The Christian missionaries were invited by King Mutesa I. Mutesa ruled Buganda from the 1860s up to his death in August 1884.  By the time missionaries came to Uganda and Buganda in particular, Islam was already very influential in the region. But because people feared circumcision, its spread was curtailed and as such Christianityhad an upper hand.

A European explorer in the names of H.M Stanley helped Mutesa to write the invitation letter for the missionaries to come to Uganda.

When Kabaka Mutesa accepted to invite missionaries, he wanted missionaries for the following reasons.

One was that Mutesa wanted to use missionaries to fight the Egyptians under Khedive Ismail who were extending southwards and were a threat to Buganda kingdom.

Two, Mutesa wanted to acquire firearms which he needed most. Kabaka Mutesa expected to get firearms from the missionaries to protect his kingdom.

Muteesa wanted the missionaries to protect him against his enemy Bunyoro. He therefore wanted to get support in order to fight Kabalega of Bunyoro whose forces were ever attacking Buganda kingdom.

Mutesa expected missionaries to train his soldiers with modern military tactics.

He also hoped to learn from the missionaries how to make guns and gunpowder for strategic defence of the nation.

Mutesa had viewed Islam as a serious threat to his own authority because the Moslem converts were putting the laws of Islam above the laws of the Kabaka.

It is possible that he wanted the Christian missionaries to convert him and his people to Christianity.

Mutesa wanted to control and consolidate his power in the kingdom with the British support through missionaries. So it was for diplomatic reasons.

King Mutesa through the missionaries could serve as a representative of the British in Uganda.

Mutesa hoped that he could benefit in terms of modern civilisation and education.

It was also believed that Mutesa suffered from some diseases and therefore expected modern medicine from the whites to cure him of those diseases.

Stanley influenced Mutesa because he wanted the missionaries to assist in extending European imperialism in Buganda.

Mutesa wanted the missionaries to teach his people new farming methods.

Mutesa wanted the missionaries to introduce modern education and civilization in Buganda.

Mutesa expected to get some gifts from the missionaries e.g. beads, clothes, mirrors, and bowls.

In his letter of March 24 1876, inviting missionaries, Kabaka Mutesa explained that he wanted to be "a friend to the white man". This letter was published in London in the Daily Telegraph

After the publication of the letter, a follow up article was published a week later in the same paper enjoining missionaries who might respond to Mutesa's invitation to "teach the natives to wear clothes" and design such clothing to be "slightly longer than the normal" with the assertion that "if the Africans increase their clothing by even two inches longer than the normal that would keep the Lancaster Mills in operation for a full year." This clearly shows what was in the mind of the White man when coming to Uganda.

The missionaries were confined to the court of the Kabaka where they began preaching the gospel.

When missionaries stayed at the palace longer, Mutesa closely watched their activities. With time, the missionaries lost their favour with Mutesa. The following are the main reasons for that loss of touch: Firstly, Mutesa expected guns and ammunitions from the missionaries but they just came with just a bible and a cross and therefore disappointed him.

Secondly, the Sudan threat had subsided and therefore he no longer needed missionary support.

Thirdly, the missionaries and their converts kept conflicting among themselves and appeared more as politicians other than men of God.

Fourthly, the chiefs who were exposed to missionary teaching had become more disobedient to the king than ever before.

The traditionalists saw the teaching of missionaries as a threat to the Kiganda religious beliefs and they advised the king to act against the missionaries.

These traditionalists further alleged that the missionaries would take over that kingdom. They were right since it happened when Mwanga came to power.

Further more, the missionaries seemed less concerned about the king's pertinent problems.

For the above reasons therefore plus many others, the friendship stopped.

However, much as Mutesa was not happy with the missionaries, he did not send them away. He used his diplomacy and many tactics to contain the situation. Things only went bad when his 18-year-old son Mwanga inherited the throne after his death in 1884.

Relationship between Mwanga and religious groups

Mwanga succeeded his father Mutesa I in 1884 after his death. He was still young with no public life experience at the time he became king.

Mwanga was to deal with four religious groups i.e. Protestants, Catholics, Moslems and the traditionalists but later on realised the confusion in the Christian camp. He looked upon Baganda converts and the missionaries as a threat to his privilege.

The Muslims and traditionalists warned him that European missionaries would take over his kingdom just as Tanganyika was occupied by Germans in 1885.

Feeling very insecure, he ordered for the murder of three court pages who refused to renounce their faith in 1885. 

In the same year, Mwanga ordered a Musoga Chief Luba, to murder Bishop Hannington, who was approaching the kingdom from the East. Another view says Mwanga sent a message in Luganda saying Bamute "set him free''. 

In 1886, 30 pages were burnt at Namugongo for having refused to renounce their Christian faith. However, the number of converts increased.

In 1888, Mwanga wanted to rid of all foreign religious groups in Buganda because they were teaching disobedience to him.  Secondly, it was estimated that each religious group had an army of about 1,000 soldiers.

Mwanga later joined the traditionalists against Moslems and Christians. He planned to round them up and put them on the island on Lake Victoria.

Mwanga was unfortunately forced into exile in September 1888 and his office occupied by religious faction that appointed Kabaka Kiwewa who was killed by Moslems because he feared circumcission.

Shortly after Moslems attacked Christians and took over their office as Christians fled south of Lake Victoria. They installed a muslim king called Nuhu Kalema.

Mwanga took refugee with French missionaries and in September 1889 with the support of Christians he marched to his kingdom and overthrew Kalema, a Moslem king.

Moslems later reorganised with the support of Kabalega, attacked and defeated Mwanga and his Christians once again but were later defeated and forced out by Mwanga.

In early 1890, Mwanga was advised by Wafaranza, the missionaries to sign a treaty with Karl Peters of German East Africa.

Through the Heligoland treaty Uganda became a British territory while German remained in Tanganyika. Lugard made Mwanga to sign a treaty.

In 1892, the Wafranza and Wangeleza troops fought a battle at Mengo where F.D Lugard fought decisively in favour of the British (Wangeleza)

Mwanga was forced to sign another agreement with Captain FD Lugard recognising the supremacy ofthe IBEA Company.

In 1893, Mwanga signed another agreement with Sir Gerald Portal where chieftaincy was redistributed.

The chief offices of the state were divided between the Protestants and the Catholics.

In 1899, Mwanga and his old enemy Kabalega were captured in Lango and exiled in Seychelles islands in the Indian Ocean. He died in 1920.

Wafaranza and Wangeleza Wars in Uganda