Mutesa I

Mutesa I

(mo͞otā`sə), d. 1884, kabaka, or king, of Buganda (now in Uganda), c.1857–84. He brought Buganda to its height by increasing the autocratic powers of the kabaka, strengthening the army, improving the bureaucracy, and opening up trade, often in slaves, with Arab merchants. During his reign the first Europeans were admitted into Buganda.