(Part Five of Nine)
Heritage Sites: Revealing Busoga’s unique history
Going through Busoga one will not fail to notice the various cultural and heritage sites that are dotted in various places of the region. Each of these sites has its own unique story that once unraveled, tells of centuries old history of Busoga.
In Best of Busoga book, have the authors attempted to bring to the reader some of these sites and their stories such as:
· Mpumwiire Coronation site – Which derived its name from the event that the sickly Omukama Kabalega of Bunyoro while on his journey from exile in the Seychelles passing through Busoga died (rested) here.
· Igenge Hill – Where the Royal Kyabazinga Palace is located.
· World War Cemetery – Located on Nile Crescent road in Jinja is where the British Commonwealth’s East African Infantry battalion (King African Riffles) dead soldiers were buried.
· Buswiikira Site in Mayuge – Where the legendary Kintu and Nambi (believed to be the ancestors of the Baganda) are said to have been buried.
· Budhumbula Mausoleum – Where two time Kyabazinga and Uganda’s first post independence Vice President Sir. Wilberforce Nadiope was buried.
· Nsono -Namakoko Fort in Bugiri – The first British City in Uganda.
· Nnhenda Hill in Iganga – The place where it is believed that the first migrant from Bunyoro settle way back in 1350AD.
· Imaali Coronation site – Located at Madibira in Namwiwa in Kaliro District, where rocks are arranged in a form of a three flat house.
Uganda, a republic straddling the equator, has in more ancient times been ruled by both Kings and Paramount Chiefs, institutions restored by the government of President Yoweri Museveni in 1993/94 as cultural institutions after all traditional ruling structures were abolished by Milton Obote, twice dictator and twice overthrown by military coups.
The Busoga Kingdom is located in the East of Uganda, across the River Nile, which commences its long journey to the Mediterranean Sea in Jinja, known as both the Source of the Nile and the Adventure Capital of East Africa.
The Busoga Tourism Initiative has now released an initial nine short chapters on the history, culture and of course tourism attractions found in the kingdom and
with their explicit permission will all nine chapters be reproduced here in coming days.
The timing is befitting as between the 17th and 19th of February will the Uganda Tourism Board host the annual Pearl of Africa Travel Expo in Kampala and the attractions of the upper Nile valley and further into the Kingdom will be showcased there to nearly 100 hosted buyers and international travel media representatives and travel trade professionals from the entire East African region.
