The lost counties referendum of November 1964 was a local referendum held to decide whether the "lost counties" of Buyaga and Bugangaizi in Uganda (modern day Kibaale District) should continue to be part of the Kingdom of Buganda, be transferred back to the Kingdom of Bunyoro, or be established as a separate district. The electorate, consisting of the residents of the two counties at the time of independence, voted overwhelmingly to be returned to Bunyoro.
In 1893–1894, British colonel Henry Colvile invaded the Kingdom of Bunyoro in an effort to secure and expand the nascent Uganda Protectorate, which initially included solely the Kingdom of Buganda. Colvile promised all lands south of the River Kafu to Buganda in return for their support, and following the conflict the relevant counties were duly transferred as promised, [1] [2] with the transfer recognised in the Buganda Agreement (1900). Despite deliberate attempts by the Bugandan government to integrate the resident Banyoro, [1] the return of the 'lost counties' was the subject of repeated appeals from the Bunyoro government to the British government. [2]
The potential for conflict between the two Kingdoms was therefore still a considerable cause for concern in the run up to independence amid considerable violence. [1] [3] In 1961 the Uganda Relationships Commission, under the leadership of the Earl of Munster, was tasked with looking into the issue. It proposed that a referendum should be held in three of the disputed counties: [4] Buyaga and Bugangaizi (the two counties which retained the strongest cultural and ethnic ties to Bunyoro) and a third county of Bunyoro's choice. [5] This would "put [Bunyoro's] claims to the test in a county where the figures appear to be against her so that Bunyoro would have no grievance in future based upon unqualified success in a strictly limited referendum". [5] In the talks leading up to Ugandan Constitutional Conference of September and October 1961, neither Bunyoro nor Buganda looked favourably on such a proposition: Bunyoro favoured a referendum in all the lost counties and Buganda a referendum in none. [4] Bunyoro only agreed to participate in the Conference if the 'lost counties' issue was on the agenda; and when the British Colonial Secretary Ian Macleod suggested that the proposed referendum could not proceed given the lack of Bugandan support, and instead proposed the establishment of a further Commission of Privy Councillors, Bunyoro's delegates walked out. [3]
The Bunyoro government was deeply unhappy with the perceived lack of progress. On 15 October the Rukurato (Parliament of Bunyoro) passed a resolution to the effect that from midnight on 18 October they would simply treat the lost counties as though they had reverted to Bunyoro, though this had little practical effect. [3]
The Commission, under the leadership of Lord Molson, arrived in Uganda on 8 January 1962 and reported to the British government in March 1962. [3] Publication of its findings was however delayed until after the Ugandan general election and it was finally published in May. [3] [4] The final report favoured the transfer of two of the lost counties to Bunyoro, in exchange for Bunyoro dropping their claim on the remaining counties; it did not favour holding a referendum for fear of further violence. [4] The report was met with outcry in the Bugandan parliament. [4]
Without any sign of agreement between the Kingdoms of Bunyoro and Buganda, the terms of the final settlement were dictated by the new British Colonial Secretary Reginald Maudling and set out in the conclusions of the Uganda Independence Conference held at Marlborough House in June 1962. [4] [6] As finalised in the resultant Uganda (Independence) Order, a referendum would be held in Buyaga and Bugangaizi counties only. [7] Voters would be asked whether the two counties should continue to be part of Buganda, be transferred back to Bunyoro, or be established as a separate district. [8] The referendum could not take place before 9 October 1964 (i.e. for two years after independence). For those two years, the counties were to administered directly by the central government. [7] At Second Reading of the Uganda Independence Bill, Hugh Fraser set out the British Government's rationale:
Some hon. Members may suggest that, as we were unable to implement the ideal solution put forward by the Molson Report [concerning the lost counties], the date of independence should have been delayed. I must disagree, and disagree most strongly, for here, I think, two matters must be paramount in our minds, first, the desire of the 6½ million people of Uganda to proceed swiftly to independence, and, secondly, looking back at history, the necessity of avoiding a civil war. It was for this reason that the Secretary of State decided that both countries, whilst remaining within the boundaries of Buganda, should have their administration taken over by a third force, the central Government. By doing this, I believe that we shall give the 60,000 people who live there security for the immediate future, and neutralise the threat to peace and good order in Uganda during the first years of independence. A period of impartial administration should create conditions in which a referendum can one day be held.
— Hugh Fraser, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for the Colonial Office, Hansard (16 July 1962), col. 33
The holding of a referendum was confirmed through the introduction of a Bill by the ruling Uganda People's Congress party (UPC) in August 1964. [7] The Referendum (Buyaga and Bugangaizi) Bill set a date of 4 November 1964. [8] [9] It also restricted the franchise to only those citizens living in the counties at the point of independence. This angered the Bugandan government, which had spent 1963 and early 1964 embarking on an expensive resettlement scheme (the Ndaiga Scheme) to bolster the number of Baganda living in Buyaga. [7] [8]
The introduction of the Bill coincided with the formal dissolution of the UPC's alliance with the Kabaka Yekka (KY) party of Bugandan monarchists, [7] and several KY members walked out in protest. [8] The Kabaka himself, Edward Mutesa II, had recently been elected by the Parliament of Uganda as President, and refused to sign the Bill. [7] Alternative arrangements were therefore made for the Prime Minister, Milton Obote, to sign the Bill into law. [8] [9] The arrangements for the referendum were subject to unsuccessful litigation led by the Bugandan government; a final appeal to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in London was still outstanding at the point of the referendum. [8]
For the purposes of the referendum, the two counties were divided into 72 polling stations. [8]
The referendum went ahead on 4 November 1964 as planned. The result went overwhelmingly in favour of returning the two counties to the Kingdom of Bunyoro. [7] [8] In Buyaga, 86% of voters favoured reunion with Bunyoro, [10] as did 60% [11] or 70% [10] of voters in Bugangaizi. The Constitution of Uganda (Third Amendment) Bill was introduced to the Parliament of Uganda to give effect to the result, with the Kabaka again refusing to sign it in January 1965. [7] Again, it had to be signed into law by Obote. The result was subject to further (unsuccessful) litigation. [7]
The loss of the two counties reduced the number of saza (county) chiefs by two, and hence restricted the availability of patronage opportunities in Buganda. It also reduced the tax base by 3–4%. [7] The referendum result was met with considerable violence in Buganda. [8] The administration in Buganda, led by Katikkiro Michael Kintu, lost a vote of no confidence and resigned on 9 November. [7] [8]
Uganda, officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. The country is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the south by Tanzania. The southern part of the country includes a substantial portion of Lake Victoria, shared with Kenya and Tanzania. Uganda is in the African Great Lakes region, lies within the Nile basin, and has a varied but generally modified equatorial climate. As of 2023, it has a population of around 49.6 million, of which 8.5 million live in the capital and largest city of Kampala.
Buganda is a Bantu kingdom within Uganda. The kingdom of the Baganda people, Buganda is the largest of the traditional kingdoms in present-day East Africa, consisting of Buganda's Central Region, including the Ugandan capital Kampala. The 14 million Baganda make up the largest Ugandan region, representing approximately 16% of Uganda's population.
The early history of Uganda comprises the history of Uganda before the territory that is today Uganda was made into a British protectorate at the end of the 19th century. Prior to this, the region was divided between several closely related kingdoms.
The Protectorate of Uganda was a protectorate of the British Empire from 1894 to 1962. In 1893 the Imperial British East Africa Company transferred its administration rights of territory consisting mainly of the Kingdom of Buganda to the British government.
The history of Uganda from 1963 through 1971 comprises the history of Uganda from Ugandan independence from the United Kingdom to the rise of the dictator Idi Amin.
Sir Edward Frederick William David Walugembe Mutebi Luwangula Muteesa II was Kabaka of the Kingdom of Buganda in Uganda from 22 November 1939 until his death. He was the thirty-fifth Kabaka of Buganda and the first president of Uganda from 1962-1966 when he was overthrown by Milton Obote. The foreign press often referred to him as King Freddie, a name rarely used in Uganda. An ardent defender of Buganda's interests, especially its traditional autonomy, he often threatened to make the kingdom independent both before and after Uganda's independence to preserve it. These firm convictions also later led to conflicts with his erstwhile political ally Milton Obote, who would eventually overthrow him.
Kibaale District, is a district in the Western Region of Uganda. The district headquarters are in the town of Kibaale.
The Democratic Party is a moderate conservative political party in Uganda led by Norbert Mao. The DP was led by Paul Ssemogerere for 25 years until his retirement in November 2005. John Ssebaana Kizito replaced Ssemogerere, and led the party until February 2010, when Norbert Mao was elected party president.
Kabaka Yekka, commonly abbreviated as KY, was a monarchist political movement and party in Uganda. Kabaka Yekka means 'king only' in the Ganda language, Kabaka being the title of the King in the kingdom of Buganda.
The Constitution of Uganda is the supreme law of Uganda. The fourth and current constitution was promulgated on 8 October 1995. It sanctions a republican form of government with a powerful President.
The military history of Uganda begins with actions before the conquest of the country by the British Empire. After the British conquered the country, there were various actions, including in 1887, and independence was granted in 1962. After independence, Uganda was plagued with a series of conflicts, most rooted in the problems caused by colonialism. Like many African nations, Uganda endured a series of civil wars and coup d'états. Since the 2000s in particular, the Uganda People's Defence Force has been active in peacekeeping operations for the African Union and the United Nations.
The Buganda Crisis, also called the 1966 Mengo Crisis, the Kabaka Crisis, or the 1966 Crisis, domestically, was a period of political turmoil that occurred in Buganda. It was driven by conflict between Prime Minister Milton Obote and the Kabaka of Buganda, Mutesa II, culminating in a military assault upon the latter's residence that drove him into exile.
The history of Buganda is that of the Buganda kingdom of the Baganda people, the largest of the traditional kingdoms in present-day Uganda.
Signed in March 1900, this agreement formed the basis of British relations with Buganda, the Kabaka (King) was recognised as ruler of Buganda as long he remained faithful to her Majesty, the Lukiko given statutory recognition. This was following another agreement signed in 1894 in which the Kingdom of Buganda, then known as Uganda, was declared a British Protectorate.This agreement is also known as the Buganda Charter of Rights and was upheld for more than 50 years.
The Baganda also called Waganda, are a Bantu ethnic group native to Buganda, a subnational kingdom within Uganda. Traditionally composed of 52 clans, the Baganda are the largest people of the Bantu ethnic group in Uganda, comprising 16.5 percent of the population at the time of the 2014 census.
Uganda became an independent sovereign state on 9 October 1962. As a Commonwealth realm, the British monarch, Elizabeth II, remained head of state as Queen of Uganda until the link with the British monarchy was severed on 9 October 1963 and the Kabaka (King) of Buganda, Sir Edward Mutesa II, became the first President of Uganda.
The Ugandan Constitutional Conference, held at Lancaster House in the autumn of 1961, was organised by the British Government to pave the way of Ugandan independence.
The Kabaka crisis was a political and constitutional crisis in the Uganda Protectorate between 1953 and 1955 wherein the Kabaka Mutesa II pressed for Bugandan secession from the Uganda Protectorate and was subsequently deposed and exiled by the British governor Andrew Cohen. Widespread discontent with this action forced the British government to backtrack, resulting in the restoration of Mutesa as specified in the Buganda Agreement of 1955, which ultimately shaped the nature of Ugandan independence.
Grace Stuart Katebariirwe Ibingira was a Ugandan lawyer and politician.
Michael Kintu was a Ugandan politician who served as Katikkiro of the Kingdom of Buganda from 1955 to 1964.
[Bunyoro] can claim clear majorities of her people in Buyaga and Bugangazzi, the two counties lying nearest to Lake Albert. In the other counties there is now a great majority of Baganda... We therefore recommend that there should be a referendum in the two counties where the strength of Bunyoro's claims is unquestionable, and we are inclined to suggest that it should extend to one more county to be chosen by Bunyoro... [This] would put her claims to the test in a county where the figures appear to be against her so that Bunyoro would have no grievance in future based upon unqualified success in a strictly limited referendum.
