Ssuuna II Kalema Kasinjo Mukaabya Sekkyungwa Muteesa Sewankambo Walugembe Mig'ekyaamye Lukeberwa Kyetutumula Magulunyondo Luwambya Omutanda Sseggwanga was Kabaka of the Kingdom of Buganda from 1832 until 1856. He was the twenty-ninth Kabaka of Buganda.
He was born at Bujuuko Hill around 1820. He was the son of Kabaka Kamaanya Kadduwamala, Kabaka of Buganda, who reigned between 1814 and 1832. His mother was Nakkazi Kannyange, the twenty-third of his father's thirty-eight wives.
He ascended to the throne upon the death of his father in 1832, having executed all his brothers in order to remain as the sole heir.[2]
Kabaka Ssuuna II continued in the tradition started by his grandfather and copied by his father; the practice of marrying an extraordinary number of wives. Ssuuna II outdid all of them. He is reported to have married one hundred forty eight wives.[1]
Issue
As expected, the Kabaka having married 148 wives, he fathered a large number of children. Written accounts put the number as high as two hundred and twenty-one.
Prince (Omulangira) Kajumba
Prince (Omulangira) Kiyimba, whose mother was Lady Zawedde
Princess (Omumbejja) Nassuuna, whose mother was Lady Zawedde
Prince (Omulangira) Mukaabya Walugembe, whose mother was Lady Muganzirwazza
This reference lists the names of all of them, giving the names of their mothers in most cases.[citation needed]
Reign
Kabaka Ssuuna was only twelve 12 years when he ascended to the throne. He was a handsome boy, taking after the looks of his mother, Nakkazi Kannyange, reportedly one of the most beautiful women in Buganda at the time. He began as a popular monarch, loved by his people.
However, as he grew more confident, he became cocky and ruthless. He gave himself a string of names that implied invincibility and super-normal powers. He ordered the execution of fifty eight of his sixty brothers. Only two escaped the carnage:
Prince (Omulangira) Wasajja, whose mother was Nakkazi of the Mamba clan (not Nakkazi Kannyange)
Prince (Omulangira) Mugogo, whose mother was Kyotowadde of the Mamba clan
By the time of his death Kabaka Ssuuna II turned out to be one of the most ruthless of the Buganda kings.[3]
Ssuuna continued the Buganda's trade in ivory and slaves with Zanzibar and for a time allowed foreign traders mainly Zanzibaris and Arabs like Snay bin Amir (in 1852) and Ahmed bin Ibrahim (in 1844), in his kingdom. He eventually banned entry of all foreign traders in Buganda.
Ssuuna increased Buganda's naval fleet and expansion in Lake Nnalubaale.
The wars of conquest against the Kingdom's neighbors continued during his reign which led to an expansion of the territory of the Buganda Kingdom.
During his reign, the neglect of sanitary standards within the capital was decreed an offence punishable by death. Ssuuna put a number of persons to death for breach of his rules, which aroused the ire of a certain medium named Kigemuzi. Kigemuzi began to speak disrespectfully of the King, saying that he did so by order of the gods. On Ssuuna's orders, Kigemuzi was arrested and taken to the capital, contrary to the custom. He protested before the Kabaka, reminding him it was contrary to custom to bind a medicine-man or a medium. The King then ordered Kigemuzi to be removed, and that night the royal house was struck by lightning, and the King was scorched on his face and on one side of his body. Ssuuna at once sent for the medium Kigemuzi, released him, and asked him why there had been this storm. The medium answered: "Because the god of thunder (Kiwanuka) is angry at what you have done to me." The King then presented the man with cattle to make atonement for binding him, and the King's mother settled him on a large tract of land, in order to propitiate the gods, and to save her son from further harm.[4]
Final years
In his final years, Kabaka Ssuuna sent an emissary to the king of Buzongola. On his return, the emissary delivered a less than flattering message from Buzongola. Ssuuna took this as a slight and waged war against the kingdom of Buzongola. The Katikiro, Kayira, the Kabaka's great chiefs and the Queen mother all advised against embarking on a military campaign in a time of famine and small pox. The Kabaka proceeded with the ill advised war.[5]
Despite emerging victorious and driving out the king of Buzongola, the combined effects of war, small pox and famine greatly weakened his armies and most of his men died before reaching Buganda. Kabaka Ssuuna II died of small pox on his way back to Buganda in October 1856. Kayiira brought his remains back to Nabulagala. His remains are currently buried at Wamala.[6]
Quotes
"He was a very cruel man: he was brave in war, he was a hunter of wild animals and very fond of hunting dogs. At times, however, he was kind, so they say, and it is well known that cruel kings at times exercise kindness so that they shall not be hated by their subjects. Such was Ssuuna."
Ham Mukasa, "Some Notes on the Reign of Mutesa", 1934 [5]
"When he was reprimanded by Ahmed bin Ibrahim (the first Arab to visit Ssuuna II's court in 1844) over the wanton killing of his subjects, Ssuuna filed the following defence; 'I have no other secret for keeping my subjects in awe of me and in preventing conspiracies'."
Set on a hilltop with beautiful surroundings, Wamala is the sacred burial place of Kabaka Ssuuna II, who had 148 wives and 218 children. Ssuuna II was the last Kabaka to be buried in his own palace and the last to have his jaw bone removed after death. He was also the first Kabaka to admit outside traders into Buganda. A magical but almost forgotten place, Wamala Tombs is quite unique. It is a thirty-minute drive from Kampala along Kampala-Hoima Road. It is located on a hilltop about 2.5 kilometres (1.6mi) after the right turn, off Hoima Road.[8]
Sir Edward Frederick William David Walugembe Mutebi Luwangula Mutesa II was Kabaka of the Kingdom of Buganda in Uganda from 22 November 1939 until his death. He was the 35th Kabaka of Buganda and the first president of Uganda from 1962 to 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.
Danieri Basammula-Ekkere Mwanga II Mukasa was the 31st Kabaka of Buganda who ruled from 1884 until 1888 and from 1889 until 1897.
Daudi Cwa II was the 34th Kabaka of the Kingdom of Buganda from 1897 until 1939.
Ronald Edward Frederick Kimera Muwenda Mutebi II is King of the Kingdom of Buganda. He is the 36th Kabaka of Buganda.
Kabaka is the title of the king of the Kingdom of Buganda. According to the traditions of the Baganda they are ruled by two kings, one spiritual and the other secular.
Kimera Walusimbi was Kabaka of the Kingdom of Buganda between 1374 and 1404. He was the third king of Buganda.
Rashid Kalema Muguluma was Kabaka of the Kingdom of Buganda, from 21 October 1888 until 5 October 1889. He was the 33rd Kabaka of Buganda.
Jjunju Sendegeya was Kabaka of the Kingdom of Buganda from 1780 until 1797. He was the twenty-sixth (26th) Kabaka of Buganda.
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 5th Kabaka of Buganda.
Kayima Sendikaddiwa was Kabaka (King) of the Kingdom of Buganda, between 1494 and 1524. He was the 7th Kabaka of Buganda.
Mulondo Sekajja was Kabaka of the Kingdom of Buganda between 1555 and 1564. He was the 9th Kabaka of Buganda.
Jemba Busungwe was Kabaka (king) of the Kingdom of Buganda between 1564 and 1584. He was the 10th Kabaka of Buganda. His reign is remembered as being kind and gentle.
Suuna I Kisolo, also spelled as Ssuuna I Kisolo, was Kabaka (King) of the Kingdom of Buganda, reigning from about 1584 until his death around 1614. He was the 11th Kabaka of Buganda. His reign is remembered as kind and gentle.
Kateregga Kamegere was Kabaka of the Kingdom of Buganda between 1644 and 1674. He was the fourteenth (14th) Kabaka of Buganda.
Namuggala Kagali was Kabaka of the Kingdom of Buganda, between 1741 and 1750. He was the twenty-fourth (24th) Kabaka of Buganda. He is remembered as a lovable and merciful ruler.
Kyabaggu Kabinuli was Kabaka of the Kingdom of Buganda from 1750 until 1780. He was the twenty-fifth (25th) Kabaka of Buganda.
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 (27th) Kabaka of Buganda.
Kamaanya Kadduwamala was Kabaka of the Kingdom of Buganda from 1814 until 1832. He was the twenty-eighth (28th) Kabaka of Buganda.
Muteesa I Mukaabya Walugembe Kayiira was the 30th Kabaka of the Kingdom of Buganda, from 1856 until 1884.
Mutebi Nnyonyintono Kiweewa was Kabaka of the Kingdom of Buganda from 2 August 1888 until 21 October 1888. He was the 32nd Kabaka of Buganda.
References
1 2 Kaggwa, Apollo; Kalibala, Ernest B. (1934). The Customs of the Baganda. p.44.
↑ Kiwanuka, MM Semakula, Muteesa of Uganda. Kampala: East African Literature Bureau, 1967
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
