Harry George Galt

Harry George Galt sometimes called Harry St. George Galt was a British officer newly appointed as the Sub Commissioner of the Western Province of the Uganda a British Protectorate killed in Ibanda.

Background

He was born on 28 January 1872 in Emsworth in Hampshire in Great Britain to Mr Edwin Galt JP, and Mrs Marion Galt. He attended Lancing College for his education.^[1]

Official Work and Death

Being taken to the British colony of Uganda, he was first appointed as the tax collector of the Ankole Sub-region. He was later appointed as the sub-commissioner of the Western Uganda province the British protectorate.

He is said to have been a cruel officer who treated the local people harshly. On 19 May 1905 As a newly appointed officer, Galt forced the local people to carry him on head from Fort Portal to Ibanda. When the people got tired they requested him to let them rest but he refused and ordered them not to rest until they reach Ibanda as he insisted "Paka Banda" trying to speak the native language Runyankole, meaning "Up to Ibanda".

The local people carried him up to Katooma, 3 km from Ibanda before the Kagongo Catholic Church where he stopped and rested in a Government house. When the local people started talking about the cruelty of the man, a fellow native man name Rutaraka got annoyed with the officers acts and he got a spear, headed towards Galt who was sitting in the government house compound and threw it to him and it struck him in the chest. Galt died after a short time.

The colonial government investigated the cause of Galt's death, however for them they thought it was politically motivated and they sentenced two Ankole chiefs a death penalty which was later cancelled on appeal by the British East African Court.

Rutaraka was later found dead as he committed suicide by hanging himself fearing of what will follow. The Galt's body was taken for burial and Colonial government punished the natives by making them pile stones to cover the blood of Galt. They piled stones making a pyramid-like feature with a length of 5 Metres Length and 3 metres height which stands there up to now (2015) in Galt's memory. ^[2]

A street in Mbarara has been named after him, Galt road which starts on Stanley road on Booma hill opposite the Public Library.

References