The history of Obwa Kyabazinga of Busoga is traced from the effects of administrative strategies of the European colonisers of Uganda.

In 1896, a British agent in the name of Berkley, was granted authority from England to add the Kingdoms of Toro, Ankole, Bunyoro and Busoga to the newly acquired British protectorate, which originally consisted of Buganda only according to 1900 Buganda agreement. In 1906, the British protectorate accomplished an administrative amalgamation of the multifarious Kingdoms of pre-colonial Busoga into a single integrated structure.

In the African society, be it based on Kingship, Chieftainship or elders of the family, recognition of authority is inherent in their midst. The British colonialists realized that the traditional rulers and chiefs enjoyed ready obedience from their people.

The colonial administrators exploited this opportunity through the 'Indirect Rule Policy' to create administrative machinery, which formed the foundation for the local governments and legislative councils.

Thus, the evolution of obwa Kyabazinga of Busoga can be divided into two sections, the pre-colonial and the colonial period. The pre-colonial period that came with the arrival of the “Abaisengobi clan,” Basoga of Bunyoro origin and the emergency of the early English explorers such as John Hannington Speke and James Grant who opened the door for the British influence in Uganda.

Arrival of Abaisengobi:

About the turn of the 16th Century, an important event took place, which was to give the Basoga their peculiar cultural configuration. This was the advent of the Baisengobi clan; the light skinned people bear their historical discendancy from Bunyoro.

Prince Mukama Namutukula from the royal family ‘Babiito’ of Bunyoro is said to have left Bunyoro around the 16th Century and as part of Bunyoro’s expansionist policy trecked Eastwards across Lake Kyoga with his wife Nawudo, a handful of servants, arms and a dog and landed at Iyingo located at the northern point of Busoga in the present day Kamuli district.

Prince Mukama loved hunting and his adventures exposed him to the beauties of the new found land. For sometime he engaged himself in black smith, making hoes, iron utensils and spears.

Prince Mukama and wife Naudo bore several children of whom only five boys survived. On his departure back to Bunyoro, Prince Mukama allocated them areas within his influence as overseers.

In this way, the first-born Wakoli was given to oversee the area called Bukooli, Zibondo was to administer Bulamogi, Ngobi was given Kigulu, Tabingwa was to oversee Luuka while the youngest son Kitimbo was to settle in Bugabula,

These loosely allotted areas of supervision to the Prince’s sons were later to become major administrative and centers cultural authority in Busoga.

With time passing without the expected return of their father, the five sons of Prince Mukama regarded themselves as the legitimate rulers over their respective areas by virtue of their family origin (Babiito). They continued to preside over their respective dominions; employing governing methods and cultural rituals like those from Bunyoro Kitara. This state of affairs in Busoga's political and cultural arrangement continued till the late 19th century when the colonialists persuaded the rulers of Busoga into some form of federation. This federation resulted into a regional Busoga council called Busoga Lukiiko.

With an already set foundation for governance in place propelled by the traditional chiefs, the British colonialists found it easy to forge unification of Busoga under one centralized leadership.

Before the coming of the British to Uganda, there was no uniting leadership in Busoga, individual principalities or Masaza as they were known existed autonomously. Each chiefdom was administered by a Saza Chief who had absolute powers and commanded absolute respect and admiration by the subjects. Of course this arrangement could not serve the colonial masters a quick realization of their exploitation and civilisation policies.

Subsequently, in 1894, when Uganda became a British protectorate William Grant, the first District governor was sent to Bukaleba; Chief Luba’s palace to organise Busoga into a centralized government.

In the same year Grant established the Busoga Lukiiko (legislative council) at Bukaleba to help him administer the first form of Obwa Kyabazinga Bwa Busoga. Prince Kisira, the Zibondo of Bulamogi was elected chairman of the first Busoga Council by the 11 hereditary chiefs. He presided over the council until his death in 1898. This was a set back to the new development yet two other catastrophes influenced the future development trend of the infant unitary government.

A year before the death of Prince Kisira, Nubians stationed at Bukaleba had mutinied and killed their colonial boss, Major Thurston. War broke out between the whites and blacks causing heavy loss of lives and other resources that could have been used to quicken development in the area.

This mutiny, in 1898, was followed by the outbreak of sleeping sickness caused by tsetse flies. The once heavy population of 200, 000 settled there by 19th century were reduced in number while the reminants were evacuated for safety of their lives. These factors combined together eventually led to the collapse of the first Busoga Chief’s council.

After the dismissal of Semei Kakungulu as a colonial administrator in Busoga, the colonial administration invented a new administrative system where traditional chiefs were to be elected in rotation for duration of 3 months to chair the Busoga council.

This arrangement of rotation at Bugembe continued until it became unbearable to both the chiefs and subjects. It was felt that it was not only cumbersome to the Chiefs to be travelling to Bugembe from their areas of influence to come to the headquarters to dispense duties, but also made their areas very vulnerable to intrusions and sabotage by other warring chiefdoms. Therefore the British and the Chiefs opted for a permanent overall leader a ‘President’. This was the third stage in the evolution of Obwa Kyabazinga of Busoga.

Meanwhile the white colonial rulers were grooming Chief Yosia Nadiope, the Gabula of Bugabula to become the first permanent resident ruler of the formed Busoga federation. Nadiope had been one of the first Musoga student to study at Kings College Budo in 1906.

However, another catastrophe struck Busoga in 1913, when Nadiope died of malaria. The following year 1914, Chief Ezekeriel Tenywa Wako the Zibondo of Bulamogi was completing his studies at Kings College Budo.

With the support of the British coupled with his background as a Prince, Zibondo of Bulamogi and with a good education background he was a suitable candidate for the top post.

In 1919, the hereditary saza chiefs of Busoga resolved in the Lukiiko to elect Ezekerial Tenywa Wako president of Busoga. Chief Gideon Obodha of Kigulu a contending candidate for the post was not familiar with British system while William Wilberforce Nadiope Kadhumbula of Bugabula was an infant. His regent Mwami Mutekanga was a mukoopi (a commoner) who couldn’t run for the post.

On February 1920, the British Colonial government appointed Ezekiel Tenywa Wako the first permanent resident chief at Bugembe. He was given a salary of 550 pounds, permitted to collect taxes in Butembe county in lieu of the lost role in his traditional chiefdom of Bulamogi. In 1925, Ezekiel Tenywa Wako became a member of Uganda Kings Council consisting of the Kabaka of Buganda, the Omukama of Bunyoro, Omukama of Tooro and Omugabe of Ankole.

In 1939, Chief Ezekiel Tenywa Wako became the first “Isebantu Kyabazinga of Busoga”. The new name was a symbol of unity derived from the expression and recognition by the Basoga that their leader was the “father of all people who brings all of them together”. In 1957, the title Inhebantu as a description of the wife of the Isebantu was introduced. This epitomised the gradual unification of Busoga and the evolution of Obwa Kyabazinga bwa Busoga. Isebantu Ezekiel Tenywa Wako served as Kyabazinga between 1939 and 1949 when he retired due to old age.

In 1949, the Busoga Lukiiko resolved that the Kyabazinga Isebantu shall always be elected from the five Princes' lineages of Abaise Ngobi (Ababiito) hereditary rulers; the five sons of Omukama of Bunyoro who migrated to Busoga from Bunyoro. Basing on this resolution, Chief William Wilberforce Nadiope Kadhumbula, the Gabula of Bugabula was elected Kyabazinga Isebantu of Busoga in 1949.