Genesis of the curse of the Basingo clan.

Genesis of the curse of the Basingo clan.

By Owek Isaac Kalembe Akiiki

When Ndahura ka Rubumbi ascended the throne, becoming the first Omukama under the Bacwezi Dynasty of Bunyoro-Kitara Kingdom (BKK) in the 13th Century, he embarked on military expeditions to expand the empire and consolidate his power.

His first expedition was in Kyangwali, Bugoma to tame the growing influence of *Nsinga Kanyabugoma* variously called *Rwansingo*, an influential hereditary chief of the area covering Buleega and Mbooga-Congo in present-day eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

After a scuffle, Ndahura killed Nsinga by drowning him and seized his crown.

Next on Ndahura's target was Buziba in present-day Karagwe region of Tanzania, an area ruled by *Kiro*, a local chief with magical powers to turn daylight into darkness.

Heading a mighty army, Ndahura swept every resistance before him until Kiro performed his magic. Like a sitting duck, Ndahura was captured and imprisoned in a cave

When the information filtered to the Kingdom headquarters at Mubende Hill, a Royal Council was held and decided to appoint a caretaker King.

Ndahura's brother, Mugenyi,was the preferred choice. However, being a cattle maniac, Mugenyi turned down the offer preferring instead to focus on his cattle. He was busy constructing the fortified *Bigo bya Mugenyi* at Ntusi in present-day Sembabule District.

The alternative was his half-brother, Mulindwa (literally "the caretaker"), who accepted kingship with open hands - something that didn't go down well with Mugenyi's mother.

Mugenyi's mother, *Nyangoro* (from *engoro*, a Reed) of the Basingo Clan, had wanted her son to be King so that she could bask in the glory of the *Nyin'Omukama* (Queen Mother).

Accordingly, she plotted to kill Mulindwa in the vain hope that her son would eventually change his mind and accept the offer of the throne.

Nyangoro adopted the tactic of sex. Hence, she seduced Mulindwa into bed after he abadoned a joint hunting expedition with Mugenyi, feigning sickness. Unfazed, the latter went alone.

The plot would have succeeded like a solved jig-saw puzzle had Nyangoro's sinister plan gone bad.

Indeed, Nyangoro had suggested an offer of marriage to Mulindwa but he refused anything beyond casual sex because she was his father's wife.

When the opportunity to make love came, Nyangoro dug a pit in her hut, filled it with boiling water and covered it.

When Mulindwa called upon her, he fell into the hot water and Nyangoro covered the pit with mats to suffocate him.

His cries were reported to Mugenyi, who had returned from the field, who hurried to help him. He lifted Mugenyi's body out of the water and poured milk upon him.

Mugenyi wanted to kill Nyangoro but Mulindwa said that a son should not kill his mother.

Mugenyi forgave his mother but he seized and killed many of her daughters and other members of her clan, the Basingo. Mulindwa cursed the Basingo, and from that day princes never married into the clan.

From then onwards, the Basingo became objects of sacrifice and *Oruganda rw'Ekisiraani* (the cursed clan). This marked the fall from grace to grass a clan that had produced High Priests for the Bacwezi and had had a permanent residence in the pakace.

It was not until Omukama Cwa II Kabaleega ascended the throne in 1870 that this practice eased. As part of his social reforms, Kabaleega encouraged clan-intermarriages. He himself married a wife from each clan. However, the reputation of the Basingo as "Oruganda rw'Ekisiraani" has persisted to-date.

However, by marrying a Musingokati (I can attest the many blessings I have had since then), I am one of the many Banyoro who have demystified this assertion.