What Happened to Mutesa II, the last Kabaka of Buganda?

Tuesday 7 September 2021

On 21st November 1969, in a small and unkempt flat in Rotherhithe, just south of the river in London, the 35th Kabaka of Buganda lay dying.

 

The story goes that the alcohol in his veins was so high that it was poisoning him, right there in that flat. Just forty-five years old, penniless, dishevelled – he died with no witnesses. No trumpet blew or drums were sounded to mark the moment.

The first President of Uganda, the last true Kabaka of his people, Mutesa II died in south east London on a grey day in November 1969 all alone.

How did this happen? How does a king come to die alone? Did alcohol really kill him? Or was there something else or someone else involved in the incident? Who wanted the Kabaka dead and were they willing to take steps to make that a reality?

Join us for this mystery as we dive into Ugandan history, understanding the relationship between crown, king, country and that most infamous of military generals, Idi Amin.