Baruli fighting for self determination
Like a huge shadow, the rocky hills to the north of Nakasongola town, dominate the its sky lines. Herds of cattle gracefully graze by the road side. This is the heart of Buruuli.
By Joshua Kato and Fredrick Kiwanuka
Like a huge shadow, the rocky hills to the north of Nakasongola town, dominate the its sky lines. Herds of cattle gracefully graze by the road side. This is the heart of Buruuli.
A small town, which has come to identify the existence of the Baruuli.
The cradle of the Baruuli stretches to Kafu River on the border with Masindi district to the north west, Lira district to the north and Kayunga district to the east.
The Baruuli are indigenous Bantu. They were part of the Bachwezi empire of Bunyoro-Kitara. They originated from Congo in 15th century. They briefly settled in Bunyoro before moving towards the shores of lake Kyoga. This explains why they share culture with the Banyoro.
However, because of assimilation through intermarriages with the Baganda to the south, the Baruuli resemble Baganda.
Oral tradition reveals that the Baruli are descendants of Ruanga (God), who lived in Cope, the present day Kinanda Marungi and Oyam county in Apac and Masindi districts.
Many Baruuli were integrated with the Alur to the north, while others migrated further east and intermarried with the Basoga and the Samia, among other tribes.
The inter-marriage gave rise to the Balamogi, Bagungu, Bakenyi and Bagwere.
Although most Baruuli are fluent in Luganda, their real mother tongue is a mixture of Runyoro, Lunyara, Luganda and Lukenyi. Officially though, the Baruuli are Baganda.
Historically, the region where they live belonged to Bunyoro. But because of the wars in the mid 1890s, the British gave the land south of River Kafu to Buganda to thank them for their support against the Banyoro.
Before they became ‘Baganda’, they lived their own heritage. Thus, although the Baruuli are not very populous, they had 129 clans, compared to the Baganda, who have only 52.
“Clan leaders were elderly people who had seen it all from the tribes,†says the Isabaruuli Isalongo Mwogezi Mubijwa Butamanya.
They were the voices of wisdom and hope among the Baruli. “Each clan played a part in the stability of the community,†says Mwogezi.
At the height of their dispersion by the invading Luos, Baruuli priests of Karongo and Nyakooka, helped the Luo Babiito rulers to take control of the Bachwezi throne in Bunyoro-Kitara. These priests’ divination had been accepted.
They helped two Luo twin-brothers, Isingoma Rukidi Mpuga and Kato to cross Lake Kyoga to establish the Luo Babiito Dynasty in Bunyoro-Kitara. For many generations, the Baruuli held their own against invading expansionist Baganda.
While Kabakas Ssemakokiro, Jjunju and Kamanya are heroes in Buganda’s history, the Baruuli consider them as killers.
The trio attacked and killed, but did not defeat the resolve of the Baruuli. Their resolve was, however, beaten in the early 1890s, when a combined force of the British, Baganda and Nubians defeated a joint force of Banyoro and Baruuli.
In the 1900 agreement, the Baruuli were incorporated as one of the counties of Buganda.
In the second half of the 20th century, a referendum was supposed to be held in Buruuli to ask them if they wanted to remain in Buganda, or be part of Bunyoro. But people did not participate in it and nothing changed.
The knowledge among Baruuli that they are Baganda because their land was captured still haunts them. Living as Baganda for over 100 years has compelled them to fight for their self-determination.
“The Baganda administrative policy was shaped by the principles of assimilation, exploitation and revenge,†says Mwogezi.
“The assimilation policy brought a state of positive resentment of one community against another. We feel inferior. Many of our people are not even willing to say they are Baruuli because of that stigma,†says Stephano Kajura Nsobya, 75.
“This stigma has to stop. We have to rediscover our traditions. We have to show the world that we do not belong to anybody, but to ourselves.â€
He laments that generations have been lost because Lululi, their mother tongue, was replaced with Luganda. Kiruuli names were replaced by kiganda names and Kiruuli culture was driven under ground.
The Baruli complain that the Mengo establishment does not give them priority.
While other districts of Buganda support a federal arrangement in their submissions to the CRC, Nakasongola district did not.
“If Buganda is granted a federal status, it will make our fight for self determination even harder. We shall be one huge unit, engulfed by greater Buganda. For as long as we remain a single district within Buganda, chances of advancing our identity is bleak,†Mwogeza says.
The Baruuli envy the fact that huge tracts of land in Buruli, just like in parts of Bunyoro, are owned by absentee Baganda landlords.
They welcomed a district status in 1997 as a first step.
“The next thing we want is to find our feet again. We want to go where we want to be,†says Mwogezi.
Considered a radical by Buganda, Mwogezi does not believe them.
“It is because I have stood for what my people believe in. I have campaigned for the self determination of our people. Those who allege that I am a radical just don’t want to listen to what I say. They hate the self determination of the Baruuli. They want us to remain in bondage."
The Baruuli are settled near water bodies and this explains why they they live mainly on fishing and other water-related activities. For instance, most of the small boats at Rwampanga port on Lake Kyoga are owned by Baruuli. At Butiaba port on lake Albert, most of the small boats and canoes are owned by the Bagungu, who are related to the Baruuli. The Bakenye, who are also related to the Baruuli engage in fishing on Lake Victoria.
“Our grandfathers settled around lake shores. I grew up seeing them fishing and they taught us how to fish,†Nsobya says. Rwampanga port is one of the leading sources of fish for the districts of Luweero, Masindi, Wakiso and Kampala.
The Baruuli are also cattlekeepers. According to records at Nakasongola district headquarters, there are over 0.5 million heads of cattle in the district.
Trucks carrying milk leave Buruuli for Kampala daily. Other than Ngoma in Luweero district, the bulk of milk entering Kampala via Bombo road comes from Buruuli.
Education among the Baruuli is still low. According to Chryzestom Kayise, the district CAO, out of the 1,800 pupils who sat for PLE last year, only 93 passed in first grade.
Worse still, some of the best performing pupils may not even be Baruuli. This is because the best perfoming pupils were from Nakasongola Army Primary School, which has mainly children of UPDF soldiers originating from all over the country.
Baruuli largely support the government of President Yoweri Museveni. In the 2001 elections, they gave him 99 per cent of their votes. There was even unsubstantiated talk that for their love of the president, they even allowed cows to vote!
However, they recently voiced their displeasure at the way the national cake is shared. In a Cabinet reshuffle last year, Muruuli Mukasa, their son, was dropped.
“We are not happy with such marginalisation,†Mwogezi says.
He adds that it is wrong for those in power to assume that whatever they give to Buganda trickles down to the Baruuli.
For many years, the Baruuli have tried to install their king. The latest proposal for the enthronment of their king was last October. They are longing for a king around whom they would consolidate their self determination.
Like a huge shadow, the rocky hills to the north of Nakasongola town, dominate the its sky lines. Herds of cattle gracefully graze by the road side. This is the heart of Buruuli.
A small town, which has come to identify the existence of the Baruuli.
The cradle of the Baruuli stretches to Kafu River on the border with Masindi district to the north west, Lira district to the north and Kayunga district to the east.
The Baruuli are indigenous Bantu. They were part of the Bachwezi empire of Bunyoro-Kitara. They originated from Congo in 15th century. They briefly settled in Bunyoro before moving towards the shores of lake Kyoga. This explains why they share culture with the Banyoro.
However, because of assimilation through intermarriages with the Baganda to the south, the Baruuli resemble Baganda.
Oral tradition reveals that the Baruli are descendants of Ruanga (God), who lived in Cope, the present day Kinanda Marungi and Oyam county in Apac and Masindi districts.
Many Baruuli were integrated with the Alur to the north, while others migrated further east and intermarried with the Basoga and the Samia, among other tribes.
The inter-marriage gave rise to the Balamogi, Bagungu, Bakenyi and Bagwere.
Although most Baruuli are fluent in Luganda, their real mother tongue is a mixture of Runyoro, Lunyara, Luganda and Lukenyi. Officially though, the Baruuli are Baganda.
Historically, the region where they live belonged to Bunyoro. But because of the wars in the mid 1890s, the British gave the land south of River Kafu to Buganda to thank them for their support against the Banyoro.
Before they became ‘Baganda’, they lived their own heritage. Thus, although the Baruuli are not very populous, they had 129 clans, compared to the Baganda, who have only 52.
“Clan leaders were elderly people who had seen it all from the tribes,†says the Isabaruuli Isalongo Mwogezi Mubijwa Butamanya.
They were the voices of wisdom and hope among the Baruli. “Each clan played a part in the stability of the community,†says Mwogezi.
At the height of their dispersion by the invading Luos, Baruuli priests of Karongo and Nyakooka, helped the Luo Babiito rulers to take control of the Bachwezi throne in Bunyoro-Kitara. These priests’ divination had been accepted.
They helped two Luo twin-brothers, Isingoma Rukidi Mpuga and Kato to cross Lake Kyoga to establish the Luo Babiito Dynasty in Bunyoro-Kitara. For many generations, the Baruuli held their own against invading expansionist Baganda.
While Kabakas Ssemakokiro, Jjunju and Kamanya are heroes in Buganda’s history, the Baruuli consider them as killers.
The trio attacked and killed, but did not defeat the resolve of the Baruuli. Their resolve was, however, beaten in the early 1890s, when a combined force of the British, Baganda and Nubians defeated a joint force of Banyoro and Baruuli.
In the 1900 agreement, the Baruuli were incorporated as one of the counties of Buganda.
In the second half of the 20th century, a referendum was supposed to be held in Buruuli to ask them if they wanted to remain in Buganda, or be part of Bunyoro. But people did not participate in it and nothing changed.
The knowledge among Baruuli that they are Baganda because their land was captured still haunts them. Living as Baganda for over 100 years has compelled them to fight for their self-determination.
“The Baganda administrative policy was shaped by the principles of assimilation, exploitation and revenge,†says Mwogezi.
“The assimilation policy brought a state of positive resentment of one community against another. We feel inferior. Many of our people are not even willing to say they are Baruuli because of that stigma,†says Stephano Kajura Nsobya, 75.
“This stigma has to stop. We have to rediscover our traditions. We have to show the world that we do not belong to anybody, but to ourselves.â€
He laments that generations have been lost because Lululi, their mother tongue, was replaced with Luganda. Kiruuli names were replaced by kiganda names and Kiruuli culture was driven under ground.
The Baruli complain that the Mengo establishment does not give them priority.
While other districts of Buganda support a federal arrangement in their submissions to the CRC, Nakasongola district did not.
“If Buganda is granted a federal status, it will make our fight for self determination even harder. We shall be one huge unit, engulfed by greater Buganda. For as long as we remain a single district within Buganda, chances of advancing our identity is bleak,†Mwogeza says.
The Baruuli envy the fact that huge tracts of land in Buruli, just like in parts of Bunyoro, are owned by absentee Baganda landlords.
They welcomed a district status in 1997 as a first step.
“The next thing we want is to find our feet again. We want to go where we want to be,†says Mwogezi.
Considered a radical by Buganda, Mwogezi does not believe them.
“It is because I have stood for what my people believe in. I have campaigned for the self determination of our people. Those who allege that I am a radical just don’t want to listen to what I say. They hate the self determination of the Baruuli. They want us to remain in bondage."
The Baruuli are settled near water bodies and this explains why they they live mainly on fishing and other water-related activities. For instance, most of the small boats at Rwampanga port on Lake Kyoga are owned by Baruuli. At Butiaba port on lake Albert, most of the small boats and canoes are owned by the Bagungu, who are related to the Baruuli. The Bakenye, who are also related to the Baruuli engage in fishing on Lake Victoria.
“Our grandfathers settled around lake shores. I grew up seeing them fishing and they taught us how to fish,†Nsobya says. Rwampanga port is one of the leading sources of fish for the districts of Luweero, Masindi, Wakiso and Kampala.
The Baruuli are also cattlekeepers. According to records at Nakasongola district headquarters, there are over 0.5 million heads of cattle in the district.
Trucks carrying milk leave Buruuli for Kampala daily. Other than Ngoma in Luweero district, the bulk of milk entering Kampala via Bombo road comes from Buruuli.
Education among the Baruuli is still low. According to Chryzestom Kayise, the district CAO, out of the 1,800 pupils who sat for PLE last year, only 93 passed in first grade.
Worse still, some of the best performing pupils may not even be Baruuli. This is because the best perfoming pupils were from Nakasongola Army Primary School, which has mainly children of UPDF soldiers originating from all over the country.
Baruuli largely support the government of President Yoweri Museveni. In the 2001 elections, they gave him 99 per cent of their votes. There was even unsubstantiated talk that for their love of the president, they even allowed cows to vote!
However, they recently voiced their displeasure at the way the national cake is shared. In a Cabinet reshuffle last year, Muruuli Mukasa, their son, was dropped.
“We are not happy with such marginalisation,†Mwogezi says.
He adds that it is wrong for those in power to assume that whatever they give to Buganda trickles down to the Baruuli.
For many years, the Baruuli have tried to install their king. The latest proposal for the enthronment of their king was last October. They are longing for a king around whom they would consolidate their self determination.