The Role of Muslim Migrants in the Spread of Islam in East Africa: A Case Study of Uganda

Abstract

Abstract The spread of Islam in Uganda is attributed to both foreign and local Muslim migrants. These included the Khartoumers who arrived in northern Uganda in 1830, the Arabs who arrived in 1844 and the Baganda, the first local community to receive Islam. The latter was instrumental in the spread of Islam in the Eastern and Western parts of the country. In the East, a group of Muslims arrived in the area with Semei Kakungulu around the twentieth century, a British colonial agent, and in their interactions with the locals they passed on tips of Islam to them. In the West, it was the Muslim refugees of the political and religious wars of 1880s/1890s that played a significant role. Muslims in Uganda still lag behind in many sectors and are divided along tribalistic grounds. However, the Baganda believe that they greatly contributed to the spread of Islam in the country. Thus, they should produce the overall Muslim leadership, a development which the other tribes cannot accept. They argue that although Islam entered Buganda first, it was not the Baganda who brought it. They, however, acknowledge the role played by the above-mentioned migrants. That is said, this paper illustrates how migrants contributed to the spread of Islam in Ugandaanalysis statistical method covering eight distinct retail elements through a nationwide sampling dispersal. Keywords: migrants, Muslims, Islam, refugees, Baganda, Arabs, Khartoumers, Nubians, Berbe