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The Legend of Isaza and the Zebra Skin

Omukama Isaza(Last King of the Tembuzi dynasty) ascended to the throne when he was still very young and he faced many difficulties including the first locust disasters during his reign.

The locusts are known to have destroyed forests and all plants. The King and his people could not defeat these locusts because were so many.

Scientists of the era sat down and tried to look for a solution and it was revealed Lakes Mwitanzige’s(Albert) water was poisonous and could kill millions of locusts.

Isaza Rugambanabato ordered his men from southern Rwanda to northern Uganda to work hard to face these locusts. Their work was to line up one by one from Southern Rwanda to Northern Uganda and dig a long dam in which they would plant trees that locusts liked to eat.

During that hard work old men were not able to work as King Isaza wanted. He ordered that all old men be killed to give space to young ones who were able to face the challenge. The young monarch was therefore nicknamed “Rugambanabato” (he who talks only with young people).

Trees that were most liked by locusts were planted and the locusts left Lake Nzige(current Mugesera in Rwanda) and started eating them up to Lake Mwitanzinge(current Lake Albert in Uganda) were they all died.

 

How the old men were allowed back in the palace

Rugambanabato enjoyed hunting. One day after killing a young gazelle, which had a nice skin, he expressed a wish to put on the skin of the young gazelle. His friends made the skin into the form of a cloth and gave it to him. The king was extremely delighted, but unfortunately, the skin dried on him and became too tight pressing against him to the point of squeezing him to death.

The King went to see aunt called Kogere and his sister Nyangoma to tell of his dilemma. The two had hidden an old man and the old man felt sorry when he was told the tragic story. The old man went with his grandson to save Rugambanabato.  When he arrived at the scene, he ordered Rugambanabato’s friends to take him to a river and let him sleep entirely in the water. When he emerged from the water, the animal skin has softened and with the aid of a knife the old man was able to cut the skin. He opened it and took Rugambanabato out of the skin.

King Rugambanabato was so delighted and ordered that if there is any other older man hidden somewhere, they should show up and come to live at his palace and made them his court advisors and ordered them not to depart from his presence. From then, Rugambanabato preferred the old men to the young men and agreed to be advised by the elders because young people were not able to save him.  He respected the old people from that time onwards.

This Nyoro “cautionary tale” points the familiar moral that a person in authority neglects at his peril the advice of those older and wiser than he, and that old men are likely to be better informed than callow youth. But it also stresses another important feature of Nyoro ideas about authority – namely, that it is not inappropriate for young person’s to have power.  in fact, succession by the youngest or a younger son is a characteristic feature of Nyoro inheritance. The role of the Older brother is to act as a guardian until the heir is old enough to assume full authority. Nyoro say that a first son should not inherit; Age is a qualification for advisory, not executive authority; it is right that the aged should be spared the arduousness of decision making, but right that they should guide and advise those in power.

The Story of Kintu and his 3 Sons

In the beginning, there was Ruhanga-God who created the earth. When he created the first man, there were no names, so he simply called him Kintu, which means “created thing or person”.

Kintu had three sons but it was very confusing for them not to have names. They all shared the name ‘Kana’ (meaning little child) Whenever the father called one, they could all come and whenever he gave one child a present, they all quarreled declaring it was intended for them, So, he asked Ruhanga if they could be given names. Ruhanga agreed but he proposed *two tests* to help him select the boys names.

In the first test, the boys had to select some items that were placed along a path where they would find them.

In the second test, the boys had to keep bowls of milk on their lap during a night until morning.

For the first test, Potatoes, millet, leather thong/strap and a ox’s head were placed along the path, As the children walked, they found the things in the path, the eldest son picked up the potatoes and millet, the second pick up the leather thong and the youngest, picked the ox’s head.

For the second test, they sat down on the ground, with their legs stretched out, each holding on his lap a full wooden milk pot. At midnight, the youngest boy started to dose and spilt half of his milk: He greatly feared and turned to his brothers to beg them to give him their milk that his pot might be full, so the two brothers filled up their young brother milk pot. But at cock crow the eldest spilled all his milk, and when he asked his brothers to pour from their pots into his, they refused, saying that he would need so much to fill up the empty pot.

At dawn Ruhanga came and told each to uncover his milk pot. With the eldest, he found it empty; with the second, half full; while the youngest had his full.

So Ruhanga called Kintu that he had found the names for his three children.

The oldest son was named Kairu, which means “little peasant” for he had shown that he knew nothing about the value of cattle or milk. He had spilled all his milk, and he had chosen potatoes and millet from the items along the path. He and all his descendants forever would be farmers and servants.

The second he named Kahuma which means (little herdsman), This is because he had chosen the leather thong/stap, used for tying up cattle, and only half of his milk was missing

The youngest son had all his milk. And he had chosen the head of an ox in the first test. Ruhanga named him Kakama, which means “little mukama.” A mukama is a ruler.

During the reign of the Abatembuzi (950 AD – 1300 AD)

During the reign of the Abatembuzi (950 AD – 1300 AD)

The saying was
Mbere Mwenda gwa kitara njuna
(We are all Banyakitara, we are one)

The Batembuzi empire included below solid states
1. Mwenge – Banyamwenge
2. Bugangaizi – Bagangaizi
3. Bwiru – Banyabwiru
4. Bugahya – Bagahya
5. Chope – Bachope
6. Butuku – Batuku

And other Small states

Bugangaizi Saza was mainly for
1. Tombs
2. Iron Smelting
3. Pottery
Was dubbed the Industrial Area of the empire

Mwenge Saza was mainly for
1. Pastrolists
Kahuma the 2nd son of Kintu is believed to have given that area and still to date it has Abahuma/pastrolits

Bwiru – Banyabwiru
1. Agriculture
Kairu, the third 1st son of kintu was given this areas to get food to feed the people in the empire, Currently the area is called Buddu having been occupied by Buganda in the 16th Century

Bugahya
1. Center of the Power
Kakama the (Flench(third person) of Kintu’s Sons whose line was the foundation and meant to govern the empire

Chope, Butuku
1. Was mainly for recuriting Army to protect the Empire

Kugonza Akiiki

Kitara names given as a result of Inspiration from Nature

*KITARA NAMES GIVEN AS A RESULT OF INSPIRATION FROM NATURE*
. 1*Kanyunyuzi* comes from *runyunyuzi* which means a *star*, So kakyunyuzi would mean child of a star.
2. *Runengo, Kabengo* comes from *enengo*, enengo means *canyon or gorge* (a narrow valley between hills or mountains, typically with steep rocky walls and a stream running through it.
3. *Isaza* comes from *obusaza* which means a *peas*, Obusaza are peas with small white flowers and long green pods containing edible green seeds
4. *Kayaga* comes from *omuyaga* meaning *windy*.
5. *Ntale, Komuntale* comes from *entale*, entale is a *lion*
6. *Kakwanzi, Nkwanzi* comes from *Enkwanzi*, Enkwanzi are *beads*.
7. *Kawino* comes from *Obuwino*, Obwino are *red beads with a black spot/dot*
8. *Musana or Kasana* means *sun*, So you can name your children Musana or Kasana
9. *Kwezi* is *moon*, so you can name your child *Kwezi, Nyakwezi*
10. *Mugerwa* comes from *Omugera* meaning *river*
11. *Kagoro, Kabingo* comes from *Orugoro/Orubingo* which means *reeds*
12. *Iguru* means *Sky*, so you can name your child the same
13. Kajura and Nyangura comes from *Enjura* which means *rain*, so you can name your child *Kajura or Nyajura*
14. *Kahangi* comes from *omuhangaizima* which means *rainbow*
15. *Kyakyo* is flower, so you can name your child the same
etc
Note: In Kitara, you can be named after any beautiful natural thing

History of Masaka

*Masaka* Comes from Amasaka.(Sorghum) the major crop that was then grown in the area.
Amasaka is a Kinyarwanda name for Sorghum. Many people that lived in the area then were mainly Batusi(people of the hills/mounds).
In this Empire of Kitara historical Map, you see Ntusi and Masaka hill as some of the historical sites.
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Heirs at all Costs – The Story of Omukama Nyamuhanga and Nyabagabe

Heirs at all Costs – The Story of Omukama Nyamuhanga and Nyabagabe
Nyamuhanga was the 7th Omukama of Empire of Kitara, having ruled somewhere in the early 11th Century, his father was Omukama Kabengera Kazooba Ihangi, of the Batembuzi dynasty coming from the Bagabu clan.
Nyamuhanga ruled for a long time but his attempts to get a heir to the throne where futile as non of his wives would produce a male child to take over the throne once gone, since the foundation of the Empire of kitara, the customs were only a son would succeed his father.
Nyamuhanga consulted a diviner about his demise, the diviner advised him to marry a girl called Nyabagabe a daughter to one his servants called Igoro.
Lucky enough Nyabagabe was able to bore a child, the child was named Nkya[meaning “Lucky”] because it was considered a luck for the king to have a child.
People were delighted at Nyabagabe’s good luck. They were glad that the daughter of a mere servant had married a king.
Even today when something lucky happened to someone, people would comment: “That one must have been born at about the time Nyabagabe was in labor.” Omukama(king) Nyamuhanga is still remembered today by many people.

The need for Ugandans to reflect on Kangai. – The Place where Omukama chwa II Kabaleega was Captured

*The need for Ugandans to reflect on Kangai. – The Place where Omukama chwa II Kabaleega was Captured*

By Jonathan Akweteireho
Setting is the hot bright sun causing glitters on the two cows grazing next to the spot where Bunyoro’s all time Omukama Kabalega was humiliated and captured by the bloodthirsty British colonialists helped by their Baganda collaborators.
A handful of grass thatched huts gaze at the monument, the winds shake the huge mango trees in the nearby. It is 6:01pm, there’s no one at the health centre II whose roof is seen a few meters away. Being a festive season, there’s silence at the grinding Mill that neigbours the makeshift Kabalega market,which is a few dry sticks standing,virtually just space, where people meet every Thursday to buy and sell their goods, all in memory of the great Kings; Kabalega of Bunyoro and Mwanga of Buganda,whose “monuments of capture” are about 300meters a part separated by a road. This is in Dokolo district, Lango region.
It’s 30th December 2020, I’m here by coincidence following a car breakdown.
On the way to Dokolo district for his campaigns,FDC presidential flagbearer Eng Patrick Amuria’s cars swirl the dust a few kilometers past the spot, Uganda’s most important one,where we finally lost power,starting a journey that crafts us into mordern democracy, which isn’t African, for we truly are years back effecting this imposition.
The political gears we go through every five years need to be reflected on Kangai, where, we would visit and pray for the country. For what we are going through politically,I took a moment to pray for my country.
Kangai needs to be made special because it surely is.
And the residents’ demand for a university in memory is just fitting.
However, such a school needs to be purely on African studies, African nationalism,family life,African culture and things of that nature.
In the current political contests, tribal and religious sentiments are rife, a danger for everyone, a huge
May be an image of food and outdoors
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