THE STORY OF KING OMUKAMA WINYI II RUBAGIRAMASEGA WHO PROVIDES NOURISHMENT TO THE VULTURES (MASEGA)
The full title of this king was “Winyi Rubagiramasega Katamikundi of Lapenje, Emparangani, son of Chwa.” He succeeded his father, Nyabongo Rulemu. He fought for the throne with his elder brother Kalirahaiguru, Bunyoro-Kitara records the King as the 7th Omukama of the Babiito Dynasty and 27th of the Empire of Kitara.
This succession war lasted for a long time and caused many deaths and miseries. In the end Winyi II emerged victorious and because the war was long and bloody he was nicknamed Rucwerabazaire [one who brings grief on parents]. It is said that during his reign ghosts frequently appeared, anxious to know “who succeeded to the throne in the end“; and that people used to say to them: “It was Winyi”; and the ghosts used to retort “That’s what we thought too.”
Okukama Winyi II was a very cruel man [witima muno] and used to murder people for no reason. And for this reason he was called Rubagira Masega [one who provides nourishment for the vultures]. Indeed he could not bear to see his vultures going hungry. And whenever he heard the sound of these vultures he would exclaim: “Poor ones! They are asking me to give them food.” Then he would straight away order the execution of some innocent people to provide food for them.
It was during the reign of this king that Buganda extended its borders to the river Wabiruko in Mityana. This area was captured from the Kukwenda [Mukwenda]. Winyi does not appear to have bothered to defend Mityana. Indeed throughout his reign he made neither raids nor wars against other counties. The people of the Mityana district simply went to Buganda quietly and offered no battle even after Buganda had killed some of them. They seem to have seen Buganda as the lesser of two evils.
Winyi did not undertake foreign expeditions because there was no need for them and the country was quiet and peaceful. [The obvious reason would seem to be that only a few people were prepared to fight for a cruel king a fact implicitly admitted by the author of the next sentence.] Winyi II was very much hated by the subjects.
He was buried at Lapenje in Ssingo/Rugonjo. His mother belonged to the Balisa clan. Many of the royal tombs in Ssingo have now disappeared either due to devastation by wars or due to neglect because of their being in an area of an oppressor.