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Recently, an official map of Uganda, showing the country’s ethnic regions, has been circulating on social media.
The map, however, has caused a stir due to the absence of the Buganda region, the largest ethnic region in the country.
While the map includes all the regions, namely; Acholi, West Nile, Karamoja, Bunyoro, Lango, Teso, Bugisu, Bukedi, Tooro, Ankole, Kigezi, and Busoga, the prominent Buganda region is conspicuously absent.
In its place, the map shows “North Central” and “South Central.”
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The missing Buganda region has sparked concern online, with many Ugandans speculating that this was an intentional attempt by the government to erase Buganda and its heritage.
Social media users voiced their frustrations, with one user, Gabriel Bbuule, stating, “It’s actually stupid to assume that deleting @BugandaOfficial on the Map of Uganda will erase Buganda and Baganda. It is within our DNA, and nothing will ever make us feel sorry for who we are.”
Another user wrote, “The deliberate exclusion of Buganda from several official maps is as ridiculous as it is ludicrous. If they really want to erase Buganda from the map then let them come and un-alive all of us... Otherwise akaalo kebayita Buganda kadda, atte ela kaliko nyini ko.”
The Map’s Origin and Initial Purpose
Despite the backlash, the map in question is not a new creation as it was first released in 2018.
The Map was published by the Ministry of Health to represent the country’s vaccination coverage at the time.
It was apparently not meant to be an official ethnic representation of Uganda’s regions, and its purpose was purely to communicate public health information.
Government and Buganda’s Response
In response to the backlash, the Kabaka of Buganda, Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II, expressed his dissatisfaction with the map, questioning the intent behind its release.
During his birthday celebrations in Masaka, the Kabaka stated, “Lately, there have been maps of Uganda that have been released from government agencies. As we speak, those maps do not include Buganda. All the other regions of Uganda are on the maps but Buganda is missing. Therefore I wonder, what is the intent of this?”
The Ministry of Health, through its Permanent Secretary Diana Atwiine, addressed the concerns, reassuring the public that the omission was not an attempt to erase Buganda.
She said, “You cannot transfer districts or land from one place to another. Places remain wherever they have been before. Uganda remains Uganda, one nation.”
Although the issue has caused tensions, it appears that the map was never intended to spark such controversy.