Britain had been tightening a grip on Uganda ever since explorers had reached the country in the mid-19th century searching for the source of the Nile. Formally made a British Protectorate in 1894, the British still feared the encroachment of its colonial rivals France and Italy. In 1897 London sent an officer, Colonel J.R.L. Macdonald, with a force of Nubian mercenaries to strengthen Britains hold on the region. Macdonald was not wholly successful as the Nubians mutinied, but after the suppression of the mutiny, Ugandas place in the British Empire was firmly cemented by an Alliance with the Uganda the majority tribe. Macdonalds expedition is