kingdom · Horn and East Africa

Kingdom of Buhweju

1600 CE – 1901 CE (approx.)

A small mountain kingdom of western Uganda, incorporated into Ankole by the British in 1901.

Origins

Buhweju occupied the hills north-west of Mbarara. Its traditions link its rulers to the Chwezi of the Empire of Kitara, and it emerged as a separate kingdom around the 17th century, remaining independent of its larger neighbours Ankole and Bunyoro for much of its history.

Rule and society

Buhweju was a small state of farmers and herders ruled by a king with clan leaders. It was known for iron working and for its rugged, defensible terrain. Little else is reliably recorded.

Decline and legacy

Under the Ankole Agreement of 1901 the British merged Buhweju into the Kingdom of Ankole. It is now a district of western Uganda.

Few sources survive for this state; details are uncertain.

Lineage

Kingdom of BuhwejuKingdom of Ankole 1500 CE – 1967 CE

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Kingdom of Buhweju. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-buhweju
MLA
“Kingdom of Buhweju.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-buhweju. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Kingdom of Buhweju.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-buhweju.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Kingdom of Buhweju’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-buhweju (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻