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The Story of Mpuugu and the Royal Bow

The royal bow of the Abakama(kings) of Bunyoro is said to be the weapon which Isingoma Mpuugu Rukidi brought with him to Bunyoro when he became Omukama(king). Mpuugu was a noted hunter, and in this capacity was known under several names, among them being Lukidi and Nyabongo, and his bow was named Nyapogo.

As king of Bunyoro, however, he found that he was so occupied with his daily duties that he had to deny himself the pleasures of sport, and he decided to decorate his bow and place it with the quiver among his treasures near the throne.

He gave a bull to be killed in order that the bow might be re-strung with the sinews from its back. The bull was handed over to Muhinda bwa Mpona, who killed it and extracted the sinews. When he had done so, he laid them down and left them, going away to do something else before cleaning them.

In his absence a dog came in, seized the sinews, and carried them away. Muhinda returned, found that the sinews had vanished, and, on making enquiries, found that the dog had eaten them. He had to confess the loss to the king, who was so angry that he had him killed and his sinews taken out and used, with those of another bull, in place of those he had lost.

From that time whenever a new king came to the throne, the tribe of this man, the Bahinda, gave a man to supply new sinews for the bow, and they were cut from him while he was still alive. It became an honorable office to supply the sinews and for two days before the operation the man had to wear charms and dress in two white bark-cloths; he had to keep apart from women and eat special food.

After this purification he himself directed the operation of removing the sinews from his right side leg, and these were used along with those of a bull, which had to be a white yearling (an animal that is a year old or that is in its second year). The man invariably died after the operation.

The Story of Queen Masamba and the Royal Band of Flutes

Omubiitokati(princess) Masamba Ga Winyi is remembered to be the only woman to have ever ruled the great Bunyoro-Kitara Empire.

She become Omukama of Bunyoro after Omukama Chwa I, Ente Nkole Rumoma Mahanga her brother who was a great warrior, and who used to go out regularly for territorial expansions, was killed in battle during an expedition.

The Story goes that on one occasion he was returning from an expedition from Ankole, where he had been victorious, having cut up the royal drums and taken much spoil, when he was told that there was a herd of cattle hidden away in a forest through which they were passing. With a few of his warriors he wandered into the depths of the forest, and by some accident became separated from his men and was lost (perhaps killed, but in Bunyoro customs, A King disappears – does not die). They searched until darkness came and again the next day but could not find him, so they returned to the capital and informed his sister (Masamba), the queen, of what had happened.

Chwa I, though he was married to a wife called Arapenyi, had no child, and the chiefs could find no one they considered suitable to govern the country. At last they agreed that the queen, the sister to the late king, should reign, and for a time things went fairly well.

Meanwhile the queen became enamored (fell in love) to a man of the cow people (bahuma) and asked the chiefs to agree to his taking his place as her consort to assist and advise her, she pointed out that, being a woman, she could not lead her armies and that a consort(her new lover) could go in for her. The chiefs were not favorable to the idea, for the man was not a prince, and they asked for time to consider the matter.
While they were still in perplexity, news arrived concerning the woman Arapenyi, who had been found in Ankole by two men who had gone there to sell salt. They recognized her and asked her how she came to be there. In reply she told them that she had been captured when her husband, King Chwa, and was lost, and that she had a child who was with her.

The men saw the child, whose likeness to the late king was striking, and brought their story back to Bamuroga(chief mnister), who at once sent two chiefs, a Muhuma and a Munyoro, to visit the woman secretly and, if the story was correct, to bring her and her child back. The chiefs recognized Arapenyi and saw that the likeness of the child to King Chwa was unquestionable, so they helped the woman and child to escape by night and brought them to Bamuroga.

For a time the matter was kept a secret and the woman and her child lived in hiding, but at last the queen demanded an answer to her proposal and Bamuroga said they would bring the answer the next day. The chiefs then took the boy prince with them to visit the queen, who recognized him as the son of her brother, greeted him with affection, and listened to the story of how his mother had been captured and then brought back from slavery. The boy had to sit on her lap and she showed him every mark of affection.

Later, the queen asked Bamuroga if the child might not come to stay with her, for she was so pleased to see him. He, however, was suspicious of her intentions and said it was impossible.

The queen then held a council in secret with her immediate attendants, and decided that the boy would have to be killed. Among her attendants, however, was the fluteplayer, Musegu, who went to Bamuroga and told him the whole plot: how the queen was going to ask for another interview with the little prince, and had arranged to have him killed/speared while in her presence. It was arranged that Musegu, who would be present at the interview, should warn the followers of Bamuroga when the deed was to be done by blowing his flute.

In a short time the queen asked Bamuroga to allow the child to come and see her again. Bamuroga consented, and the queen made her preparations by placing her men with concealed weapons in suitable positions ready to attack. Bamuroga, however, also took with him an armed party with their weapons concealed. The prince sat on a rug in front of the queen who talked in a friendly manner with him, but, as she gave her signal for him to be speared, Musegu set up a strange, shrill piping sound and the young boy prince, who had been told to rush back to his protectors when he heard the sound of the flute, sprang back among Bamuroga’s men, some of whom surrounded him, while others rushed in and slew the would-be assassins, among them the queen’s paramour(lover), and made the queen prisoner.

The prince, who was then called Ruguruki (but come to be called Kyebambe I because he had usurped the throne of his aunt) was at once declared king and he proclaimed that Musegu should become a member of his own clan, the Babito, and appointed him and his sons to be the royal flute-players who had to be in the king’s presence on all ceremonial occasions. Their persons were to be sacrosanct (sacred), and they had free access to the king at all times.

The Legend of Ruhinda and Foundation of Ankole and Karagwe

Omukama Wa-Imara(Wamara), the last king of Bachwezi empire had three sons: Ruhinda, Mugasha and Kanyagwe.

Ruhinda was born of a girl called *Njunaki*, a servant girl to *Omukama Wamara*. He is called Ruhinda because he had Ekihinda (a black mark) on his face. Either because of Wamara’s alleged affair with Njunaki or her status as a servant, her son Ruhinda, is regarded by all traditions, as an *illegitimate son of Wamara*. Even so, it was this so illegitimate son who was destined to revive the lost glory and fame of the Bachwezi by founding a new empire and establish a new dynasty -*Ruhinda Dynasty*, which has borne his name up to this day.

At the time of his father’s flight, Ruhinda is said to have been left behind in *Bunyoro-Kitara(former chwezi empire)* under the disguise as the keeper of the royal drum. He served the usurpers of his father’s throne, the Babito twins(Rukidi Mpuga and Kato Kimera) for a while, in the meantime making plans to escape with some of the regalia which his father had left intact when he fled.

His father and some bachwezi(Bahima) followers left and formed a new capital at Mahogora/Ntusi/Bigo, Meanwhile Ruhinda stole the most important of the Insignia of royal drum(Bagyendwnwa) and joined his father and group.

From there, Ruhinda, together with a group of followers, left his father and went to Buzinza and Karagwe, he took some of the bahima followers and left some with his father. When he returned from his expedition he found that Ntusi/Bigo had been raided by invaders (probably by the Babito to get back their royal drum). His father and most of the other bachwezi had been killed by the invaders, only his mother and elder brother Kanyangwe, had been spared. Since the place was no longer safe, he took his mother and brother to karokarungi(nkole).

In Karokarungi, he found *katuku*, an indigenous bantu as the ruler of the area(isaza) and forced him to flee, Ruhinda declared himself rule of karokarungi and build his capital at *Mweruka*. He later moved to Rurama. At Rurama, Ruhinda bore a son Nkuba to whom he later entrusted the Kingdom of Ankole.

*His Move to Karagwe*

After entrusting the throne of Ankole to his son Nkuba, he left for Karagwe with some of his followers and a large group of cattle and never returned to karokarungi.

While in Karagwe, he found Nono, a Bantu ruler, believed to be of the basita clan as the chief of the land, it is narrated that, he knocked on Nono’s door, when it was opened; he greeted his host with a curse, ‘Kachenjere!’ (may you perish), Nothing is said of Nono after his meeting with Ruhinda except that he did not continue to rule karagwe.

He installed himself as ruler of Karagwe with the royal drum called Nyabatma and established his capital at Bwehange, the site was selected after a bull called Bihogo bya Rutwenge had died on that spot, thus signifying that this place was suitable for a king’s capital, because of the strong winds in Bwehange, he abandoned the place for a new site Bweranyange, the new site remained the capital of karagwe until the Colonial German administration.

Ruhinda is also believed to have overthrown other indigenous bantu rulers, In Bumbwiga, he overthrew Mutunda of the Basita clan, in Buzinza, he overthrew Sansana, a Musumbwa ruler of the Batundu clan, his other expeditions are also recorded in Ihangiro(Bwirebutakya), Kyamutwara and Bugabo but these were unsuccessful.

Burial Disputes

It is said the Ruhinda died in Ihangiro or Buzinza. A dispute arose soon after his death. It was mainly over where his remains would be buried, since each of the major three states – Karagwe, Ihangiro and Buzinza wanted to have him buried in its territory.

Finally a compromise was reached, by which his head was to be buried in Karagwe, the trunk in Ihangiro, and the legs in Buzinza. Bwehange and Bwina are given as the locations where his remains were buried in Karagwe and Buziza respectively, but no name for the trunk in Ihangiro.

The Story of Kato Kimera and the Rise of Buganda

Prince Kato Kimera was the young twin brother to Isingoma Mpuga Rukidi the first Omukama of Bunyoro-Kitara Kingdom after the fall of the Abakitara bachwezi dynasty.

As soon as Omukama Rukidi Mpuuga was ascended to the throne he divided Kitara Empire amongst his brothers and his followers. To Nyarwa, his eldest brother he sent him to govern Kaarokarungi(Ankole) , to Muhwahwa (Buganda) he gave to Kato Kimera and Busonga to Kiiza his youngest brother.

After a short while Kato asked for permission to go hunting as well as to see what his saza of Muhwahwa looked like. Rukidi allowed him but suspecting that Kato might decide to settle in there and not come back to Bugangaizi as he already shown signs of rebellion and independence, Rukidi ordered many old men faithful and trustworthy to accompany him, they included Katumba (of Muhinda clan) Kahira (of Bafumambogo clan) Balitemu, Mpinga, Mazige, Gunju, Kaswija and many others.

Rukidi companied him up to a hill called Kiburara where he bade him farewell at departure he asked him to make a mukago (brotherhood pack) that he will be returning to visit the capital/palace, they put a mark on a stone at the point of departure.

Prince Kato proceeded to Muhwahwa for good and never returned, The marks which they made on the stone at the spot where they said good bye to each other are still visible to date and also there is a shrine at Karuziika Palace Hoima called Kyakato which symbolizes the house of Prince Kato Kimera who went to Muhwahwa and rebelled while there.

Prince Kato arrived at the house of a man called Ssebwana, who had hereditary culminated himself into the saza chief of Muhwahwa at the time following the earlier royal appointments of Omukama Wamara of Bunyoro, At the time of the arrival Ssebwana was not at home but his wives were, These ladies struck by the Kato’s good looks and Majestic appearance fell in love with him at first sight. So they decided to conspire with the servants to murder Ssebwana and marry Kato.

When their plan was executed and Ssebwana safely dead, Kato declared himself the King of Muhwahwa County and made it a Kingdom and performed all the necessary ceremonies, following what had happened at Rukidi’s coronation. He sent a message to his twin brother, Omukama Rukidi, saying, “I have germinated like a sap tree does (Mezire nk’omutoma), and my name will henceforth be Kimera,”. Rukidi ignored Kato’s rebellion and did not lift a finger to reduce him once more to obedience

Now a King, Kato Kimera went on a campaign of conquest and expansion of territory, and is most remembered for the conquest of Kyaggwe County current Mukono district.

Originally Buganda was called Muhwahwa County but it came to be called Buganda after the name of the saza chief appointed to govern it by Omukama Wamara. This chief was called Kaganda Rusirri Ntege Koyo. Bakitara people used to despise the people of Muhwahwa and used to describe them jocosely as “Kaganda’s little men, Obuganda” This nickname slowly took root and the name Muhwahwa disappeared.

Bukuku and the Battle of the Classes

600 years ago in the Kingdom of Kitara, Oral Tradition tells of the time a palace gateman called Bukuku led a troop of Bairu (farmers/ commoners) in rebellion against the ruling pastoralists. They fought fiercely; the pastoralists for supremacy and, the commoners for freedom!

Omukama Isaza Rugambanabato having been subdued by Nyamiyonga(the King of the underworld) left the Kingdom to his caretaker Bukuku, Since Isaza never returned, Bukuku took over the throne.

The different chiefs of the amasaza refused to subdue to Bukuku that they will not be ruled by a commoner.

Kogere the Saza Chief of Busongora, an Aunt of Omukama Isaza, led an army to ouster Bukuku, to her astonishment and the many Saza chiefs, Bukuku  and the commoners fought a fierce battle that saw them gain victory,

*#AfricanRoyalTales #BukukuKingOfKitara*

The Story of Nyangoro and the curse of the Basingo clan

The two brothers Mulindwa and Mugenyi(the visitor), were emotionally attached to each other, had everything in common and always attempted everything together. The women of the Bachwezi watched them leave for hunting and commented on their beauty and strength. Mulindwa excelled Mugenyi and Mugenyi’s mother Nyangoro, (from engoro, a reed), was jealous and decided she had to kill Mulindwa.

Mulindwa loved her but could not marry her because she was his father’s wife. When they returned from hunting Mulindwa brought Nyangoro some flowers but had to wait for an opportunity to make love to her. The brothers had decided to go and watch their cattle at the salt lick but Mulindwa pretended to be sick and remained behind.

Mugenyi went alone. Nyangoro learnt this, dug a pit in her hut, filled it with boiling water and covered it. When Mulindwa called upon her, he fell into the hot water and Nyangoro covered the pit with mats to suffocate him. His cries were reported to Mugenyi who hurried to help him, lifted his body out of the water and poured milk upon him. Mugenyi wanted to kill Nyangoro but Mulindwa said that a son should not kill his mother.

Mugenyi forgave his mother but he seized and killed many of her daughters and other members of her clan, the Basingo. Mulindwa cursed the Basingo, and from that day princes have never married into the clan.

Isingoma Mpuga Rukidi was the great grandchild of Isaza Nyakikooto, the last Batembuzi King.

When Omukama Isaza was subdued by Nyamiyonga(chwezi) to the underworld with her beautiful daughter nyamata(milky), the encounter lead to the birth of Isimbwa

Isimbwa grew up in the underworld and Nyamigonga had given him one of his women called Nyabiryo, the encounter lead to the birth of Kyomya.

Isimbwa also used to visit earth from the underworld, and he had an encounter with Nyinamwiru, the daughter of Bakuku(Caretaker of King Isaza throne), and their encounter lead to the birth of Ndahura Kyarubumbi who become the first bachwezi king after killing Bakuku.

When the bachwezi took power, Kyomya was freed from the underworld and married Nyatworo, daughter of Labongo, a man from Bukidi(Lango) of the Jo-bito clan and the couple gave birth to nine children and among the nine were twins, Isingoma Rukidi Mpuga and Kato Kimera.

Omukama Wamara, son to Ndahura and was the reigning King of the Bachwezi during the times Rukidi was born, he was facing many challenges from the different disgruntled princes, and people had soon discovered that their powers were no longer invincible and the death of a loved cow called Bihogo had revealed an end to their rule.

So Omukama wamara decided to abdicate the throne, whilst he consulted his counselors and decided to send messengers, one of whom was Nyakoko, to fetch one of his uncle Kyomya’s twins who would succeed him

According to legend the elder twin Isingoma Mpuga Rukidi was chosen. He longed to possess and to rule the land described to him but he feared to do so because he was ignorant and savage. Nyakoko saw a chance to advance his own interests by guiding Isingoma Mpuga Rukidi to Kitara and by initiating him into the customs of the country himself. So the Babito prepared for their journey.

Nyakoko warned Isingoma Mpuga Rukidi that the country was full of falsehood and treachery that the women were faithless and unchaste, and he asked Isingoma Mpuga Rukidi whom the Babito would marry. Isingoma Mpuga Rukidi replied that if this was so, they would marry their own women folk.

Isingoma Mpuga Rukidi took the totem of his mother, engabi-bushbuck, and as a result the Babito have this totem today. Isingoma means the elder of twins, literally ‘the father of the drum’. Mpuga means patchy,because he had patches on his skin and this is thought to indicate his descent from the Bachwezi. Rukidi means the naked one, because he came from Bukidi, the land of nakedness.

Long ago, it is said, during the reign of Omukama Isaza Nyakikooto – The last King of the Batembuzi dynasty, there appeared a race of people known as the Bacwezi, a remarkable group of kinsmen,They had a light skin, believed to have super- natural dignity and power, and often described as nyamutukura-‘white’, The bachwezi subdued king Isaza with their beautiful girl nyamata and bore a son, Isimbwa who then bore Ndahura. Ndahura went on to have a son Wamara

In his time as ruler, Wamara had signs of disquiet multiplied. There were feuds between the Cwezi princes. Strangers raided their herds and ‘foul things’ drove them from the watering- places. Worst of all, the marvelously productive red cow called Bihogo, precious possession of prince Mugenyi, choked on her salt drink and died, and Prince Mugenyi, with difficulty restrained from killing himself, as he had vowed to do. Disturbed by these events, the king ordered the cow to be slaughtered for divination, only to find that it had no entrails-intestines.

The official soothsayers, the Twairwe-interpreters of the King, were unable to interpret this appalling omen (or offered an unconvincingly hopeful reading), but a stranger from the north, a man of the Abasuuli clan called Nyakoka (or Karongo), undertook to divulge the mystery if the Mukama made blood-brotherhood with him so that no prophecy of his should jeopardize his life. Prince Mugenyi was ordered to make blood-brotherhood with Nyakoko as the Omukama was not allowed to do so.

Nyakoko split open the head and the hooves of the carcass and revealed the intestines. A smut blew out of the carcass and settled on them. It could not be removed.

He located the missing entrails in the head and hooves of the cattle, and intercepted to them the meaning of each, The empty body of the cow signified that the rule of the Bachwezi over the land had ended, The entrails in the head meant that the Bachwezi would still hold power over mankind, The entrails in the hooves meant that the Bachwezi would wander continuously. Their servants, their women, even their dogs would withdraw obedience, and the smut meant that their royal drum would pass to ‘a black man of another nation’. The Bachwezi heard these prophecies and decided to kill Nyakoko. Mugenyi managed to warn Nyakoko who escaped to Bukidi.

Sure enough, they found themselves treated with general contempt, and the final humiliation came when Prince Mugenyi was mocked by a woman, his mother’s sister, for not carrying out his suicidal vow. So king Wamara the last chwezi king went out from his capital with all his people and vanished from the land.

Amabere Ga Nyina Mwiru

Bunyoro folklore has it that the Amabere Ga Nyina Mwiru caves acquired its name from Omukama Ndahura Karumbubi, the first chwezi King.

The Story goes, Bakuku a Servant to Omukama(King) Isaza Nyakikooto Rugambanabato (the last Omukama of the Batembuuzi dynasty – reign of the god), proclaimed himself a new King of kitara when Omukama Isaza disappeared after being subdued by the bachwezi in the Nyamiyonga underworld with their beautiful daughter Nyamata(milk y).

Bakuku belonged to the Baranzi clan and was a considered a “Mwiru”-Servant. This proclamation to Kingship involved him in a power struggle with the members of the Bagabu clan as Omukama Isaza the former Mukama – King, belonged to the Bagabu Clan – Basongora.

All the saza chiefs who had been left by Isaza Rugambanabato rebelled against Bukuku on account that they could not be ruled by a Mwiru and that Bukuku wasn’t a legitimate heir to the throne.

Bakuku had fathered only one daughter called Nyinamwiru who was the most beautiful girl in the kingdom and a princess, so called because her father was a peasant, but had been warned by fortunetellers that one of his descendants would overthrow him and take over power.

Due to this paranoia, he imprisoned Nyinamwiru and mutilated her, depriving her of one eye, one ear and one breast so she would not be desirable to any man.

While in the underworld, Omukama Isaza and Nyamata had bore a son and named him Isimbwa, Prince Isimbwa used to visit earth and on one of his adventures, he stumbled upon the dungeon(prison) Nyinamwiru was being hidden, mesmerized by her beauty and touched by her sorrow. He immediately fell in love with her and their encounter lead to the birth of a son whom they called Ndahura.

When Bukuku found out what had happened, he was very furious and immediately ordered a wide search for the little boy- his grandson. Remembering the warnings from the past he sought to execute the little boy before he grew into the man who would eventually overthrow him.

Baby Ndahura was captured and Bukuku decided to end his life by throwing him in a river. Nyinamwiru begged and pleaded with her father to spare her only child. She vowed to migrate to the outskirts of the kingdom to the lands unknown and raise the boy away from her father’s kingdom.

But Bukuku was adamant because the boy had royal blood flowing through his veins and was a legitimate claim to the kingdom he had grabbed. He went ahead and hurled him into the river and believed his troubles were over. He had killed his adversary. As luck may have it, the gods were watching over their grandson. The baby’s umbilical cord got stuck on a tree branch and was saved from drowning.

One of the king’s porters saw what had happened and hurriedly rescued him, hiding him in a cave. However he could not feed the newly born baby. He was just a lowly porter. If he couldn’t find a solution, the boy would surely die.

The gods saw their grandson was in jeopardy. They magically made the walls of the cave grow tens of breasts, dripping with milk enough to feed Baby Ndahura and all the babies in the kingdom. They came to be known as “Amabeere ga Nyinamwiru” translated as Nyinamwiru’s breasts.