Chwa II Kabalega (18 June 1853 – 6 April 1923), was the ruler or
Omukama {{Unreferenced, date=December 2009
Omukama: often translated as "king of kings", (O)Mukama means in Bantu languages, Bantu (Banyoro-, Batoro- and other languages) something like "superior milkman/milkbringer". The title "Omukama" is used in the regi ...
of
Bunyoro
Bunyoro or Bunyoro-Kitara is a Bantu kingdom in Western Uganda. It was one of the most powerful kingdoms in Central and East Africa from the 13th century to the 19th century. It is ruled by the King (''Omukama'') of Bunyoro-Kitara. The current ...
in
Uganda
}), is a landlocked country in East Africa
East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territor ...
from 1870 to 1899.
Biography
In 1869,
Kamurasi died, and two of the legitimate royal candidates, Kabalega and Kabigure, could not agree on who should be his successor. This led to a devastating
war of succession in the
Empire of Kitara. Normally, such wars to determine a legitimate successor were supposed to be brief and decisive until only one claimant to the throne was left alive, but sometimes these conflicts dragged on for years, destabilised all of society and led to famines, massacres and refugee crises. In this case, the clan leaders and the dead king's brother Prince Nyaika were so tired of Kabalega and Kabigure's constant fighting that they ordered Kabalega, who had the upper hand, to respect Bunroyo's laws of succession and
just-war conventions, and end the war.
When Kabalega was crowned king, he set out to develop his new empire via trade and especially the
Kibiro Saltworks.
He defeated the British and the Ottomans who sought to colonise his empire.
[, '']Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition
The ''Encyclopædia Britannica'' Eleventh Edition (1910–1911) is a 29-volume reference work, an edition of the ''Encyclopædia Britannica''. It was developed during the encyclopaedia's transition from a British to an American publication. So ...
'' On 1 January 1894, the British declared war on Bunyoro. At the height of the British offensive on his empire, Kabalega went into hiding in Acholi under the protection of Chief Awich Abok of Payira. It's from there that he consistently led his rebellion dubbed Nyangire that proved a thorn on the colonial skin.
Legacy
In 1972, President
Idi Amin
Idi Amin Dada Oumee (, ; 16 August 2003) was a Ugandan military officer and politician who served as the third president of Uganda from 1971 to 1979. He ruled as a military dictator and is considered one of the most brutal despots in modern w ...
renamed
Murchison Falls
Murchison Falls, also known as Kabalega Falls, is a waterfall at the apex of Lake Albert on the Victoria Nile in Uganda. At the top of Murchison Falls, the Nile forces its way through a gap in the rocks, only wide, and tumbles , before flowing ...
, located within
Murchison Falls National Park, Kabalega Falls after the Omukama.
On 8 June 2009, Kabalega was declared a national hero of Uganda by President
Museveni.
In 2010, the
Most Honourable Order of Omukama Chwa II Kabalega was founded in honour of Kabalega by the
Omukama {{Unreferenced, date=December 2009
Omukama: often translated as "king of kings", (O)Mukama means in Bantu languages, Bantu (Banyoro-, Batoro- and other languages) something like "superior milkman/milkbringer". The title "Omukama" is used in the regi ...
of
Bunyoro-Kitara
Bunyoro or Bunyoro-Kitara is a Bantu kingdom in Western Uganda. It was one of the most powerful kingdoms in Central and East Africa from the 13th century to the 19th century. It is ruled by the King ('' Omukama'') of Bunyoro-Kitara. The cur ...
About Titles of Ugandan Traditional Rulers, Royalty, Chiefs, Nobility and Chivalry
/ref>
References
Bibliography
*
Further reading
* A. R Dunbar, ''Omukama Chwa II Kabarega'', East African Literature Bureau, 1965.
Ugandan monarchies
1853 births
1923 deaths
{{Uganda-bio-stub