50 / 80
and also benefited from its control of
some of the holiest shrines in the
region, with more of its wealth
coming from salt production,
metalworking, and control of
lucrative trade routes.
The Omugabe of Ankole ruled
over a complex
status-conscious
society, the cattle-owning elite being
at the top of the pile. The Kingdom
of Toro, an offshoot of the Ankole,
was developed in about 1880 by a
breakaway group.
Buganda differed from Bunyoro
and Ankole in keeping fewer cattle
but also growing crops. A vassal
state of Bunyoro, Buganda came to
the fore in the 18th and 19th
centuries, making forays over a wide
area in its search for cattle, ivory, and
slaves, and trading with the coastal
Muslims from about 1840. By this
means Bunyoro was able to acquire
firearms, enabling it to challenge
Buganda, but with little success.
Buganda became the centerpiece
of the Protectorate of Uganda,
allowing it to benefit from its useful
alliance with the British. By the time
of Ugandan independence in 1962,
the Bugandans had the highest
standard of living and were the best
Inland Africa
50
BELOW:
Long-horned Ankole Watusi
cattle in Rwanda.
OPPOSITE:
The Nairobi to
Mombasa train on the historic Uganda
“Lunatic” railway line in Tsavo National
Park, Kenya.
Ankole Watusi Cattle
The Ankole were a
Cwezi people, notable
for developing the Ankole Watusi
breed of cattle. The breed is
instantly recognizable due to
its massive horns. Being a
local breed, the cattle are
well-adapted to thrive on
impoverished grassland with
little available water.