Now that Omukama Oyo is 18, what next for Toro Kingdom?
Nov 25, 2009
Rukirabasaija Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV Omukama of Toro has come of age. Born on April 16, 1992, he will be 18 years old in April 2010. That means he will take the reins of power in his personal capacity because he will no longer be a minor.
By George Kaahwa
Rukirabasaija Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV Omukama of Toro has come of age. Born on April 16, 1992, he will be 18 years old in April 2010. That means he will take the reins of power in his personal capacity because he will no longer be a minor.
For quite some time, I have been contemplating discussing the developments in the kingdom. I wish to discuss the social, economic and to a small extent, political status of the districts in Toro with a view of comparing them with others in the region and attracting a debate. If there is any district which has been “gifted by nature†it is Kabarole.
Toro was born out of a disagreement between Omukama Kyebambe III of Bunyoro and his son, Kaboyo Kasunsunkwanzi Olimi I who ran away with wealth and was protected by the colonialists who were not happy with Bunyoro. It is only in Toro that one finds a town in Uganda with an English name—Fort Portal. This, coupled with the good soils, the terrains and the cool weather similar to the Kenya Highlands, attracted the British who not only found it homely but also married many women from there.
The vicinity of Kilembe Mines, once a successful mining company created a cosmopolitan town that enhanced the kingdom’s exposure. The Batooro got to mingle with many foreigners who came to work for Kilembe Mines. This exposed them to the outside world much earlier that the other people in the region. It created an avenue of learning from the more educated, industrious and organised migrant workers.
Tea plantations and factories in Mwenge were there much before those in Rukungiri. The friendliness of the Batooro coupled with Toro’s unique relationship with Buganda and the latter’s hostility to Bunyoro attracted very positive thinking.
No Mutooro can ignore the impact of missionaries. The first Bible to be translated in western Uganda was in Rutooro. All the hymn books in both the Catholic and Anglican Churches in Mbarara were in Rutooro. One of the oldest and most organised school then, Nyakasura, was founded out of the good relationship of the kings of Toro and Buganda.
The founder, Ernest Ebohard Callwell, left Budo and settled at Nyakasura carrying along with him the culture of hard work, optimism, courage and desire for knowledge as evidenced in the Nyakasura School hymn, “Years of Struggle lie behind us ceaseless labour little gain…… †Nyakasura competed favourably with big names likes Budo , Gayaza and Namagunga. What has happened to Nyakasura today? The Roman Catholic Missionaries did the same. They built two teaching colleges— St Augustines, Butiiti and St Scholastica, Kinyamasika where most of the teachers from the region trained from. Would it be too much to expect a higher level of literacy from us Batooro compared to others in the region? From the colonial days and even through Idi Amin’s regime, Toro enjoyed an enviable place in western Uganda.
Toro’s palace and the Omukama’s seat at Mucwa commands a better view than any I know in the west though I still wonder why Omukama Oyo Nyimba does not reside there. For some reason, Fort Portal attracted a number of foreign banks like Barclays and Grindlays on top of the then Government-owned Uganda Commercial Bank. The Bank of Uganda has also maintained a currency centre there. Does anybody remember that Toro had the only bottling plant in the whole of western Uganda bottling Rwenzori soda? Does anybody recall the organised shops of pre-1970s that were full of Raleigh bicycles, Sanyo and National radios? The Asians owning those shops must have known there was a market there! Against this background, what is the problem with Toro? Is it failure to spot a niche? Have we searched and failed to identify a hero in ourselves? Or are we satisfied to be what we are? Why is everything done at a subsistence level?
I believe the development of any area can only be championed by the people themselves. On numerous occasions I have witnessed Batooro from Kampala at burials who are always served first as they have to rush back ‘home’ (read Kampala) on the same day. If one does not live in the district, does not stay with the people at least for a day or two how will he know what is required to develop it? I do not want to believe that all Batooro working in Kampala are employed in departments of security or emergency to warrant them to be on standby in Kampala all their lifetime!
My King, Rukirabasaija Entale ya Toro celebrated his last Christmas in Entebbe with the children in the Mayor’s Garden! Are there no children in Toro? And interestingly, if he was a student at Nyakasura which his grandfather helped found, it would have made better sense as he would surely be following the right legacy. If he was studying at Nyakasura School, many people would be interested to be associated with the youngest king in the world by donating to or rehabilitating the school.
The argument that the Omukama should study in Kampala because there are “no good schools†in Fort Portal is defeatist and selfish. There are Batooro of his age who are studying in Toro and are getting adequate education. Besides, we study to attain education, knowledge and build career. His career (occupation) is already cut out for him. He is a cultural leader and this career can only be nurtured by understanding his own culture—an integral component of his lifelong job.
This is not possible if he lives outside his kingdom. It is very difficult to inculcate culture from a distance. Now that he has come of age, he should consider living in his Karuziika (palace) with his subjects and only visit Buganda but not vice versa. It is strange to rule as an absentee king—and it is unfair to the Batooro. A king cannot be a ‘Mufuruki’. We now have a good road from Kampala to Fort Portal. Let us support Rukirabasaija by showing more interest in our home.
The culture of going home cannot be hinged on income but rather on the attachment to that home. As we drive home we will spend some money on snacks and this money will sink further in the villages leaving value in each hand where it passes.
The money that buys plantain will be spent on an exercise book at a village shop. The shop owner will buy a mattress from the town trader. The trader will pay some village boys to make clay bricks for a permanent house. Where there is a will there must be a way. This might sound like little money but it can make a great impact.
Let us think of building residential houses in Toro so that we can live as comfortably there as we do in Kampala. Some people don’t go home because they have no houses there! When they do, they live in hotels. What a shame! Kampala is not our home.
We will end up in Toro dead or alive when all our struggles are over. There may be splendour in Kampala but it is artficial. A bird which flies from the ground and perches on an anthill is still on the ground!
The writer is a concerned Mutooro
Rukirabasaija Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV Omukama of Toro has come of age. Born on April 16, 1992, he will be 18 years old in April 2010. That means he will take the reins of power in his personal capacity because he will no longer be a minor.
For quite some time, I have been contemplating discussing the developments in the kingdom. I wish to discuss the social, economic and to a small extent, political status of the districts in Toro with a view of comparing them with others in the region and attracting a debate. If there is any district which has been “gifted by nature†it is Kabarole.
Toro was born out of a disagreement between Omukama Kyebambe III of Bunyoro and his son, Kaboyo Kasunsunkwanzi Olimi I who ran away with wealth and was protected by the colonialists who were not happy with Bunyoro. It is only in Toro that one finds a town in Uganda with an English name—Fort Portal. This, coupled with the good soils, the terrains and the cool weather similar to the Kenya Highlands, attracted the British who not only found it homely but also married many women from there.
The vicinity of Kilembe Mines, once a successful mining company created a cosmopolitan town that enhanced the kingdom’s exposure. The Batooro got to mingle with many foreigners who came to work for Kilembe Mines. This exposed them to the outside world much earlier that the other people in the region. It created an avenue of learning from the more educated, industrious and organised migrant workers.
Tea plantations and factories in Mwenge were there much before those in Rukungiri. The friendliness of the Batooro coupled with Toro’s unique relationship with Buganda and the latter’s hostility to Bunyoro attracted very positive thinking.
No Mutooro can ignore the impact of missionaries. The first Bible to be translated in western Uganda was in Rutooro. All the hymn books in both the Catholic and Anglican Churches in Mbarara were in Rutooro. One of the oldest and most organised school then, Nyakasura, was founded out of the good relationship of the kings of Toro and Buganda.
The founder, Ernest Ebohard Callwell, left Budo and settled at Nyakasura carrying along with him the culture of hard work, optimism, courage and desire for knowledge as evidenced in the Nyakasura School hymn, “Years of Struggle lie behind us ceaseless labour little gain…… †Nyakasura competed favourably with big names likes Budo , Gayaza and Namagunga. What has happened to Nyakasura today? The Roman Catholic Missionaries did the same. They built two teaching colleges— St Augustines, Butiiti and St Scholastica, Kinyamasika where most of the teachers from the region trained from. Would it be too much to expect a higher level of literacy from us Batooro compared to others in the region? From the colonial days and even through Idi Amin’s regime, Toro enjoyed an enviable place in western Uganda.
Toro’s palace and the Omukama’s seat at Mucwa commands a better view than any I know in the west though I still wonder why Omukama Oyo Nyimba does not reside there. For some reason, Fort Portal attracted a number of foreign banks like Barclays and Grindlays on top of the then Government-owned Uganda Commercial Bank. The Bank of Uganda has also maintained a currency centre there. Does anybody remember that Toro had the only bottling plant in the whole of western Uganda bottling Rwenzori soda? Does anybody recall the organised shops of pre-1970s that were full of Raleigh bicycles, Sanyo and National radios? The Asians owning those shops must have known there was a market there! Against this background, what is the problem with Toro? Is it failure to spot a niche? Have we searched and failed to identify a hero in ourselves? Or are we satisfied to be what we are? Why is everything done at a subsistence level?
I believe the development of any area can only be championed by the people themselves. On numerous occasions I have witnessed Batooro from Kampala at burials who are always served first as they have to rush back ‘home’ (read Kampala) on the same day. If one does not live in the district, does not stay with the people at least for a day or two how will he know what is required to develop it? I do not want to believe that all Batooro working in Kampala are employed in departments of security or emergency to warrant them to be on standby in Kampala all their lifetime!
My King, Rukirabasaija Entale ya Toro celebrated his last Christmas in Entebbe with the children in the Mayor’s Garden! Are there no children in Toro? And interestingly, if he was a student at Nyakasura which his grandfather helped found, it would have made better sense as he would surely be following the right legacy. If he was studying at Nyakasura School, many people would be interested to be associated with the youngest king in the world by donating to or rehabilitating the school.
The argument that the Omukama should study in Kampala because there are “no good schools†in Fort Portal is defeatist and selfish. There are Batooro of his age who are studying in Toro and are getting adequate education. Besides, we study to attain education, knowledge and build career. His career (occupation) is already cut out for him. He is a cultural leader and this career can only be nurtured by understanding his own culture—an integral component of his lifelong job.
This is not possible if he lives outside his kingdom. It is very difficult to inculcate culture from a distance. Now that he has come of age, he should consider living in his Karuziika (palace) with his subjects and only visit Buganda but not vice versa. It is strange to rule as an absentee king—and it is unfair to the Batooro. A king cannot be a ‘Mufuruki’. We now have a good road from Kampala to Fort Portal. Let us support Rukirabasaija by showing more interest in our home.
The culture of going home cannot be hinged on income but rather on the attachment to that home. As we drive home we will spend some money on snacks and this money will sink further in the villages leaving value in each hand where it passes.
The money that buys plantain will be spent on an exercise book at a village shop. The shop owner will buy a mattress from the town trader. The trader will pay some village boys to make clay bricks for a permanent house. Where there is a will there must be a way. This might sound like little money but it can make a great impact.
Let us think of building residential houses in Toro so that we can live as comfortably there as we do in Kampala. Some people don’t go home because they have no houses there! When they do, they live in hotels. What a shame! Kampala is not our home.
We will end up in Toro dead or alive when all our struggles are over. There may be splendour in Kampala but it is artficial. A bird which flies from the ground and perches on an anthill is still on the ground!
The writer is a concerned Mutooro