The importance of the Bachwezi in the History of East Africa

The importance of the Bachwezi in the History of East Africa

  • They introduced the centralized system of governance which was later adopted in many societies.
  • They introduced hierarchical system of administration whereby administration was broken down into smaller units.




  • The Chwezi are also remembered for introducing the idea of a standing army in the kingdom.
  • The Chwezi also introduced the system of having a royal regalia comprising of the symbols of power in a community e.g. drums, spear e.t.c
  • The Bachwezi were the founders of ancient Bunyoro- Kitara Kingdom which spread from Western Uganda to Western Kenya and Northern Tanganyika.
  • They introduced games which are still popular in Uganda today e.g. local wrestling and Omweso.
  • The Bachwezi also introduced coffee and banana growing in E.Africa which are still cash crops.
  • The Chwezi introduced the idea of palace officials, royal women and slave artisans who were trained in administration.




  • The Chwezi are also remembered for their super natural powers i.e. they were a strange group of people who performed miracles and could disappear when annoyed.
  • They introduced a religion called Abashomi which is still evident up to today in Western Uganda particularly in Bunyoro.
  • They built their capital at Bigobyamugenyi which is still a tourist attraction for Uganda today.
  • The Bachwezi introduced the idea of royal enclosures (Ebirembo) in palaces such as Bigo, Mubende, Ntusi and kibengo. These were mainly for protecting cattle.
  • The Chwezi also introduced the idea of grass thatched houses smeared with cow-dung and decorated with a variety of handcrafts inside.
  • The Chwezi also introduced social classes in society especially in Western Uganda where the Bairu are the cultivators and subjects while the Bahima are the cattle keepers and ruling class.
  • They introduced iron working and they made implements such as spears, Pangas, Hoes e.t.c.




  • Discovered hot springs e.g. Kitagata in Western Uganda.
  • They also developed the art and craft industry e.g. they introduced basket weaving.
  • They also introduced bark cloth manufacture

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mwaikusa

IAM experienced geography teacher with more than three years of teaching and creating content related to geography and other subjects for both high school and college students. hope you will find the content of this website useful to your studies and daily life

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