UGANDA

This sentiment resembles a motion passed by the
Buganda Kingdom Government to Parliament in 1966,
which called for the Central Government to
physically remove itself from Buganda land. 95
NATIONAL CONFLICTS
8. Lost Counties conflict (1962)
In December 1893, the British Colonel
Colville led a military campaign against
Kabalega, the leader of the Banyoro.
The Banyoro had been acquiring
weapons from the Arabs in order to
fight against the Buganda Kingdom,
which was armed by the British.
Kabalega was gravely defeated,
driven out of his county, and forced
to take refuge in Lango in 1894. 96
At that point, as a reward for their
support to the British campaign
against Kabalega, Colonel Colville
promised the Buganda chiefs that all
Bunyoro territory south of River Kafu
would be incorporated into Buganda.
This promise was later realised when
the counties of Buyaga and Bugangaizi
were assigned to Buganda and became
famously termed as the ‘Lost Counties.’
Bunyoro never accepted this loss. 97 The
British left this conflict unresolved, and at
the London Conference to draft Uganda’s first
Constitution, it was decided that a referendum on
the issue would be held after independence. This was
considered a ‘big trap’, setting up the new nation for future turmoil. 98 The referendum
was held on 4 November 1964 and culminated in the return of Buyaga and Bugangaizi
counties to Bunyoro. 99 Today, these constitute Kibaale District.
95 Research conducted in Mukono District
96 Johannessen, C. (2005) The legal and institutional context of the 2006 elections in Uganda: Kingship
in Buganda. Research Notes. Chr. Michelsen Institute & Makerere University [Internet], Available
from:
[Accessed 13 September 2012]
97 Research conducted in Luwero District
98 Green, E.D. (2008) Understanding the limits to ethnic change: Lesson’s from Uganda’s ‘lost counties’.
Perspectives on Politics, 6 (3) p. 474
99 Research conducted in Kitgum District
71