About Jinja

The Source of the Nile River (Formerly the industrious area in Uganda)

Jinja lies on the shores of Lake Victoria and is a major marketing center for southern Uganda. It's an interesting little place with many old Asian-style buildings, reflecting the days when the town had a sizeable Asian community. The town was virtually owned by Asians, and following the Uganda Economic war of 1972 Jinja had a set back and it stopped sounding as the industrious area in Uganda. However, there is now big change in Jinja following the 1986- present Uganda's government,  Jinja is once again becoming prosperous. There are a lot of spacious mansions in various states of repair, surrounded by expansive lawns overlooking the lake along Nile Crescent adjacent to the golf club and the agricultural showground. The town didn't suffer as badly as many others during the last civil war and so does not wear the same air of dereliction. According to local residents, Okello's retreating troops were told in no uncertain terms that they wouldn't be welcome.

Jinja is close to the Owen Falls Dam, a hydro-electric station which supplies Uganda with the bulk of its electricity. The main Kampala to Jinja road runs across the top of the dam, and the railway line crosses on a bridge close by. Just below the golf course is the Source of the Nile, formerly Ripon Falls.

The Basoga

The Basoga are the eastern neighbors of the Baganda. They occupy the region between Lake Victoria and Lake Kyoga in the present districts of Jinja, Kamuli and Iganga.

Origin

Due to the continuous movements and intermingling of people within the Basoga region, the history of the Basoga is complex. It can be asserted, however, that the earliest inhabitants of Busoga belonged to the same Bantu group comprising the Banyoro and the Baganda. Their origins can therefore be traced, like other Bantu groups, to the Katanga region of Central Africa. Tradition holds that the earliest inhabitants were the Langi, the Iteso and the Bagisu. They were later engulfed by migrants from Buganda.

The earliest settlers in Busoga are said to have occupied the lake-shore areas of modern Bukoli. Nanyumba's Banyole are believed to have been among these earliest inhabitants. These early settlements took place far back in the 14th century. They were later joined by other people from the Mt.Elgon region. These people are said to have been led by Kintu and are said to have settled in Bugabula and Bulamogi. They were later joined by others from Budama and some from Kigulu in Kenya.

Clans of Busoga

Identity for Basoga is based on strong traditions and cultural values that are derived from the clans that they belong to. 

A clan represents a group of people who can trace their lineage to a common ancestor in some distant past. In the customs of Busoga, lineage is passed down along patrilineal lines. The clan essentially forms a large extended family and all members of a given clan regard each other as brothers and sisters regardless of how far removed from one another in terms of actual blood ties. The Basoga took great care to trace their ancestry through this clan structure.

It is a curious fact that the clans are not known by the names of the respective clan founders. Instead, totems were adopted by the clans, and the names of those totems came to be synonymous with the clans themselves. Each clan has totem (omuziro). The clans are usually known by the main totem and they are listed above by that totem. In the west, a totem would be similar to a court of arms.

Language

Lusoga language closely approximates to Luganda, especially that spoken by the Ssesse Islanders. There exist many Lusoga dialects. However Buganda influence over Busoga was so much that Luganda tends to be used as a lingua franca in Busoga more, than Lusoga itself. Within Busoga, there are so many dialects of the Lusoga language that it is difficult to reach agreement on the correct way to spell or pronounce certain words. For instance, in the north of Busoga, there is a distinct H but people from Southern Busoga do not accept this H as being appropriate to the Lusoga Language.
           
Political set-up

There was no paramount chief over the whole of Basoga. The Basoga were organized into principalities or chiefdoms under the sovereignty of Bunyoro and later of Buganda. In the early times, the death of a chief was first reported to the Mukama of Bunyoro who would send the   funeral bark cloth and all the necessary requirements for the burial rites. On several occasions, he used to appoint the heir or send back the son of the deceased chief if the son happened, as was usually the case, to be at the Mukama's court in Bunyoro.

During the time of the Luo migrations, Luo sub-dynasties were established in Busoga. Among these sub-dynasties (at least six in all), Bukoli and Bugwere were founded about the same time as the Babiito dynasty of Bunyoro at the beginning of the 16th century. By the turn of the 19th century, there were fifteen virtually independent principalities. In fact, the southern     principalities are said to have been ruled by dynasties whose origins could be traced to the east and Lake Victoria Islands. During the 19th century, Buganda influence very greatly increased over the southern Busoga principalities. The northern principalities still had a connection with Bunyoro and indeed their language contained many Runyoro words.

In 1906 the British protectorate accomplished an administrative amalgamation of the multifarious kingdoms of pre-colonial Busoga into a single integrated structure. Representatives from the small pre-colonial kingdoms constituted the Busoga Lukiiko. In the same year Semei Kakungulu was appointed President of the Lukiiko, his reign ended with his resignation in 1913. This led to the collapse of the monstrous political structure and the abolition of the office of "President of the Lukiiko of Busoga". Later, there arose demands  within Busoga for the revival of the office. In 1919 the Isebantu Kyabazinga office was established as alternative to it. And Ezekieri Wako was appointed the first Isebantu Kyabazinga.

Busoga Anthem - "Tuli Bankabi"

Olwemba lw'eighanga lya Busoga