The Baganda (endonym: (A)Baganda; singular (O)Muganda; in Luganda or plural Waganda in Kiswahili or Ganda in old English texts) are a Bantu ethnic group that share a common culture, history and language and clans, and are primarily native to Buganda, a subnational kingdom within Uganda. Traditionally composed of 52 clans (although since a 1993 survey, only 46 are officially recognised), the Baganda are the largest people of the Bantu ethnic group in Uganda, comprising 15.3 percent of the population at the time of the 2024 census.
A single individual is called a Muganda, whereas several people are called Baganda. The word Abaganda refers to "the Baganda people" and Omuganda refers to "the Muganda person".
Sometimes described as "the King's Men" because of the importance of the king, or Kabaka, in their society, the Baganda number an estimated 16.3 million people in Uganda. In addition, there is a significant diaspora abroad, with organised communities in Canada, South Africa, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Traditionally, they speak Luganda but each Muganda must belong to a clan.
Etymology The term Ganda means brotherhood and unity and comes from the noun "obuganda", which means bundles of sticks piled, wrapped, or tied together. it ultimately comes from the Proto Bantu word, "ngàndá" (family).
Clan structure The Baganda are organized in clans ( (plural); (singular)). The clan is a unit of social organization and in the past, was also a unit of political organization. Every Muganda must belong to a clan. This is usually his or her father's clan and so a "naturalized" Muganda person must pick a clan to belong to, and therefore a surname or last name belonging to that clan. Each clan will have a list of at least 20 boys' surnames and 20 girls' surnames for one to pick from. Therefore, one's surname (last name) will give a clue to which clan they belong as well as their biological gender. The exceptions to this are a woman's married name (which she inherits from her husband) as well as unique names given to twins,(Nakato and Babirye for the girls, Waswa and Kato for the boys) and their immediate siblings or Royals (the first-born son is called Kiweewa and the first-born daughter is called Nassolo), and gods' () names.
All members of a clan are believed to have a common ancestors. This means that they are siblings and so it's taboo for them to marry each other (clan exogamy). This was held up in a court of law in the case of Bruno L. Kiwawu v. Ivan Serunkuma and Juliet Namazzi in May 2007. A few exceptions exist, especially among the members of the large Mmamba clan. On occasion, these have been known to intermarry.
Another taboo is that the members of a clan cannot eat or harm their totem animal, plant or thing. So a member of the (lungfish) clan is forbidden from consuming a lungfish. However, members of other clans do eat lungfish.
The Baganda are organized around roughly 50 clans with the Kabaka (Ssaabataka) being the head of the clan heads (). Each clan has a hierarchical structure. The top (or roof) of this clan hierarchy is called . So the Baganda are organized around the roughly 50 roofs ( (plural); (singular)). The person who heads the clan is called Ow'akasolya. Below each roof (or Kasolya) are several units called amasiga, headed by Ow'essiga. Essiga is singular form of Amasiga. Under each ssiga are several units called (singular ), headed by Ow'olunyiriri. Below the lunyiriri are several units called emituba, headed by Ow'omutuba. Omutuba is singular form of Emituba. Below each mutuba are several units called enzigya, headed by Ow'oluggya. Oluggya is singular form of Enzigya. The Luggya is the level of the paternal grandfather (of the family). Below the luggya are several units called (houses), headed by . The House is essentially the nuclear family and is headed by a father or, if he is dead, by his male heir. The heir is a cultural head not economic head and so for instance, in a household headed by a single mother or a widow, the family property is not owned by the cultural heir. Among the Baganda, an heiress is a biological female who inherits the cultural position of a deceased woman (i.e sister or mother). In ancient times, this heiress, if she were single, could become the widower's wife as it was assumed that she would love her deceased sister's children as if they were her own.
Culture and society The adjective Kiganda is usually used in reference to the Baganda culture.
Names The surnames of the Baganda are unique and with a few exceptions depend on one's clan.
Okwalula abaana (naming and confirming children in a clan) In the old days, the Baganda held a ceremony called okwalula abaana at which a child was named and confirmed as a member of the clan. A piece of the child's umbilical cord (that had been saved at the child's birth) was used to confirm belonged to the father or was a result of adultery. Modern ways of doing paternity tests have rendered the old ways obsolete although some parents still keep pieces of the child's umbilical cord. However, taking DNA paternity tests without cause has also become very controversial.
Naming of twins The names and titles of people related to twins are unique. The father of twins is called ; a mother of twins is . The surname of the older twin is if the twin is a boy and if the older twin is a girl. The surname of the younger twin is for a girl and for a boy. Kigongo is the surname given to the boy who was born before the twins and Kizza the surname of the child born right after the twins. Ssaabalongo is another title given to the Kabaka.
The naming and confirmation of twins is more elaborate and involves a lot of drinking, eating, using obscene words, some promiscuity and dancing. This ceremony is called okuzina abalongo. Some of the people who attend these ceremonies may have to go through a cleansing ceremony called okukansira especially if they ended up committing adultery. These customs and rites are not very common these days because Baganda parents who belong to the Abrahamic religions generally consider them evil as they generally involve invoking the old Baganda gods (the Lubaales).
Surnames inspired by Kiganda mythology Some surnames given to boys and girls were inspired by mythology or by traditional gods () or events.
Selected boys' names: Ddungu Kibuuka Mukasa Musisi Musoke Wamala
Selected girls' names: Nnagaddya (or Nagaddya) Nnagajja (or Nagajja) Nnakayaga (or Nakayaga) Nnakimu (or Nakimu) Nnamirembe (or Namirembe) Nnamukasa (or Namukasa) Nnamusoke (or Namusoke) Nnamusisi (or Namusisi)
Ekitiibwa , which translates as honour, glory, prestige, dignity, respect, reverence, or pomp, is the greatest ideal and the most sought-after attribute of the Baganda. It has an importance comparable to that of "face" found in societies such as China and Japan. In contrast to comparable notions in highly stratified societies like the Kingdom of Rwanda, however, ekitiibwa was not conferred by birth. It was a right to respect for which all people openly competed. Baganda could commit suicide from shame if discovered in theft or cowardice. A brave man was expected to go to execution with silent composure as it was believed that "everyone should endure pain with stoicism".
Grudges were rarely forgotten, a Ganda proverb says "He who makes you shed tears, you make him shed blood."
The Kabaka (King) was Fount of honour (the ultimate source of honour and authority). The Kabaka was able to bestow administrative and military positions to individuals based on his discretion. He conferred them in return for loyalty and service so that Buganda's politics centred on competition for office and its associated ekitiibwa, a competition open in principle to any man of talent and courage.
Women In Kiganda society, women married at a later age than most other African societies, rarely marrying before the age of 20. Both bridewealth and virginity were necessary to a fully honourable marriage. A married woman's status depended on her ancestry and the rank of her husband. Women gained respect by their control of the household economy and by their fertility; loss of a baby was a woman's most common reason for suicide.
Appearance John Roscoe noted that the Baganda varied in their heights, with some being just a little over 5 feet tall and others being over six feet tall (the warrior Tebukoza Kyambalango was 6'6" tall). The anthropologist Lucy Mair further describes the appearance of the Baganda:
Men rarely kept facial hair–they plucked it out or shaved it off. Women were careful to keep their armpit hair shaved, unless their husbands were at war or on a journey, (custom forbade married women from shaving until the husband returned).
John Roscoe noted that "The Baganda are the only Bantu tribe in Eastern Equatorial Africa who do not mutilate their persons; they neither extract their teeth nor pierce their ear lobes, nor practise the rite of circumcision; in fact, they are most careful to avoid scarifications of any kind." The Baganda did indeed abhor and forbade any mutilation of the body, and regarded circumcision as a violation of their traditional customs.
When Speke prepared for his first audience with King Mutesa of Baganda, he put on his finest clothes, but admitted that he "cut a poor figure in comparison with the dressy Baganda [who] wore neat bark cloaks resembling the best yellow corduroy cloth, crimp and well set, as if stiffened with starch". The Baganda were careful (even described as prudish) about the covering of the body, people covered their body head to toe and nudity was seen as disgusting and shameful. Bark cloth (olubugo) was the most common form of attire used throughout Buganda. It was made from at least 20 tree species, with the best quality cloth being from the Mutuba tree, which was extensively cultivated in Buganda and considered the most valuable tree after the Matoke. Different species of trees yielded different colors and textures, from yellow to sandy brown to dark red-brown. The finest quality was the rusty brown cloth (called Kimote). A specific species of tree that yielded a white cloth was reserved for the Kabaka (king). Barkcloth also had other uses such as bedding and wrapping of goods
Clothing
The traditional dress of the Baganda women is the Gomesi and the Kanzu for the Baganda men.
The traditional fabric used by the Baganda is barkcloth (), which is made from the bark of the Mutuba tree.
Religion According to the 2002 Census of Uganda, 42.7% of Baganda are Roman Catholic, 27.4% are Anglican (Church of Uganda), 23% are Muslim, and 4.3% are Pentecostal. As shown by the official statistics, the bulk of the Baganda in Uganda belong to the new Abrahamic religions and a few to the old traditional Kiganda religion. In practice, some Baganda officially belong to one of the Abrahamic religions but also secretly follow the old traditional Kiganda religion.
Creation myth The Baganda creation myth says that the first man on earth (and Buganda in particular) was Kintu. Kintu married Nnambi, the daughter of the god Ggulu. The Baganda are the descendants of Kintu and Nnambi. According to this myth, Walumbe, Nnambi's jealous brother is responsible for all human disease, sickness () and death on earth. Another brother, Kayikuuzi, tried to protect humans from Walumbe but failed. To this day, Kayikuuzi still tries to capture Walumbe from the underground where he hides and take him back home. Based on this creation myth, the Baganda are called (Nnambi's children).
Marriage rites and customs Traditional Kiganda marriage involves several rites and customs that must be performed for a marriage to occur.