of the Pacific Ocean, primarily in Tonga, Samoa and Fiji, but as far afield as Niue, Cook Islands, Futuna, Solomon Islands, Java, New Zealand, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea and Hawaii...
by the head of the special verification council. The name of the "king-to-be" is kept secret by the special council until the death of the reigning king. When all the
princePrince is a general term for a ruler, monarch or member of a monarch's or former monarch's family, and is a hereditary title in the nobility of some European states. The feminine equivalent is a princess...
s and
princessPrincess is the feminine form of prince . Most often, the term has been used for the consort of a prince, or his daughters....
es are called to view the body of the late king lying in state, the selected prince lays the special piece of bark cloth over the body of the late king, revealing himself as the successor to the throne.
By tradition, Baganda children take on the clan of their biological fathers. However, princes take on the clan of their biological mothers on becoming a king (Kabaka) This is to ensure that each of the 56 clans of Baganda gets a chance of producing a future king of Buganda, since a reigning king can marry from any of the 56 clans except that of his biological mother.
The first born prince, by tradition called
Kiweewa, is not allowed to become king. This was carefully planned to protect him against any attempted assassinations in a bid to fight for the crown. Instead he is given special roles to play in the matters of the royal family and kingdom. Thus, the name of the possible successor to the throne remains secret.
Kings of Buganda
The following are the known Kings of Buganda, starting from around 1300 AD.
- Kato Kintu, early fourteenth century
- Chwa I
Chwa I Nabakka was Kabaka of the Kingdom of Buganda. He reigned during the mid 14th century. He was the second Kabaka of Buganda.-Claim to the throne:...
, mid fourteenth century
- Kimera
Kimera Walusimbi was Kabaka of the Kingdom of Buganda between 1374 and 1404. He was the third king of Buganda.-Claim to the throne:Kimera was the only son of Prince Kalemeera, the son of Kabaka Chwa Nabakka. His mother was Lady Wannyana, the supposed chief wife of King Winyi of Bunyoro...
, c.1374-c.1404
- Ttembo
Ttembo Kiridde was Kabaka of the Kingdom of Buganda. He ruled between 1404 and 1434. He was the fourth Kabaka of Buganda.-Claim to the throne:...
, c.1404-c.1434
- Kiggala
Kiggala Sewannaku Mukaabya Kasungubu was Kabaka of the Kingdom of Buganda. He reigned from 1434 until 1464 and from 1484 until 1494. He was the fifth Kabaka of Buganda.-Claim to the throne:...
, c.1434-c.1464 and c.1484-c.1494
- Kiyimba
Ntege Kiyimba was Kabaka of the Kingdom of Buganda. He reigned between 1464 and 1484. He was the sixth Kabaka of Buganda.-Claim to the throne:...
, c.1464-c.1484
- Kayima
Kayima Sendikaddiwa was Kabaka of the Kingdom of Buganda, between 1494 and 1524. He was the seventh Kabaka of Buganda.-Claim to the throne:...
, c.1494-c.1524
- Nakibinge
Nakibinge Kagali was Kabaka of the Kingdom of Buganda, between 1524 to 1554 AD. He was the eighth Kabaka of Buganda.-Claim to the throne:...
, c.1524-c.1554 (Followed by a period of InterregnumAn interregnum is a period of discontinuity or "gap" in a government, organization, or social order...
, c.1554-c.1555)
- Mulondo
Mulondo Sekajja was Kabaka of the Kingdom of Buganda between 1555 and 1564. He was the ninth Kabaka of Buganda.-Claim to the throne:He was the eldest surviving son of Kabaka Nakibinge Kagali, Kabaka of Buganda, who reigned between 1524 and 1554. His mother was Nabakyaala Namulondo, the fourth ...
, c.1555-1564
- Jemba
Jemba Busungwe was Kabaka of the Kingdom of Buganda between 1564 and 1584. He was the 10th Kabaka of Buganda.-Claim to the throne:...
, c.1564-c.1584
- Suuna I
Suuna I Kisolo, also spelled as Ssuuna I Kisolo, was Kabaka of the Kingdom of Buganda, reigning from about 1584 until his death around 1614. He was the eleventh Kabaka of Buganda.-Claim to the throne:...
, c.1584-c.1614
- Sekamaanya
Sekamaanya Kisolo, also spelled as Ssekamaanya Kisolo, was Kabaka of the Kingdom of Buganda between 1614 and 1634. He was the twelfth Kabaka of Buganda.-Claim to the throne:...
, c.1614-c.1634
- Kimbugwe
Kimbugwe Kamegere was Kabaka of the Kingdom of Buganda between 1634 and 1644. He was the thirteenth Kabaka of Buganda.-Claim to the throne:...
, c.1634-c.1644
- Kateregga
Kateregga Kamegere was Kabaka of the Kingdom of Buganda between 1644 and 1674. He was the fourteenth Kabaka of Buganda.-Claim to the throne:...
, c.1644-c.1674
- Mutebi I
Mutebi I was Kabaka of the Kingdom of Buganda between 1674 and 1680. He was the fifteenth Kabaka of Buganda.-Claim to the throne:He was the son of Kabaka Kateregga Kamegere, Kabaka of Buganda, who reigned between 1644 and 1674. His mother was Namutebi of the Mamba clan, the eighth wife of his...
, c.1674-c.1680
- Juuko
Juuko Mulwaana was Kabaka of the Kingdom of Buganda, between 1680 and 1690. He was the sixteenth Kabaka of Buganda.-Claim to the throne:...
, c.1680-c.1690
- Kayemba
Kayemba Kisiki was Kabaka of the Kingdom of Buganda between 1690 and 1704. He was the seventeenth Kabaka of Buganda.-Claim to the throne:...
, c.1690-c.1704
- Tebandeke
Tebandeke Mujambula, sometimes spelled as Ttebandeke Mujambula, was Kabaka of the Kingdom of Buganda between 1704 and 1724. He was the eighteenth Kabaka of Buganda.-Claim to the throne:...
, c.1704-c.1724
- Ndawula
Ndawula Nsobya was Kabaka of the Kingdom of Buganda between 1724 and 1734. He was the nineteenth Kabaka of Buganda.-Claim to the throne:...
, c.1724-c.1734
- Kagulu
Kagulu Ntambi Tebukywereke was Kabaka of the Kingdom of Buganda, between 1734 and 1736. He was the twentieth Kabaka of Buganda.-Claim to the throne:...
, c.1734-c.1736
- Kikulwe
Kikulwe Mawuba was Kabaka of the Kingdom of Buganda between 1736 and 1738. He was the twenty first Kabaka of Buganda.-Claim to the throne:...
, c.1736-c.1738
- Mawanda
Mawanda Sebanakitta was Kabaka of the Kingdom of Buganda, between 1738 and 1740. He was the twenty second Kabaka of Buganda.-Claim to the throne:...
. c.1738-c.1740
- Mwanga I
Mwanga I Sebanakitta was Kabaka of the Kingdom of Buganda from 1740 until 1741. He was the twenty third Kabaka of Buganda.-Claim to the throne:...
, c.1740-c.1741
- Namuggala
Namuggala Kagali was Kabaka of the Kingdom of Buganda, between 1741 and 1750. He was the twenty-forth Kabaka of Buganda.-Claim to the throne:...
, c.1741-c.1750
- Kyabaggu
Kyabaggu Kabinuli was Kabaka of the Kingdom of Buganda from 1750 until 1780. He was the twenty-fifth Kabaka of Buganda.-Claim to the throne:...
, c.1750-c.1780
- Jjunju
Junju Sendegeya was Kabaka of the Kingdom of Buganda from 1780 until 1797. He was the twenty-sixth Kabaka of Buganda.-Claim to the throne:...
, c.1780-c.1797
- Semakookiro
Semakookiro, also spelled as Ssemakookiro, whose full name is Semakookiro Wasajja Nabbunga was Kabaka of the Kingdom of Buganda, from 1797 until 1814. He was the twenty-seventh Kabaka of Buganda.-Claim to the throne:...
, c.1797-c.1814
- Kamaanya
Kamaanya Kadduwamala was Kabaka of the Kingdom of Buganda from 1814 until 1832. He was the twenty-eighth Kabaka of Buganda.-Claim to the throne:...
, 1814 - 1832
- Suuna II, 1832 - 1856
- Muteesa I
Muteesa I Mukaabya Walugembe Kayiira was Kabaka of the Kingdom of Buganda, from 1856 until 1884. He was the thirtieth Kabaka of Buganda.-Claim to the throne:...
, 1856 - 1884
- Mwanga II
Danieri Basammula-Ekkere Mwanga II Mukasa was Kabaka from 1884 until 1888 and from 1889 until 1897. He was the thirty-first Kabaka of Buganda.-Claim to the throne:...
, 1884 - 1888 and 1889 - 1897
- Kiweewa
Mutebi Nnyonyintono Kiweewa was Kabaka of the Kingdom of Buganda from August 2, 1888 until October 21, 1888. He was the thirty-second Kabaka of Buganda.-Claim to the throne:...
, 1888 - 1888
- Kalema
Rashid Kalema Muguluma was Kabaka of the Kingdom of Buganda, from October 21, 1888 until October 5, 1889. He was the thirty-third Kabaka of Buganda.-Claim to the throne:...
, 1888 - 1889
- Daudi Chwa II, 1897 - 1939
- Muteesa II
Major General Sir Edward Frederick William David Walugembe Mutebi Luwangula Mutesa II KBE , was Kabaka of the Kingdom of Buganda from November 22, 1939 until his death. He was the thirty-fifth Kabaka of Buganda and the first President of Uganda...
, 1939 - 1969 (Followed by a period of InterregnumAn interregnum is a period of discontinuity or "gap" in a government, organization, or social order...
1969 - 1993)
- Muwenda Mutebi II, 1993 - present.
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