Originally Kooki was part of the larger Bunyoro - Kitara Kingdom. Due to the fact that the territory was quite wide, the Omukama (King) of Bunyoro divided it into three parts namely Kyope, Tooro and Kooki and appointed his three sons to administer the territories on his behalf.

Kooki got Lubambula as its leader and he was assisted by his brother Bwowe but on arriving to Kooki, they were so enthralled with the territory that they decided to seize it for themselves. They declared independence from Bunyoro after 1700 and decided to send Bwowe to Omukama Kamurasi to officially inform him of their decision and of their intention to visit and thank him for the help they had received over the years. But Kamurasi ordered Bwowe imprisoned and also ordered for the arrest and beheading of Lubambula. Bwowe however, was able to escape and ran to warn Lubambula not to proceed to Kamurasi’s palace, but Lubambula had already set off and because they used different paths, the two brothers were not able to meet and subsequently Lubambula reached the palace where he was captured and beheaded.

In 1894 with the help of the colonialists, Bunyoro signed a peace agreement with Buganda but went ahead to plan an attack on Kooki. Under the threat of an imminent attack from Bunyoro and the constant threats from Ankole Kingdom, rather than surrender to Bunyoro, the then 8th ruler of Kooki, Crown Prince Ndaula Kezekiah chose to surrender Kooki as a county to Buganda. Buganda had been a close ally over the years and thus on the 18th of November 1896 a formal agreement was signed between Kooki and the late King Mwanga, witnessed by Sir Berkeley on behalf of the Queen of England. Kooki officially became a county of Buganda Kingdom and its ruler Ndaula became a county head and took on the title of Kamuswaga. The expression “Kamuswaga” is a phrase usually used in hunting and refers to a scenario where upon killing an animal, one hunter surrenders it to another hunter.