Kamuswaga the second ascends Kooki throne
May 14, 2004
A vision appeared on April 13, 1990 to Kulistofa Serwadda Kalondozi of Kiwaguze village in Rakai district.
Kalondozi the mysterious soothsayer got vision of Mutebi, Kamuswaga enthronment.
A vision appeared on April 13, 1990 to Kulistofa Serwadda Kalondozi of Kiwaguze village in Rakai district. Perched on a jugged rock overlooking Rakai hill, Kalondozi was led through the mysterious vision by the ancestors of the land. In the long and splendid sojourn through his dreamland, he saw the then Sabalangira Ronald Muwenda Mutebi being reinstated as King on the throne of the mighty Buganda Kingdom.
The beauty of the dream intensified as Kalondozi was led deeper into the intricate maze of the world beyond ordinary understanding. He saw the Kamuswaga standing majestic on Rakai hill with thousands of his Bakooki subjects bowing and prostrating before him. He emerged from the dream 14 years ago, sweating and terrified. “The spirits showed me all what is happening now many years ago. In the dream, I saw ensanafu (red ants) invading the grounds on Rakai hill with swarms of bees attacking from all angles,†said Kalondozi.
He said he yelped and jumped up in the air, pointing to the ground. “Beware here are the red ants I dreamt about,†he said, pointing to the grass, “This really shows that the Kamuswaga is soon to reclaim his throne.†We all made haste to vacate the edge of the tiny ‘lake’ that was now besieged by thousands of red ants. As we fled the menacing ants, Kalondozi started to adorn his traditional attire of bark cloth, beads and several instruments. His voice turned hoarse as if possessed .
Swinging his head from side-to-side, he started to narrate how the glory of the Kamuswaga used to be and how Kooki was destined for greater times. Kalondozi is a soothsayer. He is among scores of traditionalists who will perform the rituals to sit the Kamuswaga this Saturday. The venue for the ceremony is behind Rakai district treasury building.
An area the size of a football pitch, has been fenced to provide for a palace for the Kamuswaga. Inside the enclosure, plots have been demarcated and allotted for various functions. To the left is a special hut known as the kisulo. This will be the main home of Kamuswaga for two weeks. “Once he enters this house on Wednesday, he will only leave it to have the installation rituals performed on Saturday. He will then return to the house in which he will live for the next eight days,†said one Salongo, the in-charge of constructions.
In this house, the Kamuswaga will live with his Lubuga, one of his sisters, who escorts him throughout the ceremonies, and another girl, who is the ceremonial ‘wife’ and who must be a virgin. “These people attend to him all the time although there are others including security guards and palace workers,†said Salongo. To the left of the kisulo, is the main hut where the Kamuswaga will be washed on the eve of Saturday. It is also the area he will have have sacred cleansing ceremonies performed throughout the night. This is the kajagira ceremonial hut. Other huts built in the enclosure include the Mayange or drum house, where all the important drums are stored. The main drum, Mayange, will thunder to announce the ascension of the new Kamuswaga. Outside the inner enclosure is the queen mother’s hut, and nearer the main entrance, is the guard house. From the Kajagira hut, the Kamuswaga will be led through the main entrance of the ‘palace’ by the Ssababiito (head of the royal clan) and handed over to the Katikiiro of Buganda, who will perform the installation ceremony before the audience. The Kamuswaga, the traditional ruler of Kooki county, has been in limbo for 38 years, since the collapse of traditional rulers following the Buganda crisis of 1966. Kamuswaga Apollo Sansa Kabumbuli II follows in the footsteps of his forefathers who ruled Kooki county with semi-autonomy from the king of Buganda.
Kooki enjoyed a special status in the then Buganda Kingdom as the sole county that had a hereditary ruler appointed as county chief.
“This is a historic day that will be remembered by the Kamuswaga and all the people of Kooki county. It is the day that Kabaka Ronald Mutebi has seen it befitting to have him installed as the county chief of Kooki,†said katikiiro Mulywanyammuli Ssemwogerere, prime minister of Buganda.
Kooki county is located to the south eastern boundary of Buganda, towards the Tanzanian border. The county was a small neighbouring kingdom to Buganda until the 19th century, when Kabaka Mwanga of Buganda signed an agreement with the Kamuswaga of Kooki to make the county part of Buganda.
In the agreement, Kabaka Mwanga made Kamuswaga the hereditary ruler of Kooki county, which had hitherto been a separate chiefdom. Kooki became one of the most important counties in Buganda and still remains a crucial one.
Apollo kabumbuli’s grandfather, Yoweri Kayiba, was the last person to sit on the seat of the Kamuswaga. his son, Edward Mazinga, the father of the current Kamuswaga, passed away in 1987, when the chieftaincy was in limbo. Today, thousands of people from near and far will ascend the rocky Rakai hill to witness the ascension of the most royal of all Babiito to the Kamuswaga seat of ceremonial power.
Ends
A vision appeared on April 13, 1990 to Kulistofa Serwadda Kalondozi of Kiwaguze village in Rakai district. Perched on a jugged rock overlooking Rakai hill, Kalondozi was led through the mysterious vision by the ancestors of the land. In the long and splendid sojourn through his dreamland, he saw the then Sabalangira Ronald Muwenda Mutebi being reinstated as King on the throne of the mighty Buganda Kingdom.
The beauty of the dream intensified as Kalondozi was led deeper into the intricate maze of the world beyond ordinary understanding. He saw the Kamuswaga standing majestic on Rakai hill with thousands of his Bakooki subjects bowing and prostrating before him. He emerged from the dream 14 years ago, sweating and terrified. “The spirits showed me all what is happening now many years ago. In the dream, I saw ensanafu (red ants) invading the grounds on Rakai hill with swarms of bees attacking from all angles,†said Kalondozi.
He said he yelped and jumped up in the air, pointing to the ground. “Beware here are the red ants I dreamt about,†he said, pointing to the grass, “This really shows that the Kamuswaga is soon to reclaim his throne.†We all made haste to vacate the edge of the tiny ‘lake’ that was now besieged by thousands of red ants. As we fled the menacing ants, Kalondozi started to adorn his traditional attire of bark cloth, beads and several instruments. His voice turned hoarse as if possessed .
Swinging his head from side-to-side, he started to narrate how the glory of the Kamuswaga used to be and how Kooki was destined for greater times. Kalondozi is a soothsayer. He is among scores of traditionalists who will perform the rituals to sit the Kamuswaga this Saturday. The venue for the ceremony is behind Rakai district treasury building.
An area the size of a football pitch, has been fenced to provide for a palace for the Kamuswaga. Inside the enclosure, plots have been demarcated and allotted for various functions. To the left is a special hut known as the kisulo. This will be the main home of Kamuswaga for two weeks. “Once he enters this house on Wednesday, he will only leave it to have the installation rituals performed on Saturday. He will then return to the house in which he will live for the next eight days,†said one Salongo, the in-charge of constructions.
In this house, the Kamuswaga will live with his Lubuga, one of his sisters, who escorts him throughout the ceremonies, and another girl, who is the ceremonial ‘wife’ and who must be a virgin. “These people attend to him all the time although there are others including security guards and palace workers,†said Salongo. To the left of the kisulo, is the main hut where the Kamuswaga will be washed on the eve of Saturday. It is also the area he will have have sacred cleansing ceremonies performed throughout the night. This is the kajagira ceremonial hut. Other huts built in the enclosure include the Mayange or drum house, where all the important drums are stored. The main drum, Mayange, will thunder to announce the ascension of the new Kamuswaga. Outside the inner enclosure is the queen mother’s hut, and nearer the main entrance, is the guard house. From the Kajagira hut, the Kamuswaga will be led through the main entrance of the ‘palace’ by the Ssababiito (head of the royal clan) and handed over to the Katikiiro of Buganda, who will perform the installation ceremony before the audience. The Kamuswaga, the traditional ruler of Kooki county, has been in limbo for 38 years, since the collapse of traditional rulers following the Buganda crisis of 1966. Kamuswaga Apollo Sansa Kabumbuli II follows in the footsteps of his forefathers who ruled Kooki county with semi-autonomy from the king of Buganda.
Kooki enjoyed a special status in the then Buganda Kingdom as the sole county that had a hereditary ruler appointed as county chief.
“This is a historic day that will be remembered by the Kamuswaga and all the people of Kooki county. It is the day that Kabaka Ronald Mutebi has seen it befitting to have him installed as the county chief of Kooki,†said katikiiro Mulywanyammuli Ssemwogerere, prime minister of Buganda.
Kooki county is located to the south eastern boundary of Buganda, towards the Tanzanian border. The county was a small neighbouring kingdom to Buganda until the 19th century, when Kabaka Mwanga of Buganda signed an agreement with the Kamuswaga of Kooki to make the county part of Buganda.
In the agreement, Kabaka Mwanga made Kamuswaga the hereditary ruler of Kooki county, which had hitherto been a separate chiefdom. Kooki became one of the most important counties in Buganda and still remains a crucial one.
Apollo kabumbuli’s grandfather, Yoweri Kayiba, was the last person to sit on the seat of the Kamuswaga. his son, Edward Mazinga, the father of the current Kamuswaga, passed away in 1987, when the chieftaincy was in limbo. Today, thousands of people from near and far will ascend the rocky Rakai hill to witness the ascension of the most royal of all Babiito to the Kamuswaga seat of ceremonial power.
Ends