CHAPTER 22
KAYONGO OF NJAZA CLAN (BUKASA)
It is said that long ago there lived a man named Kayongo on the Islands of Sesse. This man had a son called Mukasa. The actual island on which Kayongo lived was known as Nango.
One day when Mukasa became of age, he sailed in his canoe named Bubu, across to Busoga. He came with a man known as Kisui of the Ngo clan, and a dog named Ibula.
They landed at Lwamba which is between Jinja and Buluba. This place was a market in which traders bought and sold by bartering. As soon as they landed, Mukasa left his canoe in the safe-keeping of one of his sons, and proceeded inland. The son was known as Nakibaja. Mukasa and his followers fell to hunting wild animals inland. In the course of this hunting, they wandered all over the country, the hinterland of Lwamba. Their wanderings brought them at last to a place named Kasita, where they camped. By then they had killed many animals and had a lot of meat in stock. Unfortunately they had no fire by which to roast the meat so Kisui requested Mukasa to go and look for fire, but Mukasa refused on the grounds that during his absence his followers might be attacked by some wild animals or unfriendly animals. On hearing this, Kisui offered to go and look for fire himself.
People seem to disagree on whether Kisui or Mukasa was the leader on this journey. Some maintain that the former was the leader and that Kisui had many children with whom Mukasa himself is numbered. If this has any grain of truth, then Kisui had at first desired his son Mukasa to go out in search of fire. When he found it, the people who had it refused to spare him any and Mukasa returned to report this to Kisui. Then Kisui went for it himself but, before he left, he first entrusted all his children to
Mukasa, his eldest son. Kisui was successful and he came back bearing some fire. On his return, Kisui yielded all power to his son, Mukasa, and only remained as his advisor. Kisui belonged to the Ngo clan and all members of this clan, in Busoga, are known as ‘Baisekisui’ (‘the grandchildren of Kisui’).
If it is true that Kisui was senior to Mukasa, all those of the latter’s lineage should belong to the Ngo clan, just like the rest of the Kisuis; but since this is not so, the allegation is obviously false. Mukasa’s lineage belongs to the Njaza clan, and he himself belonged to Kibubuli’s lineage. It was worth noting the following;
1. After some years, Mukasa finally settled in mutala Wabulungu in Bukasa. He had the following children:- Kyango,Kijoma, Ligwe, Bulenge, Mugulu, and Kijoma. Mukasa died and was buried at Wabulungu. He was succeeded by his son Kijoma.
2. Kijoma built his new mbuga at Wandegeya. He died at Mawundo and was buried there.
3. Nsaiga Kibwa succeeded his father Kijoma. During the former’s rule, many battles were faught against Baganda who invaded Busoga. He died and was buried at Maundo Bukasa which is now occupied by Muljibhai Madhavani’s sugar estate of Kakira.
4. Gunsala succeeded his father, Nsaiga, who died and was buried at Maundo.
5. Bandi succeeded his father Gunsala. Bandi was the last of this lineage to rule. By the time he died, sleeping sickness was pervading the whole country, striking at most of the people with its death-inflicting hand. Between Bandi and Gunsala there two of this lineage who succeeded to the chieftainship but are not clearly remembered. After Bandi there might have been two more. The total number of the Bukasa rulers should have been twelve but now it is five. The lineage indicated in this book is traced up to November 1933.