Mobilising the past, claiming the future: the Bunyoro Kitara Kingdom and its popular resources in Uganda

Abstract

How do traditional authorities with limited resources endure in modern Africa? This article explores the case of the Bunyoro Kitara Kingdom (BKK) in western Uganda, one of Africa’s oldest kingdoms, and how the BKK navigates constraints that limit its access to state-controlled resources. Based on 52 interviews and 4 focus group discussions conducted between 2017 and 2021, this study argues that, rather than relying on pre-existing legitimacy, the BKK seeks to construct legitimacy by cultivating public loyalty and popular support grounded in shared historical memory and collective aspirations. In the context of economic transformation driven by oil development, the BKK draws on narratives of colonial injustice and appeals to future opportunities to overcome its structural fragility and foster solidarity. This mobilisation of popular resources serves as a crucial tool to negotiate the kingdom’s position in national politics and claim a stake in extraction benefits, even in the absence of formal power or territorial control.