Hamu Mukasa, the royal page that championed Ugandan education

Jul 24, 2012

To mark 50 years of Uganda’s independence, New Vision will until October 9, 2012 be publishing highlights of events and pro ling personalities that have shaped the history of this country.

To mark 50 years of Uganda’s independence, New Vision will until October 9, 2012 be publishing highlights of events and pro ling personalities that have shaped the history of this country. Today, JOEL OGWANG looks at the outstanding contribution of Hamu Mukasa, Kabaka Mwanga’s illiterate page, who rose through the ranks to champion education in Uganda

HIS rise from a page boy at Kabaka Mwanga’s Palace to become the private secretary to the powerful and revered, Sir Apollo Kaggwa, then Buganda Katikiro, is one of the most remarkable tales in Buganda’s folklore.

Yet, it is how Hamu Mukasa, an illiterate son of a Muganda chief, infl uenced the spread of formal education in Buganda kingdom and, later, Uganda, which gives him a permanent position of honour in postindependence Uganda’s education system.

Tracing his education journey 
A tale is told of how Ashe Rosco, a missionary, bumped into Mukasa one day, asking him if he could read and write. His response was a “No”, maintaining that he was learning Swahili and Arabic so as to read the Quran.

But, if curiosity killed the cat, as an old adage goes, then it only opened doors for Mukasa’s rise and, ostensibly, left a legendary footprint in Uganda’s education circles.

Insisting he wanted to learn how to read and write, Rosco took Mukasa to Alexander Mackay, then based at Natete and, thanks to his agility and persistence, the youngster’s wish was met.

Upon excelling in writing and reading Arabic and English, Kaggwa appointed Mukasa his private secretary, earning him a nickname “scholar who never went to school”, according to literature in the Hamu Mukasa Foundation.

“He was an avid reader and a kind man, who wished others progress,” says George Kasede Mukasa, 76, one of his two surviving sons and a former industry ministry chief economist (1982-1990).

Mukasa read books ranging from Christianity, health, science, geography and politics to astronomy. He built a home library whose inscriptions ‘reading is to the mind, what exercise is to the body’, welcomes visitors.

“He used binoculars to look at the moon and stars and tell us stories of how they came to be as if he was a scientist,” recalls Kasede.

When Kaggwa was invited to attend the coronation of King George VI in London in 1901, it was Mukasa who chronicled his journey and stay into a book, Uganda’s Katikiro in England.

The book has now been republished under the title, Sir Apollo Kaggwa Discovers England and is accessible in most European bookshops.

In fact, whilst the coronation did not take place as the king was ill, Kaggwa and Mukasa were exposed to the British culture as they stayed and visited Eton College, a famous school for the English nobility and several industries in England.

Enthralled by what they saw, the duo, with vast chunks of land to their names back home, decided to start schools similar to the ones in UK, upon their return. This was the onset of formal education in Uganda.

Describing the absence of a girls’ school in colonial Uganda as “the Muganda’s broken arm” just when boys’ education was fi rmly rooted, Kaggwa requested the Church Missionary Society (CMS) to open one at Gayaza in 1904.

A year later, Gayaza High School was started when CMS sent Alfreda Allen and Janet Smith to Uganda.

King’s College, Budo, a boy’s school considered “Uganda’s Eton College”, followed in 1906. Aided by CMS, Kaggwa and Mukasa also built churches and hospitals and even physically participated in the construction of Namirembe Cathedral.

Mukasa introduced the Boy’s Scouts Brigade in Uganda, explaining why a sculptor, Gregory Maloba immortalised him with a statue at the Boys’ Scouts headquarters on Buganda road.

He paid school fees for hundreds, among them the late George William Kakoma, who composed the Uganda national anthem.

Allegiance to Mwanga
At a time Kabaka Mwanga II lodged war on Christianity, throwing missionaries out of his kingdom and killing followers who became known as the Uganda Martyrs, Mukasa stayed loyal to his king.

When he returned from Bulemezi County, Mwanga’s murdering squad came to pick Mukasa and take him to Namugongo, where the martyrs were slayed, possibly to be killed. As he had promised the king, Zachary Kiwanuka Ssensalire, his father, took Mukasa himself. 

When Mwanga asked Mukasa if he was studying Christianity, the young man replied in the affi rmative, even after knowing fellow Christians had been burnt to death for converting. Mukasa said he had converted to Christianity so as to learn how to read and write.

Astounded by his boldness and honesty, Mwanga spared Mukasa and, instead, appointed him the Kyaggwe Ssekiboobo (county chief) in 1905.

Contributions
“He was a prominent person in (Buganda) Kingdom affairs, helped by the fact that he is the grandfather of Kabaka Ronald Muwenda Mutebi,” says Mulwanyamuli Ssemwogerere, a former Buganda Katikiro. Mukasa donated land to the Church of Uganda on which Mukono Diocese was established.

The Church of Uganda went on to start Bishop Tucker Theological College, now Uganda Christian University (UCU) main branch sitting on 90-acre, and a further one square mile being developed at Ntaawo, says UCU vice-chancellor Dr. John Senyonyi.

His land bonanza also benefi tted Ngogwe Baskerville P/S and Mpumu P/S. “Mukasa promoted Christianity and education wherever he went,” says Rt. Rev. Paul Luzinda, the retired Bishop of Mukono Diocese.

“He wanted to ensure other people got education. He had so much passion for it, although most people didn’t care so much.” He was also instrumental in the starting Mengo Hospital, alongside Sir. Albert Cook.

As an environmentalist, Mukasa ensured mangoes, guavas, rubber, Msizi and Mvule trees were grown in Kyaggwe, justifying why Mukono has more forest land than any other district in Uganda. He led a delegation that brought back Kabaka Mwanga II from exile in Tanzania.

On return from Tanzania, however, Mukasa was shot in both legs and suffered serious injuries that nearly ended his life. Though he received treatment, he remained physically impaired. 

Retirement
When, on November 24, 1931, Mukasa wrote a letter to the Kabaka requesting for retirement from his Ssekiboobo position, the Kabaka granted his wish. When he fi nally retired in 1935, Mukasa went into Buganda history for serving as Kyaggwe chief for 28 years. Mukasa died in 1956.

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});