MONARCHIES - BUNYORO KINGDOM
Bunyoro Kingdom | Past Kings | Anthem
Omukama of Bunyoro - Kitara, Solomon Gafabusa Iguru |
A great past can haunt badly when the present is difficult and the morrow rather uncertain.
But that is the dilemma of Bunyoro-Kitara, a kingdom that has seen much better days, and is struggling through today, to make tomorrow much more pleasant. The kingdom of Bunyoro continues to be held together by Omukama.
As a kingdom, Bunyoro is now a has-been, a once-was, a far-cry from its former self.
Bunyoro comprises three districts - Hoima , Masindi and Kibaale. The three districts have a common denominator - poverty which reigns with abandon and threatens to become a trademark of sorts. Bunyoro-Kitara reached its peak in the pre-colonial era, during the days of Omukama Kabaleega.
Kabaleega turned Bunyoro into a regional trade hub. The abundant salt deposits in Lakes Katwe, Kasenyi and Kibiro were battered for many other commodities the Banyoro lacked. The kingdom, blessed with one of the largest Elephant populations in the world cashed in nicely on the ivory trade. Its excellent blacksmiths made spears, pans and other commodities for export. Kabaleega ensured food security, by having every family build a granary for provision during famine.
He also built a 14km underground bunker at Kakerenge with grain enough to see his army through the worst famine in time of invasion. And he had an army that gave his neighbours something to think about all night.
Very independent minded, Kabaleega resisted colonial rule and for eight years (1891-99) he showed the British that he was made out of some out-of-this-world material. To this day Kabaleega remains an icon of resilience and resistance towards colonial rule.
The fall of Kabaleega marked the fall of Bunyoro and British colonisation effectively killed the kingdom. Uganda's independence in 1962 and subsequent semi-federal system of governance raised hopes that Bunyoro would be revitalised. But the Obote I administration dashed these hopes by abolishing kingdoms in 1967. Today lack of unity and poverty remain the kingdom's biggest problems.
" We are very poor, have no good education facilities and we lack cohesion as a people, " says Katiikiro Israel Ndahura. "We lack enlightenment and have very short horizons - we are not exposed," he says.
The first few years after Uganda restored traditional institutions in 1993 were spent contesting the kingship and fighting over the kingdom's assets. A leadership wrangle rocked the kingdom to its foundations, as Prince John Mpuuga Rukidi sought to deny Solomon Iguru the throne. In the end, Solomon Iguru Gafabusa won the case and on June 11, 1994 he was crowned 27th Omukama in the Babiito dynasty of Bunyoro-Kitara. The kingdom then thought it was settling down to more important business.
But Hoima (ironically the seat of the kingdom) rose up arguing that monarchists should not be allowed to take over properties like the Hoima District Administration premises. Kibaale district at first refused to be under the Omukama, saying they preferred just the central government.
"Our biggest priority is to unite the kingdom," says Ndahura. " We are appealing to the people of Bunyoro to overcome this nonsense, become one and fight other vices keeping Bunyoro behind ," says Ndahura. Can Bunyoro once again rise to the standard that Kabaleega had lifted it to? Can they once again lay claim to greatness? That is the challenge now. The battle again is on, as the Banyoro seek to overturn an era of poverty and underdevelopment. The great potential of Bunyoro is yet to be translated into sound economic gain that will transform the lives of its citizens.
Despite the biting poverty and scarcity of resources, the kingdom is making overtures in this direction, Katiikiro Israel Ndahura says.
Youth are being mobilised to get busy doing something useful with their lives, instead of drinking themselves silly and playing cards all day. There is a health programme to improve child nutrition and an FM radio station is in pipeline to rally the people towards development. The kingdom also plans to mobilise the clans to elect representatives that will comprise the Bunyoro Parliament.
A Kabaleega Education Fund, to provide scholarships for promising students is also queued up. " Once we are awakened mentally and widened our horizons and given society direction, the rest will be easy. We shall become economically vibrant and politically powerful. Nobody will push us around ," Ndahura vows. Common sentiment in Bunyoro is that the kingdom is poor only because its politicians are weak. They simply lack the bargaining power for the region's share of the national cake. But again this character flaw is attributed to poverty - no one listens to the poor or takes them seriously.
The kingdom's road network is also priority for repair. One could think Bunyoro is allergic to tarmac - the region has no tarmac road. True, the Gulu-Kampala highway partly runs through Bunyoro. But it helps nothing, because it passes mostly along its border with Apac. Tarmacking the main roads in Bunyoro is expected to open up the area trade-wise.
The numerous government ranches on what used to be the king's grazing land will be developed into mega-dairy projects. That is if government agrees to hand them over.
Big strides have been made ever since the coronation. In May government allowed Bunyoro to repossess its assets ebyaitu which included two palaces, burial grounds and regalia and cultural sites, among many other things.
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