Pastoralists’ plight go beyond the Basongora
In 1971 and 1972, I carried out a historical fieldwork for my post-graduate studies in Queen Elizabeth National Park among the Basongora, Bakingwe and Bagabo or Banyampaka. During the pre-colonial period, the Bagabo, who traded salt from Lake Kasenyi, occupied the Irangara Island and the shores of L
By Dr. Ephraim Kamuhangire
In 1971 and 1972, I carried out a historical fieldwork for my post-graduate studies in Queen Elizabeth National Park among the Basongora, Bakingwe and Bagabo or Banyampaka. During the pre-colonial period, the Bagabo, who traded salt from Lake Kasenyi, occupied the Irangara Island and the shores of Lake George.
The Bakingwe were based on Kakure island and the eastern shore of Lake Edward. They also traded in salt from Lake Katwe. The Basongora on the other hand occupied the plain land from River Rwimi through the present Kasese town, Queen Elizabeth National Park, across the Semliki River into the present DRC, up to the Mulamba hills.
The Basongora were organised into three hereditary chiefdoms — Kisaka-Makara, Bugaya and Kiyanja. Busongora was a pastoralist region, famous for salt trade, which was exploited by the Bakingwe and the Bagabo.
Unfortunately, this picture changed after 1850 with the introduction of the ivory and slave trade. Because of repeated slave and ivory raids by Buganda and Nkore, Kabalega and his Abarusura occupied Busongora to control the salt, slave and ivory trade. However, Kabalega was dislodged from Busongora by Capt. F D Lugard in early 1890s.
By the beginning of the 20th Century, the Basongora were an exhausted people and the situation was worsened by the outbreak of sleeping sickness and nagana.
As a control measure, the colonial government evacuated all the people from the shores of Lake George, the Kazinga Channel and the plain land.
In 1906, the area was designated as a game reserve. People were given the option of either moving to the higher parts of the foothills of the Rwenzori Mountains or to migrate to other parts of Uganda such as Ankole and Buganda. Most Basongora chose the latter.
The region thus deprived of the cattle population, increasingly became a wildlife sanctuary and by the National Park Ordinance of March 1952, Queen Elizabeth National Park was gazetted and declared a national park.
In 1989 and 1990, Prof. Graham Edward Connah and I carried out an archeological fieldwork in the Queen Elizabeth National Park, which included the shore of Lake George, Lake Kasenyi, the Irangara island, both sides of the Kazinga Channel, the Ishasha sector, eastern Lake Edward and Lake Katwe. We realised that there was abundant archeological materials of broken pottery throughout the national park. The Mweya Peninsula has abundant Stone Age tools.
Today’s Queen Elizabeth National Park has a rich palaeontogical, archeological and historical past. Apart from the natural fauna and flora, it also has a rich cultural heritage.
The Basongora who were chased away from the Republic of Congo have tried to find refuge in their ancestral land, but it is also a gazetted National Park, the abode of the wildlife which is a national asset and a tourist attraction.
The Uganda Wildlife Authority personnel are evicting the Basongora out of the National Park with “minimum force†to protect the wildlife. People such as John Nagenda, the former chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Uganda Wildlife Authority, Samuel Mugasi, the chairman of the Foundation for Pastoralist Development and Opio Oloya from Canada, among others, have written about the Basongora occupation of the national park and how it will affect the wildlife and tourism generally. Some of them suggested possible solutions. There are other similar situations like the one of the Basongora which should be solved without the use of AK47s, spears, pangas, sticks and sectarianism. These include:
l Ugandan Banyarwanda from Tanzania who are in camps in Rakai and Kiruhura districts
l Balalo in Kumi and Soroti districts
l Bahima in Hoima, Masindi and Buliisa districts
l Ugandan Banyarwanda in Kabungo, Ntungamo district
l Pastoralists in Apac, Nebbi and Arua districts
The pastoralists normally live a nomadic life of moving from place to place looking for good pasture and water for their cattle. They tend not to adhere to modern systems of farming. That is why they can be found in Rushosho in Tanzania, the wetlands in the districts around Lake Kyoga, in DRC, to mention but few. However, there are other pastoralists who have adjusted to a sedentary life. They possess land titles, permanent homes and are co-existing with the societies without discrimination. It is possible the roaming pastoralists can also be guided to adapt to permanent settlement.
In order for the Government to establish a mechanism through which the current pastoralist problem can be addressed, I support Opio Oloya’s suggestion of setting up a National Commission of Enquiry, not for the Basongora and the wildlife in Queen Elizabeth National Park alone, but also for the current pastoralist question in Uganda.
The Government will define the TORs for the Commission of Enquiry, but I suggest that within the commission, representatives from the victimised pastoralist communities be included in making guidelines so as to avoid biased, inconclusive and uninformed reports.
I believe that the report of the proposed commission of inquiry will come up with a lasting solution to the pastoralists problem in Uganda.
In 1971 and 1972, I carried out a historical fieldwork for my post-graduate studies in Queen Elizabeth National Park among the Basongora, Bakingwe and Bagabo or Banyampaka. During the pre-colonial period, the Bagabo, who traded salt from Lake Kasenyi, occupied the Irangara Island and the shores of Lake George.
The Bakingwe were based on Kakure island and the eastern shore of Lake Edward. They also traded in salt from Lake Katwe. The Basongora on the other hand occupied the plain land from River Rwimi through the present Kasese town, Queen Elizabeth National Park, across the Semliki River into the present DRC, up to the Mulamba hills.
The Basongora were organised into three hereditary chiefdoms — Kisaka-Makara, Bugaya and Kiyanja. Busongora was a pastoralist region, famous for salt trade, which was exploited by the Bakingwe and the Bagabo.
Unfortunately, this picture changed after 1850 with the introduction of the ivory and slave trade. Because of repeated slave and ivory raids by Buganda and Nkore, Kabalega and his Abarusura occupied Busongora to control the salt, slave and ivory trade. However, Kabalega was dislodged from Busongora by Capt. F D Lugard in early 1890s.
By the beginning of the 20th Century, the Basongora were an exhausted people and the situation was worsened by the outbreak of sleeping sickness and nagana.
As a control measure, the colonial government evacuated all the people from the shores of Lake George, the Kazinga Channel and the plain land.
In 1906, the area was designated as a game reserve. People were given the option of either moving to the higher parts of the foothills of the Rwenzori Mountains or to migrate to other parts of Uganda such as Ankole and Buganda. Most Basongora chose the latter.
The region thus deprived of the cattle population, increasingly became a wildlife sanctuary and by the National Park Ordinance of March 1952, Queen Elizabeth National Park was gazetted and declared a national park.
In 1989 and 1990, Prof. Graham Edward Connah and I carried out an archeological fieldwork in the Queen Elizabeth National Park, which included the shore of Lake George, Lake Kasenyi, the Irangara island, both sides of the Kazinga Channel, the Ishasha sector, eastern Lake Edward and Lake Katwe. We realised that there was abundant archeological materials of broken pottery throughout the national park. The Mweya Peninsula has abundant Stone Age tools.
Today’s Queen Elizabeth National Park has a rich palaeontogical, archeological and historical past. Apart from the natural fauna and flora, it also has a rich cultural heritage.
The Basongora who were chased away from the Republic of Congo have tried to find refuge in their ancestral land, but it is also a gazetted National Park, the abode of the wildlife which is a national asset and a tourist attraction.
The Uganda Wildlife Authority personnel are evicting the Basongora out of the National Park with “minimum force†to protect the wildlife. People such as John Nagenda, the former chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Uganda Wildlife Authority, Samuel Mugasi, the chairman of the Foundation for Pastoralist Development and Opio Oloya from Canada, among others, have written about the Basongora occupation of the national park and how it will affect the wildlife and tourism generally. Some of them suggested possible solutions. There are other similar situations like the one of the Basongora which should be solved without the use of AK47s, spears, pangas, sticks and sectarianism. These include:
l Ugandan Banyarwanda from Tanzania who are in camps in Rakai and Kiruhura districts
l Balalo in Kumi and Soroti districts
l Bahima in Hoima, Masindi and Buliisa districts
l Ugandan Banyarwanda in Kabungo, Ntungamo district
l Pastoralists in Apac, Nebbi and Arua districts
The pastoralists normally live a nomadic life of moving from place to place looking for good pasture and water for their cattle. They tend not to adhere to modern systems of farming. That is why they can be found in Rushosho in Tanzania, the wetlands in the districts around Lake Kyoga, in DRC, to mention but few. However, there are other pastoralists who have adjusted to a sedentary life. They possess land titles, permanent homes and are co-existing with the societies without discrimination. It is possible the roaming pastoralists can also be guided to adapt to permanent settlement.
In order for the Government to establish a mechanism through which the current pastoralist problem can be addressed, I support Opio Oloya’s suggestion of setting up a National Commission of Enquiry, not for the Basongora and the wildlife in Queen Elizabeth National Park alone, but also for the current pastoralist question in Uganda.
The Government will define the TORs for the Commission of Enquiry, but I suggest that within the commission, representatives from the victimised pastoralist communities be included in making guidelines so as to avoid biased, inconclusive and uninformed reports.
I believe that the report of the proposed commission of inquiry will come up with a lasting solution to the pastoralists problem in Uganda.