Three famous legends surround the origins of the Kingdom of Busoga in southeastern Uganda.
- A famous hunter, Mukuma, his wife and two dogs, came from the east side of Mt Elgon and crossed through Bugisu and Budama into Busoga. Mukuma had eight sons and each was appointed ruler over a clan of Busoga.
- Mukama did not come to Busoga at all. He sent his sons to rule Busoga because there were no capable rulers in Busoga.
- Kintu, the first king of Buganda, was also called Mukama. He too came to Busoga from the east of Mt Elgon. Kintu left his sons in Busoga and continued to Buganda. He returned to Busoga and lived in a place called Buswikira where he died and was buried there. Kintu’s tomb is marked by a rock in Igombe and is the focus of several traditional religions.
According to oral history about the turn of the 16th Century, an important event took place, which was to give ?Basoga their peculiar cultural configuration. This was the advent of the ??Baisengobi clan; the light skinned people, who descended from Bunyoro.
In 1919, under British colonial rule, the title of Isebantu Kyabazinga (the king) was created and the first uniting monarch of the Busoga Kingdom, Ezekeriel Tenya Wako was enthroned.
Today, Busoga is falling apart due to intrigue, political differences and misrule.
Aldon Walukamba takes National Perspective to the heart of this downfall in Busoga – A Kingdom in Crisis.
