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Kabaka is the head of the Ganda nation and Baganda look to him for cultural, political, and spiritual guidance. Indeed, most of Ganda cultural practices and norms can be traced to utterances or orders of the Kabaka. Only one person may be referred to as Kabaka at any one time - once a Kabaka is deceased, he is referred to a Ssekabaka.
As Ssabataka, Kabaka is the unprejudiced leader of all 52 Baganda clans and their heads (abataka). The office of Kabaka is not hereditary but only a prince of Buganda (mulangira) can become Kabaka, the highest priority being given to the sons of the passing Kabaka. Kabaka, in his official role, does not belong to a clan, the way other Baganda do. However, the prince occupying the office of Kabaka is still a member of the Balangira (princes and princesses) clan and belongs to a mutuba in that clan. Furthermore, Ganda culture strongly ties Kabaka to his mother's clan and he generally relates to it as a son, giving them special privileges above other clans. Indeed, Kabaka does not marry from his mother's clan (okuzira) because many Baganda view him as a de facto member of that clan. This enables a natural rotation of the opportunity to produce the next Kabaka from one clan to another over time, probably the best explanation of the strong love Baganda have for Kabaka.
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