Uganda was ruled by the British from 1894 until its independence on October 9, 1962.
But there is a lot to learn about Uganda, its geography, its people, and its cultures before its colonization by the British Empire.
Uganda before colonialism was a much larger entity than we know it today.
Here are 8 plus historical facts you should know about the country often known as the “The Pearl of Africa“
RELATED: 18 Interesting & Fun Facts About Uganda
1. Juba, South Sudan’s capital city was once part of Uganda.
2. It is a little-known fact that the Northern part of Turkana, up to midway Lake Rudolph also called Lake Turkana, was part of Uganda, it was transferred to Kenya in 1926.
3. The entire Lake Albert and a strip of territory on the other side of the lake were part of Uganda before colonialism. Part of Bunyoro was only transferred to Congo(D.R.C) by the Brussels convention in 1910.
4. Most of Kigezi, Kasese, and all of Lake Edward were in congo, only transferred to Uganda by the Brussels treaty, whose agreement was not signed till 1915.
5. The people east of Kabale – in places like Maziba and Kikagati – were in German East Africa (Tanganyika, present-day Tanzania), only joining Uganda in 1910.
6. Early history of Uganda suggests that the Nilotic-speaking immigrants from present-day Sudan established the Buganda, Bunyoro, and Ankole kingdoms in the 1500s. See here the timeline of Ugandan history – BBC.
7.The West Nile sub-region areas of Arua, Maracha, Madi-Okollo, Terego, Nebbi, Zombo, Pakwach, Adjumani, Moyo, Koboko, Yumbe districts were all part of DRC Congo with headquarters located in Maracha. They were given to Uganda in 1914.
8. In 1902, a big part of Uganda’s territory including Kisumu and Naivasha were transferred to the East African protectorate now, Kenya.
Summary: This is a brief history of Uganda before colonialism. As we can see, the early history of Uganda before colonialism suggests that the country was a much larger entity and had its culture before the British arrived.
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Interesting! Thanks. What about including a small map of these areas next time?
A big part of Kenya from Naivasha up to the present border with Uganda was part of Uganda protectorate up to 1902
Thanks for this history
This is so wonderful to know, but we need to have our territories back!
Very impressive
Westnile In areas of Arua,Maracha,Madi-Okollo,Terego, Nebbi,Zombo,Pakwach, Adjumani,Moyo,koboko, Yumbe were all in Congo with headquarters in maracha later given to Uganda in 1914.