By the time the British explorers, John Speke and James Grant arrived at Jinja in 1862 to discover the source of River Nile, Busoga region was not under one organized government.

It was general practise among the early settlers of Southern Africa stretching up to the Sudan to form small communally organised chiefdoms under a particular ruler. In Busoga there were several chiefdoms but those that had major influence were eleven. These chiefdoms were those that had been established by the five sons of Prince Mukama (Babiito from Bunyoro) and comprised of Bugabula, Bulamogi, Kigulu, Luuka and Bukono and those that had been formed from the group that had come from the Eastern through Moutain Elgon; Bunhole, Butembe, Busiki, Bugweri, Bunya and Bukooli.

Henry Mortan Stanley:
In 1875, Henry M. Stanley reached Uganda to re-confirm the source of the Nile. Speke and Grant had described Busoga as the “a food basket of Uganda......a peace loving people.” They also recommended that all Europeans who were planning to come to Uganda should enter from the East via Mombasa and through Busoga in Luba's jurisdictions located in Bunya present day Mayuge district.

Stanley, on the request of Buganda's King, Kabaka Mutesa 1, wrote a telegram in 1875 inviting missionaries to come to Uganda.

On receipt of this request buttressed by Speke’s and Grant’s generous, persuading description of Busoga, Bishop J.J Hannington became the first respondent who arrived in Busoga via the East through Mombasa. On arrival in Busoga he landed at Bukaleba in Chief Luba's palace.

Unfortunately, Bishop J.J Hannington was to meet his death a few days thereafter. According to the cultural Ganda beliefs, it was believed that the person who would overthrow the King would come from the East. Therefore, it was a taboo and treasonable for anyone especially a stranger to try and enter the kingdom from the East. This was the grave crime that Bishop Hannington had committed by attempting to pass through Busoga to go to Buganda. Although, Bishop Hannington had made up his mind that he was to stay at Bukaleba, he had to go to Buganda to report of his arrival to the Kabaka of Buganda. It has to be noted that around this period most of Busoga was under the influence of Buganda. In this arrangement, Chief Luba could not afford to keep a stranger without the knowledge of the Kabaka of Buganda.

Before Bishop Hannington could make his way to the Kabaka's palace in Buganda Luba's forewarning had had reached Kabaka Mutesa. On receiving the news, King Mutesa demanded the execution of the so called enemy of the mornachy, the European visitor. Mutesa's cultural beliefs were worsened by the fears that the Europeans’ arrival through Busoga would not only see his overthrow from the throne, but also probably would arm sections of Busoga against Buganda Kingdom. On orders of Kabaka Mutesa, Bishop Hannington was killed in October 1885, at a place called Kyando in Bukaleba in present day Bunya county in Mayuge district.

Although the first missionary in Uganda met his tragic death in Busoga, the interest of Europeans in Busoga was never dented. They loved Busoga so much that they attempted to establish their first mission in Uganda headquarters at Bukaleba in Bunya but to be chased away by the Tsetse flies epidemic that broke out in the whole area.

Due to the already existence of a well organised administration structure in Buganda Kingdom, the early missionaries that came to Uganda preferred keeping a distance away from Buganda until a firm colonisation machinery was in place. Busoga was in all cases the best place, it offered a soft landing to Europeans. It had abundant fertile soil which guaranteed steady food supply, water, and hospitable community; the welcoming people. But their dream of transforming Luba's area into a British mission came to halt with the emergency of sleeping sickness epidemic.