Mengo stops traditional healers from holding rituals

Mar 04, 2009

THE Mengo government has stopped traditional healers in Kayunga district from carrying out rituals on River Musamya, which connects the district to Mukono.

By Charles Jjuuko

THE Mengo government has stopped traditional healers in Kayunga district from carrying out rituals on River Musamya, which connects the district to Mukono.

The Bugerere county representative on the Buganda Lukiiko, Ssevume Musoke, stopped the gathering of cattle and chicken to be slaughtered so as to appease the misambwa (spirits) on the river, which the traditional healers said were causing misfortunes to the community.

Musoke said the people, who pioneered the cultural rituals, were Basoga and knew nothing about Buganda rituals that should be performed on the river.

He, however, said the Mengo government was negotiating with Busoga to let the Baganda perform the rituals.

“We cannot allow people from Busoga to perform rituals on this river. It is in Buganda and as I speak, the issue is being handled by the kingdom’s culture ministry,” Musoke said, adding that Mengo would identify people eligible to carry out the rituals.

Traditional healers in the district, led by Godfrey Najja, alleged that the spirits washed away the bridge and caused the death of eight people who were crossing the river in a canoe recently. They said the spirits needed to be appeased.

“We will comply with the kingdom directive, but it was the spirits who told us through dreams to do the sacrifice,” Najja said.

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