Kgari Kealeboga Sechele II (1904–19 September 1962) was a kgosi of the Kwena tribe in the Bechuanaland Protectorate (modern day Botswana) from 1931 until his death in 1962.
A succession crisis occurred after Kgari's death until the colonial administration appointed his younger brother Neale Sechele as kgosi.
[4] Assistant Resident Commissioner A. G. Stigand acquired a bursary for him in 1929,[5] and Kgari went to South Africa to study at St. Mathews College.
[3] The colonial administration deposed Sebele II from his position as kgosi of the Bakwena in 1931, while Kgari was in South Africa.
[8] During the ceremony, his uncles draped a leopard skin upon his shoulders—an honour typically reserved only for the heir—which offended the village and increased backlash against his rule.
[10] On 6 March 1933, the people of Molepolole submitted the Great Petition to protest the administration's appointment of Kgari, which was signed by almost every family head, totalling over 1,400 signatures.
[11][2] Resident Commissioner Rey felt that Kgari's frequent requests for the administration to solve problems further weakened him in the eyes of the people.
[11][14] Kgari faced accusations of sexual misconduct in the early years of his reign, including the attempted rape of Angelina Mmopi in 1936 and the seduction of Eurice Kraai in 1940.
[19] He was made a regimental sergeant major after writing a letter to the resident commissioner requesting the rank in exchange for his work recruiting soldiers from his tribe.
[22][2] He attended the coronation of Elizabeth II in 1953, where he represented the Bechuanaland Protectorate, and he engaged in a rare dispute with the colonial administration the same year when he sheltered refugees from South Africa.
[14] Kgari indicated in 1949 that he may retire, suggesting that he be succeeded by his nephew Bonewamang Padi Sechele, but the tribe insisted that he should not.
The court determined that Kgari's younger brother, Neale Sechele, would become kgosi despite not being in the immediate line of succession, and he was installed in 1963.