The Bataka land question: the contestations between regents and the Bataka in Buganda, 1900 – 1928

Abstract

The study explored the Butaka land disputes between the Bataka and the Regents of Buganda up to 1928. It revealed that the Regents sought authority and land ownership, leading to the signing of the 1900 Buganda Agreement. This agreement shifted power from the Bataka to the Regents, resulting in the loss of Butaka land and a transition from customary to freehold land tenure. The study also highlighted the impact of the colonial judicial system on individual land ownership. In conclusion, further research is recommended on the Lost Butaka across Buganda’s clans from colonial times to the present. Through archival methods, data was collected from the Uganda National Archive, Makerere University Africana Archive and Makerere Institute of Social Research analysed for information on the land tenure systems and the legally binding documents of the “Bataka Land Question Court Proceedings “which were pushed by the Bataka from 1922 to 1926 right from the Kabaka to the Secretary of State for Colonies as evidenced from the agreements and testimonies of the case. In addition to the archives, Key Informant interviews were used to solidify the information about the “fraudulence of the Regents of Buganda”, “the fall of the Bataka” and “the shift in the judicial mechanism of land distribution and allocation”. In conclusion, the thesis highlights the Regents’ dominance in Buganda, the shift in land tenure, and the resulting change in power dynamics from the Bataka to the Batongole chiefs, significantly impacting Buganda’s history Finally, the study recommends further research on the Lost Butaka of the different clans in Buganda from colonial times up to date.