TWALI BA IS’EMU – 2015 RESEARCH SERIES EPISODE ONE: “THE ORIGIN OF MY CLAN & KINGDOM” – Ba’ntu Kingdoms of Uganda, DRC and Tanzania. . PART II; TORO KINGDOM (Obukama Bwa Toro) The kingdom of Toro, of the babiito dynasty, aptly claims its rightful origins in the ancient empire of Kitara. The kingdom of Toro was born in 1830 (mid nineteenth century) when Prince Kaboyo Kasunsunkwanzi Olimi I, the first son of Omukama Rukirabasaija Kyebambe III Nyamutukura of Bunyoro (the 19th Mukama of Bunyoro in the Babiito dynasty who reigned between 1786-1835 and father to Prince Kakaire Menhya (Founder Bugweri chiefdom) and Prince Ndhoki (Founder Bugwere Kingdom)) rebelled and annexed the southern part of his fathers kingdom, which he declared an independent kingdom of Toro. Bunyoro’s Omukama Kyebambe III Nyamutukura’s rule was a long one. He sent one of his favourite sons, prince Kaboyo, to look after some of his affairs in today’s Toro kingdom. He had visited Toro several times, to collect taxes for his father and check on the royal herds. In due course, he cultivated favour with many of the King’s chiefs who expressed discontent concerning the King’s long reign and the fact that Kamwenge and Busongora (in Toro) were under the rule of women (the king’s daughters), that is, princesses Mpanja and Batebe. Prince Olimi Kaboyo 1 used this opportunity to carry out secession from Bunyoro-Kitara Empire. The rebel prince asked for and obtained his fathers permission to go and temporarily stay in Toro, under the pretext that the wife he had left in Toro was expecting twins, and that he needed to go and be by her side. This is when he finalized his breaking away plan and never returned to Bunyoro. The secession was successful partly because the natives of Toro did not resist and secondly because his father the Omukama of Bunyoro told the army that tried to pursue him that Prince Kaboyo should be handled carefully because he suffered from a weak chest. Toro’s secession was further made possible by the weaknesses that existed in Bunyoro following a four year succession war (the 4th in Bunyoro’s History) between Nyamutukura and his brother Omukama Olimi IV Kasoma (1782-1786) whom he murded and ascended to the throne as Omukama Kyebambe III Nyamutukura; and a devastating war against Buganda. Meanwhile after the death of Omukama Nyamutukura Kyebambe III of Bunyoro (1786-1835) in whose reign Toro was lost, there followed Omukama Nyabongo II of Bunyoro (1835-1848), then came Omukama Olimi V of Bunyoro (1848-1852), then Kyebambe IV of Bunyoro (1852-1869) and then the Mighty Omukama Kabalega of Bunyoro (1869-1898). Now, shortly after king Omubiito (Prince) Mukabirere Olimi II had succeeded his Father Omukama Nyaika Kasungu Kyebambe I of Toro and accended to the throne as the 6th Omukama of Toro, Omukama Kabalega of Kitara sent an army to defeat him and bring an end to the secessionist kingdom of Toro altogether. Kabalegas army arrived in Toro in the middle of internal strife. A rebel prince, Mukarusa, had annexed the beautiful area of Busongora, in the southern end of Toro kingdom, and declared himself king over it. Omukama Mukabirere Olimi II, already weak from trying to fight Omubiito Mukarusa, was easily captured, with several other members of the Toro royal family, and forcibly taken away to Bunyoro. Upon their arrival in Bunyoro, Omukama Kabalega married Omukama Mukabirere Olimi II’s Sister Omubiito-kati (Princess) Akiiki Mukakyabara Maliza Bagaaya Rwigira.(NB: The Babiito is the only clan where it’s members can marry each other – for preservation of their all important lineage). Realizing Kabalegas determination to totally put an end to Toro kingdom, the leaders of the babiito clan, in Toro, decided to take Olimis son and heir, Prince Kasagama and his younger brother to Ankole, saving them from the wrath of Kabalega. Omubiito Mukarusa, who had annexed part of his brother Mukabireres kingdom (busongora) made himself the 7th King of Toro but did not escape the mighty Kabalega, who was determined to finish off all rebel princes. His capture shortly followed that of his brother, and he, too, was taken to Bunyoro. He was, therefore, the last of the rebel princes. Kabalega had, finally, succeeded in regaining the breakaway kingdom of Toro and bringing the land back to Kitara where it belonged. He proceeded to subdivide Toro into the old administrative areas that existed during the days of his grandfather, Omukama Kyebambe III. Later on, Omubiito (Prince) Nyamuyonjo Kakende, grandson of Omukama Kaboyo Olimi I of Toro with the help of an army given to him by the Kabaka of Buganda (Mwanga), was able to drive Kabalegas army out of Toro, and declare himself 8th Omukama of Toro. Kabalega was however not prepared to tolerate another rebel prince in Toro. Kabalega sent an expedition against Prince Kakende. The prince was forced to flee to Buganda, where he later died of small pox. However, on August 14, 1891 during his 8th last year on the throne, a period in which he was hunted from all corners of his Kingdom, Kabalega finally lost Toro Kingdom to Captain Lugard, an agent of the then Imperial British East African Company who had come along with several Nubian mercenaries and established the famous Fort Portal specially to fight Kabalega (a fort is the equivalent of an army barracks). Lugard helped in the installation Omubiito (Prince) Kasagama; who became Omukama Daudi Kyebambe Kasagama, M.B.E., Toros first modern day Omukama. Kabalega thereafter on several occasions made several raids on Toro but never again managed to recapture Toro because of the presence of Lugard’s men and Kabalega’s concentration on other wars against the British and their collaborators (Buganda) from other parts of the Kingdom. Fort portal is now a municipality and the seat of Toro Kingdom in Kabarole District and the descendants of the Nubian mercenaries form Toros Nubian community that is present to this day. Toro’s present day Omukama is Rukirabasaija Omukama Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV with his palace at Karuziika in Fortporatal, Kabarole. The feeling of brotherhood between Bunyoro/Banyoro and Tooro/Batoro has remained intact to-date despite the aforementioned trouble times, for example when Omukama Kabalega was capture in 1898 most of the Banyoro men and women knowledgeable in the entrhonment rituals had been killed by the British and their collaborators and therefore on the enthronement of Omukama Kitahimbwa (1898-1902) and Omukama Duhaga II (1902-1924), it’s the Toro Kingdom Ritual performers that presided over the entrhonment ceremonies. Secondly, Toro’s Current King who ascended to the throne on 12th November, 1995 was given the name “IGURU”, a name that (was being) held by the reigning Omukama of Bunyoro, His Majesty Rukirabasaija Agutamba Solomon Gafabusa Iguru I (who ascended to the throne on 11th June 1994) as a symbol of unity between the two kingdoms. Further according to, Mr. Henry Ford Mirima - press Secretary to the current Omukama of Bunyoro, the Omukama of Bunyoro got married on August 24, 2002 to a 19-year-old Mutooro lady, Margaret Karunga Adyeri who had been selected for the king by the kingdom’s elders in Bunyoro-Kitara and Tooro kingdoms. Meanwhile around the same time (early 2000s) a hunt was mounted upto as far as Bunyoro kingdom for a suitable future wife for the Current Toro King. The hunt was aimed at identifying and securing 3 young girls one of whom would be chosen as wife upon attaining majority age. (The results of the hunt were kept a top secret). Even the natives of these two kingdoms treat each other as brothers and sisters most importantly due to a shared culture in language, dressing, music & dance, naming including empako among other things. MITEGO KINGDOM (Obukama bwa Congo) Mitego Kingdom is located in the Ituri Province of eastern DRC. This area is what used to be Bunyoro Kitara kingdom’s Bulega County before it was added to the greater Belgian-Congo as a reward from the British for the Belgians’ support in the fight against Omukama Kabalega. It should also be recalled that the fallen Hero, Omukama Kabalega was born from a mother who was a native of Bulega County, now Mitego Kingdom. In an interview with the Fort Portal-based Voice of Toro radio on 17th May, 2010, Nigel Fafa Rukidi, the crown prince of Mitego kingdom said that, “Obukama bwa Congo’s territory covers areas of Nyanfuka, Burasi, Nyanzige, Kayera, Bukima and Mitego as the headquarters in DRC.” According to the info section of the Kingdom’s official facebook page, Mitego Kingdom is the only Kingdom in the Democratic Republic of Congo headed by the Babiito clan that migrated from the great Bunyoro Kitara kingdom royal family as hunters and farmers that later on established the current Mitego Kingdom. The Kingdom’s current king is His Majesty Rutahaba Ibanda Albert Isansa Kituku Atwooki the 13th King of Mitego Kingdom. In an interview with the New vision on April, 06, 2012, Prince Nigel Fafa Rukidi stated that “I was born 25 years ago and I am the last-born in a family of 11. I am a Mubiito by clan and a brother to the current king of Mitego Kingdom. My forefathers migrated from Bugashya in Bunyoro Kitara Kingdom in 1800. Since then, we have kept a close relationship with Bunyoro and Toro kingdoms because we are one royal family.” According to a July, 28th 2014 article “Bunyoro Kingdom officials visit Congo” published on hoimaonline, a delegation of officials from Bunyoro Kitara Kingdom Visited the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in mid July, 2014 where they spent one week. The delegation which was led by the Chief Prince (the Okwiri) Hon Fred Mugenyi visited various areas in Eastern DRC where ethnic communities whose ancestry is from Bunyoro, were celebrating their annual cultural festivals. The delegation included the head of Bunyoro Kingdom’s royal sites Hon Ronald Isagara and musicians. The visit was part of efforts by Bunyoro Kingdom to keep in touch with all people whose ancestry is from Bunyoro. This was a second delegation to visit the area in less than a year. The Kingdom’s current king, His Majesty Rutahaba Ibanda Albert Isansa Kituku Atwooki succeeded his Father the late King Kaswarra Patrick Mutengesa II who died of a heart attack on 17th May, 2010 at 81 years of age in Fort Portal municipality having fled from his kingdom in the Ituri region at the height of the ADF and Lendu civil wars. The late King Kaswarra Patrick Mutengesa II succeeded his father, King Daudi Kituku Rwemulikya in 1965. KARAGWE KINGDOM (Obukama bwa Karagwe) Karagwe was lost in the reign Omukama Winyi 11 Rubagiramasega who reigned between late 16th century and early 17th century. Winyi II was involved in the very first succession war (in Bunyoro) against his elder brother and it lasted for three years until the elder was killed and Winyi II, Rubagirasega ascended the throne. He was unpopular because of the succession war, because of his reputation as a killer and because of the initial loss of Ankole, Karagwe, Rwanda and Busoga which rebelled during his reign and for the first time began to rule them selves. According to hoimaonline with guidance from J.W Nyakatura’s 1947 book “Abakama (Kings) of Bunyoro-Kitara’” Winyi II Rubagiramasega, the seventh king from the Babiito dynasty, was a sadist and the cruelest king Bunyoro-Kitara has had. He used to enjoy killing people for no reason. The name Rubagiramasega denotes the one who skins animals for the vultures. Indeed, Winyi could not bear to see his eagles going hungry when there were many people around him. Whenever he heard the sound of eagles he could exclaim; “Poor ones! They are asking me to give them food.” Then he would order for the execution of some innocent people to provide food for ‘the poor ones,’ the eagles. According to an article “Bunyoro ministers visit kingdom’s former territories in Tanzania” published in the New Vision on May 03, 2014; the Omukama of Bunyoro Kitara kingdom Solomon Iguru sent a delegation to Tanzania to visit the “Banyoro” in the north southern district of Karagwe. According to the Kingdom Prime Minister, Jackson Kasozi, who led the delegation that left for Karagwe on Wednesday, the 30th day 0f April, 2014, the Omukama sent them to visit the “Banyoro” who live in areas that were under Bunyoro Kitara Empire before it disintegrated hundreds of years ago. The minister for liaison and Diaspora affairs, Philip Katahoire said, the visit was also aimed at establishing what remains of the Omukama Kabalega dynasty. He added that “the Omukama has sent us to see the Banyoro and children of his grandfather (Omukama Kabalega) in Karagwe. These are true Banyoro because we are speaking to them in Runyoro, but they were absorbed into other tribes in Tanzania after Bunyoro Empire disintegrated. These people are so happy that people from Bunyoro are in Karagwe and everyone wants us to visit them. They have promised to come to Bunyoro to learn the culture and perform rituals. These people have gone for long without a king and they want Bunyoro to help them install a king.” The delegation from Bunyoro Visited Prince Pius Rumanyika his Bweranyange palace. The prince is the son of King David Rumanyika of Karagwe kingdom who passed on in 1988. The families they visited promised to attend Bunyoro’s empango festivities in June of that year. END of Episode One.
Posted on: Thu, 22 Jan 2015 09:07:21 +0000