Effects of the 1900 Buganda Agreement

• Buganda lost her independence as it became a province within the protectorate.
• The Kabaka’s powers were greatly reduced by the agreement for example; his political powers were reduced to a constitutional monarch.
• He lost power over distribution in Buganda.
• He lost control of his chiefs who became public servants paid by the government.
• The Kabaka was also reduced to an employee of the British earning a monthly salary.
• He also lost his military power since he could no longer raise an army of his own without the consent of the British.
• He lost his judicial powers since he was no longer the final court of appeal; he could no longer pass a death sentence.
• He lost control over revenue (finances) since all revenue collected went to the protectorate government.
• He also lost control over foreigners in Buganda since he could not preside over cases involving foreigners.
• The Kabaka was also given a meaningless title; “His Highness).
• Buganda lost a large chunk of land (Crown land) to the British.
• The Kabaka was no longer to rule arbitrarily but was to be assisted by three (3) ministers who included the Katikiro (Prime Minister), Mulamuzi (Chief justice) and Muwanika (Treasurer).
• The traditional chiefs and clan heads lost their powers for example their traditional functions and privileges.
• It empowered Christian and Muslim chiefs who collaborated with the British.
• It laid the foundation for the signing of similar agreements in other areas for example the Toro agreement of 1900, Ankole agreement of 1901, Bunyoro agreement of 1903 e.t.c.
• It encouraged the growing of cash crops like coffee, cotton and tea in Buganda.
• It gave Buganda a special position in Uganda since it became ‘a statee within a state”
• This special position laid a foundation for Buganda’s secessionist tendencies especially in 1960’s.
• It also made Buganda to be hated by people from other regions or provinces.
• It confirmed and formalized British rule over Buganda and Uganda as a whole.
• It made Buganda part of Uganda and placed her on the same footing with other provinces.
• It led to the introduction of poll tax and hut tax in Buganda.
• This led to congestion in small huts due to fear of paying taxes which resulted into the spread of diseases.
• Taxes also led to the migration of people to areas where colonial rule was not yet effective.
• The taxation system also became an incentive to hard work in Buganda.
• The agreement confirmed the lost counties of Buyaga and Bugangayizi as Buganda’s, which increased Bunyoro’s hostility to Buganda.
• The giving of land to the Kabaka’s chiefs created a class of land lords.
• It also led the emergence of the Bataka Federation against unfair land allocation.
• It created the problem of land aristocracy in Buganda leading to the emergency of a new class of squatters / tenants/ Landless people.
• It ended the religious wars that had destabilized Buganda.
• It redefined the boundaries of Buganda to twenty (20) counties including Buyaga and Bugangayizi.
• It led to the foundation of the abolition of Kingdoms in Buganda.

QUESTIONS

What were the effects of the 1900 Buganda agreement?