The British explorer John Hanning Speke was the first European to set foot in Uganda in 1862. In 1877, British missionaries started coming to Buganda with the permission of King Mutesa I.
The British government gave the Imperial British East Africa Company a charter in 1888 so they could make trading deals in the area. Britain and Germany signed a treaty in 1890 that acknowledged Britain's control over Uganda.
The rise of Christianity among Ugandans quickly led to sectarian violence. The British government stepped in to restore peace since the trade route to the Nile was so important. In 1894, they seized Buganda and adjacent areas to form the Uganda Protectorate.
Britain's place in the world had became weaker by the middle of the 20th century, after World War II. As demands for African independence became stronger, several East African colonies began to attain self-rule. As a parliamentary democratic monarchy, Uganda became independent from Britain on October 9, 1962. Queen Elizabeth II was the head of state. Ankole, Buganda, Bunyoro, and Toro were made federal and given some freedom. Milton Obote, head of the communist Uganda People's Congress (UPC), was the first prime minister of the country.
Uganda became a republic in October 1963 and stayed a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. King Mutesa II of Buganda was named the country's first president.
Uganda's National Day, celebrated on 9th October, is Uganda's independence from the United Kingdom in 1962 and it is celebrated as the Independence Day.
