The People, Settlements and Tribes in Uganda

Mar 9, 2018

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The People, Settlements and Tribes in Uganda

Uganda was formed by the British between the years 1890 and 1926. The name Uganda was derived from the ancient Buganda Kingdom.There are over 56 tribes in Uganda.some of them wre migrated from other country and some of them are originated from them.

The country lies entirely between the arms of the Eastern and Western Great Rift Valleys of East Africa. It is bordered by the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to the west, South Sudan to the North, Kenya to the East and Tanzania and Rwanda to the South.

The earliest inhabitants of Uganda were the Stone Age People, who were gradually absorbed or replaced in the first millennium A.D. by the incoming agriculturists and pastoralists.

Between A.D. 500 and 1,500, other people began to migrate to Uganda from different parts of Africa. At the time of the coming of the British, there were over fifty ethnic and cultural groups in Uganda. These ethnic communities could conveniently be divided into four broad linguistic categories namely; the Bantu, the Luo, the Atekerin and the Sudanic.

The Bantu were the earliest group to come to Uganda and constitute over 50 percent of Uganda’s total population. They Comprise; Baganda, Banyankole, Banyoro, Bakonjo, Basoga, Bakiga, Bafumbira, Batooro, Bamba, Batwa, Banyule, Basamia- Bagwe and Baggwere. They generally occupy the east, central, west, and southern Uganda.

The second category is the Atekerin people, also referred to as the Para-Nilotics or the Nilo- Hamites. The group is found mainly in the north, the east and north-eastern Uganda. The group constitutes the Langi, the Karamajong, the Iteso, the Kakwa, and the Kumam. They trace their origins to Ethiopia and are said to have been one people. The Langi are unique in that they lost their Ateker language and culture and spoke Luo.

The third group is the Luos, an extensive family that spread all over East Africa. These tribes in uganda include the Alur, the Acholi, and the Japadhola. The Alur are settled in Westin Nile, Acholi in Northern Uganda and Japadhola in Eastern Uganda.

The Sudanic are speakers of West Nile, comprising of the Madi, the Lugbara, the Okebu, the Bari, and the Metu. They trace their origin to Sudan but their cultures and language indicate that they have become completely detached from their places of origin.

Some Facts And Figures

Population – 33,640,833. (2019 estimate)

Religions(Included Tribes in Uganda)

Christianity (39.3%)
Islam (13.7%)
Judaism
Indigenous beliefs (1%)
Interfaith
Hinduism (0.7%)
Baha’i Faith
Buddhism
No religion (0.9%)

Languages:

English
Luganda
Niger-Congo languages
Nilo-Saharan languages
Swahili
Arabic

For the complete tribes in Uganda, see table below:

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Comments

6 responses to “The People, Settlements and Tribes in Uganda”

Bavaria Yiga
March 10, 2020
Get your facts straight, Uganda was in a Africa with all its Tribes intact before the British set foot in Africa looking for resources, So was Kenya and the all of Africa. Stop making false claims. Europeans didn’t make Africa, Africa made Europe.
If European made Africa, African would be better now in 2020 but you take and take and take and your still taking resources from Africa as you claim to have made Africa. Can’t believe such ignorance still exists in 2020.
Reply
1. Jeroen
  October 19, 2020
  Dear friend, I am sorry, but your statement ‘If European made Africa, African would be better now in 2020 ‘is completely wrong. Its not the Europeans that made present day Africa, but its African leaders. While Europe developed in a more democratic system, Africa still has leaders that put themself first instead of their people. If only African leaders would have focused on the wellbeing of its citizens, things would have been far better in 2020.
  Reply
  1. Nankumba Rose
    August 29, 2022
    You are right
    Reply
Masembe
May 2, 2020
Dude, they are talking of the Uganda with the current borders. Just like many countries on the continent plus Asia, their geographical boundaries were put by the hungry colonialists for their effectiveness in their administration.
Reply
Pemba
June 7, 2020
Love this answer. I don’t call it only ignorance, it’s also the usual hubris and deception of the white man.
Reply
Karl Johansson
February 2, 2021
Africa is still under our strong influence. The West is French and the UK holds its protective hand over Museveni and is protecting also this African democracy, freedom and justice. Didn’t you notice, that nobody talks about all the things in Africa, when it is done by our dictators? We don’t want strong Africa. We want weak Africa and exploit it for resources.
Africans can rule themselves only when we allow it to them. At least that’s our stance, that will never become a public knowledge. If we would pull out our support for certain people then the regimes would fall. As we sold % of Uganda to China, so we did with other countries in exchange for other things. There are more things happening behind the closed doors than the common folk knows. The freedom of Africa is myth our countries try to support. Dictatorships would look like a fault of Africans themselves and Europeans, Chinese, Americans…will have all needed. Nobody with power and money cares about such things like human rights or justice for poor.
Reply