Draft:Uganda in World War II

The Protectorate of Uganda was a British colonial territory in East Africa during the period of the Second World War (1939–1945), and was therefore automatically involved in a declared war on Germany (September 1939) led by Adolf Hitler. The British colonial forces recruited around 77,000 Ugandan soldiers during the war^[1]. Uganda played a supportive but strategically significant role in the Allied war effort. The colony contributed manpower, agricultural resources, raw materials mainly supplied to the British Empire such as cotton, coffee, tea, and copper, and logistical support to the Allied forces, while also serving as a key regional hub for military operations in East Africa and the Middle East. Civilian farmers were mobilized to expand the production of cash crops, while local leaders organized war saving drives and community donations to support the Allies.^[1]

During the conflict, thousands of Ugandan soldiers enlisted in the King's African Rifles, participating in campaigns across East Africa, Madagascar and Burma. Ugandan troops were trained at bases in Jinja and Bombo, and later fought alongside other East African soldiers against Italian forces in Ethiopia and Japanese troops in Burma.^[1] Their service was critical to Allied campaigns in these regions, particularly during the East African campaign (World War II) and the Burma campaign^[1]. Moreover, religious and ethnical rivalries caused by colonization gave way to the birth of parties such as the DP (Catholic party), the UPC (anti-Protestant Baganda) and the KY (viming the predominance of the Buganda)[1].The war also brought major changes to Uganda’s economy and society, accelerating urbanization and introducing new forms of political awareness among local populations. These transformations would later contribute to the rise of nationalist movements leading toward Uganda’s independence in 1962.

At the end of World War II, many Ugandan soldiers expected recognition and new opportunities for their wartime service, while British officials grew uneasy about the empire’s reliance on Africans as allies rather than mere subjects. This shift contributed to emerging political tensions in postwar Uganda, especially in Buganda.^[1]

Historical context before the War

Pre-colonial Uganda

Before colonization, the societies in the area that would become Uganda displayed significant political diversity. North of the Nile, communities were mainly organized through clan structures, while the south and southwest developed centralized kingdoms. The most influential of these states was Bunyoro-Kitara, founded in the late 15th century, which dominated much of the region for several centuries. Around it, smaller kingdoms such as Buganda gradually emerged. By the late 18th century, Bunyoro-Kitara’s expansion weakened its authority, paving the way for the rise of the Buganda Kingdom, whose cohesion and assertive leadership enabled further territorial growth.^[2] During the period of Buganda’s rise, the first Swahili-speaking traders from the East African coast reached the region in the 1840s, primarily to trade in ivory and enslaved people.

First Contact with Europeans

Around 1856, Kabaka Mutesa I ascended to the throne and, in 1862, permitted the British explorer John Hanning Speke to enter his territory, marking the first recorded encounter between a European and the Buganda Kingdom.^[2] In 1875, explorer Henry Morton Stanley met Kabaka Mutesa I. While Buganda itself was untouched, northern regions suffered raids by Egyptian and Sudanese slavers. Seeking allies, Mutesa invited Christian missionaries. The Church Missionary Society arrived in 1877, followed by the White Fathers in 1879, whose influence spread quickly among the kingdom’s chiefs.^[3]

His successor, Mwanga II of Buganda, who became kabaka in 1884, failed to limit their influence and was deposed in 1888.^[2] Restored to the throne with Christian support, Mwanga II soon faced European imperial ambitions. In 1889, he signed a protection treaty with German adventurer Carl Peters, but it was annulled after the 1890 Anglo-German Agreement, which placed the region within the British sphere of influence. That same year, Captain F. D. Lugard, representing the Imperial British East Africa Company, signed a new treaty bringing Buganda under British protection and extended similar agreements to Ankole and Tooro. When the company lacked funds, the British government established the Protectorate of Buganda in 1894.^[3]

Protectorate of Uganda

Britain inherited a land divided by political and religious factions and threatened by Kabalega of Bunyoro. By 1896, the protectorate encompassed Bunyoro, Toro, Ankole, and Busoga. In 1897, Mwanga attempted to resist British authority but was ultimately deposed, leading to his young son’s installation as ruler under British supervision.^[2] The same year, a mutiny by Sudanese troops employed by the colonial administration prompted Britain to take firmer control of the Uganda Protectorate. In 1899, Sir Harry Johnston was dispatched to assess the situation and propose an administrative framework. His mission resulted in the Buganda Agreement of 1900, which defined relations between the British Crown and the Buganda Kingdom for over fifty years. The kabaka was recognized as ruler of Buganda on the condition of loyalty to the colonial authority, and the lukiko gained official status. The leading chiefs benefited most, acquiring both greater power and freehold land to secure their allegiance. Similar treaties were later concluded with the rulers of Toro (1900) and Ankole (1901).^[2]

In the early 20th century, James Hayes Sadler, serving as commissioner, considered Uganda unsuitable for large-scale European settlement. His successor, Sir Hesketh Bell, promoted a different vision. Developing the country through its African population rather than foreign settlers. This approach faced resistance, especially from Chief Justice William Morris Carter, who led a land commission advocating for European plantation farming. Bell instead encouraged Ugandan farmers to grow cotton, introduced in 1904, which became the backbone of the protectorate’s economy. The resulting prosperity allowed Uganda to achieve financial independence from British subsidies by 1914.^[2]

World War 1 and Interwar Period

During the Great War , minor clashes occurred along Uganda’s southwestern border, but the protectorate itself was never threatened. After the war, colonial authorities promoted agricultural diversification, including cotton and coffee, while the Great Depression and the ban on freehold land limited European projects. Growing production required expanding transport infrastructure, with railways connecting Jinja to Namasagali, Mombasa to Soroti, and Kampala to the coast by 1931. Despite the early 1930s economic downturn, Uganda recovered faster than its neighbors and experienced steady growth by the end of the decade.^[2]

Before the outbreak of the Second World War, Uganda was a British protectorate whose economy was heavily shaped by colonial agricultural policies.The British administration encouraged the production of cash crops such as cotton, coffee and tea, mainly for export to Britain and allies.^[4], this export-oriented system relied on the labor of African farmers under tight colonial supervision and taxation. At the same time, the British strengthened the King's African Rifles.

Memory of the War

World War Memorial Monument, Kampala – Uganda

After the end of the World War II, Ugandan memory remained discreet for a long time due to English protectorate (1894-1962). The Ugandan veterans of the King’s African Rifles were largely forgotten in the official commemorations of the United Kingdom, despite their significant participation in the East African campaigns.

However, there are memorials such as World War Memorial Monument located at Kampala in Uganda. ^[5]

Every 11th November , the Remembrance Day takes place where Ugandans gather to commemorate their soldats killed during the war and celebrate the armistice.

Military Role

Thousands of Baganda men were recruited into the King’s African Rifles, serving in campaigns in Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Somaliland during the East African campaign(1940–1941). They helped expel Italian forces from East Africa and guard British supply routes.

Economic Support

Buganda’s economy was redirected toward the war. Cotton, coffee, and food crops were requisitioned to sustain Allied troops. Kampala and Entebbe served as major logistics bases for British operations in Africa.

Social and Political Impact

The war accelerated social change: education expanded, urbanisation increased, and returning veterans brought new political ideas. The Kabaka, Mutesa II, cooperated with British authorities but also began asserting Buganda’s growing autonomy.^[6] Due to an inflation of the price of Cotton, as well as gloomy living conditions^[7] that led to protests from the population inspired by a general strike in 1945 in Nigeria, follwed as well as riots against the British Empire years later. This therefore marked the beginning of the use of « collective action », implicitly giving rise to a form of democracy that will later lead the country to claim its independence in 1962.

 Sources:

https://www.vanguardngr.com/2012/08/colonialists-wrong-steps-caused-1945-general-strike/

References

1. Summers, Carol (2015). "Ugandan Politics in World War II". In Byfield, Judith A.; Brown, Carolyn A.; Parsons, Timothy; Sikainga, Ahmad Alawad (eds.). Africa and World War II. Cambridge University Press. pp. 480–498. doi:10.1017/CBO9781107282018. ISBN 9781107282018.
2. Ingham, Kenneth; Lyons, Maryinez (2024). "History of Uganda". Encyclopaedia Britannica. Britannica.
3. "Background Note: Uganda". Bureau of African Affairs, United States Department of State. November 2008.
4. https://www.jstor.org/stable/i228918
5. samuel (2024-10-23). "World War Memorial Monument, Kampala | Tourist Attraction Info & Uganda Safari Tours 2024". Retrieved 2025-10-14.
6. NANTABA, Agnes (January,22, 2019). "" Buganda wants autonomy and self-determination "". The independent. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
7. vanguard (2012-08-12). "Colonialists' wrong steps caused 1945 general strike". Vanguard News. Retrieved 2025-10-16.