A count on the Uganda Martyrs

The red-tiled building spears through the greenery that surrounds it like a lighthouse by the sea. It sits there quietly, in peaceful observance of time, living out the meaning of the name of the hill on which it’s built– Namirembe, the place of peaceIt has stood there for 124 years now, and that is if you consider the 29 years of earlier churches that were destroyed to allow for its construction. All that while, it has been the ultimate place of worship for many Christians and the provincial seat of the Anglican Church in Uganda
Namirembe Hill has been the location of the main Anglican place of worship in Buganda since Bishop Alfred Tucker established the offices of the Diocese of Eastern Equatorial in Africa in 1890. Tragedy befell the first four church structures. The first church building, constructed in 1890, with a capacity of 800 people, was abandoned in 1891 because it was located in a swampy area at the base of Namirembe Hill. Also, a bigger building was needed to accommodate the ever-growing congregation. The second church building was constructed between July 1891 and July 1892, with a seating capacity of more than 3,000. In October 1894, strong winds during a thunderstorm blew the roof off the church and it was ruined. The third church building was built between 1894 and 1895. It had a seating capacity of about 4,000 worshippers. That building, constructed with traditional African materials, was abandoned in the early 1900s due to fear that termites would destroy it. The fourth church building was constructed with earthen brick walls and a thatched roof, between 1900 and 1904. At the opening ceremony, on Tuesday 21 June 1904, an estimated 10,000 people were in attendance. The congregation included Ssekabaka Daudi ChwaII then aged seven. On the afternoon of Friday 23 September 1910, the roof was gutted by a fire which started when lightning struck the building. Within less than thirty minutes, the entire roof was destroyed and the church was ruined. The current St. Paul's Cathedral was constructed between 1915 and 1919 using earthen bricks and earthen roof tiles. The cathedral is still standing, while needing repairs from time to time.
Namirembe Cathedral specifically stands for its connection to Buganda Kingdom.The Kabaka is the patron of Namirembe Cathedral. The church is very important to the kingdom because it was built on land given by the Kabaka, way back in the past centuries.It is one of the hills where the Kabaka used to conduct his work and where peace was negotiated. Also, the first royal Christian wedding between Kabaka Daudi Chwa and Priscilla Namaganda took place there on September 19, 1914.
Its importance goes beyond Buganda to include Uganda as a whole. The Historic Buildings Conservation Trust lists it among Uganda’s historic sites. The cathedral receives tourists from abroad not forgetting; a stream of native visitors, especially students, who visit the site. It is one of the oldest churches in the East African region. The cathedral has burial grounds of leading figures in Uganda’s history rest. Among them: Dr Albert and Catherine Cook who started Uganda’s first hospital at Mengo and Bishop Hannington and Alexander Mackay, both missionaries. The burial grounds are meant for people who have made distinguished services to Namirembe diocese and to bishops and their wives. The repair of St Paul’s Cathedral, Namirembe has provided lessons to Uganda on just how such ancient sites should be treated, a reason as to why no society should ever allow itself to pass-on a collection of ruined, tattered and dilapidated heritage to its next generation.

The Bulange, Buganda’s parliament building is also situated on Namirembe Hill, just across from Mengo hill. The Mengo Palace on Mengo hill is connected to the Bulange on Namirembe Hill by a straight road, about a mile long, called Kabaka Anjagala Road (The King Loves Me). About halfway, the straight road is intersected by Rubaga Road. There is a roundabout for the use of ordinary travelers. However, there is a strait-way through the roundabout with a gate. That is for the exclusive use of the Kabaka when moving between the palace and the parliament building. Tradition forbids the king from going round the roundabout. He must travel straight when moving between the two locations. Other notable features are: residence of the Archbishop of the provincial church of Uganda, residence of the Bishop of Namirembe Anglican Diocese, Sanyu Babies Home - An Orphanage managed by a privateNGO, The parliamentary building that houses the parliament of Buganda(Bulange complex) and  the offices of the Kabaka, a prestigious public mixed day school known as Mengo Senior School, Namirembe Guesthouse - A Christian Guesthouse (formerly the CMS Guesthouse)

namirembe cathedral

Know about IK people of Uganda with gorillasafariinuganda

Language and People

The people known as the Ik entered what is now Uganda from somewhere to the northeast, originating possibly in Ethiopia or even Egypt. The origin of their language, Icetot (lit., Ik-speak), which is a Kuliak language, is still debated by linguists. The original Kuliak-speaking people divided into at least three groups in their migrations south: the So (Tepeth), the Nyang'i (Niangea), and the Ik. The So and Nyang'i have assimilated with neighboring peoples, but Ik survive along with their language in the mountains, virtually alone.

The Ik (rhymes with 'stick') live in the northeast corner of Uganda, in a very remote area of what is now called Kaabong District. The Ik number at least 10,000 who live in the mountains and hills above the Karamoja region. A recent language survey team found the Ik to be very poor, oppressed, and marginalized, but receptive to the gospel.

In 1972, Colin Turnbull published a book about the Ik titled The Mountain People. At one point Turnbull said, "They were beyond saving as a society." But when the survey team visited the Ik they did not encounter a people like Turnbull described. They found a very friendly, yet desperate group of people who freely welcomed them.

There is growing interest within Uganda to reach the Ik people, though most Ugandans have never heard of them. Pray that God would make the needs of the Ik known to the world, and that they would desire to reach out to the Ik with the fullness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Way of life

Today, approximately 10,000 Ik live together, spread out along the escarpment between Timu Forest in the south and Kidepo National Park in the north. The nearest town of any size is Kaabong, some 20 miles to the southwest. Many of them still inhabit walled villages such as Moruatap, perched on the rim of the escarpment overlooking the Great Rift Valley in Kenya. Here they live in a traditional manner, practicing subsistence farming in tiny plots of maize, pumpkins, beans, sorghum, millet, watermelon, cowpeas, and tobacco, milling their grain on grindstones and gathering wood for the cooking fire in their circular thatched houses.

ik people

From the pulpit to the plunder

An elephant injured by a snare that was set up by poachers in in Queen Elizabeth National Park

On a typical Sunday, when the church is full to the brim, Ben Baguma steps up to the pulpit to implore people to abandon their sinful ways. He is the reverend of Rwebisengo Parish in Ntoroko district. When I caught up with him recently, it was not in the environs of Rwebisengo.

He was in detention at Kira Road Police Station in Kampala over charges of poaching elephants. Baguma’s other life came to light when wildlife officials, together with the army, bust a racket behind the armed killing of elephants in Kibale National Park. It was an unpleasant scene.

The reverend was barefooted. Because of his position in society, he always avoided eye contact. He was ashamed of the charges placed against him. Rangers, who were excited about what they called a big catch, kept urging him to face the camera. He did not oblige and they forcefully pushed his head to look up.

It was a ‘feast’ for the pressmen and onlookers. “He has been poaching for long, but his luck ran out when we used spies as buyers of ivory,” said Moses Olinga, a Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) law enforcement officer, who coordinated the operation. “We have a network of informers and Baguma’s name kept coming up as the chief financier of ivory trade in most of the intelligence reports,” he added

What does Uganda Wildlife Authority say?

Charles Tumwesigye, the director of conservation at UWA, confirmed that poaching was still a problem. However, he said the animal numbers for most species were either stable or going up. Tumwesigye said some huge herds of animals were no longer visible because the distribution had changed.

He attributed this to ecological changes, which he said were negatively affecting pastures. As a result, he said, most animals were moving towards Lake George and areas near Kasese in Queen Elizabeth National Park. “We have conducted an animal census and the conclusion is that the animal population is increasing. But the tourism routes will have to be changed in Queen Elizabeth to enable visitors to see the animals easily,” he said.

Reasons for unabated poaching

UWA has been raising awareness by calling for creation of alternative livelihoods for people living near the parks. But the approach has failed to tame poaching. In addition, community conservation strategies are thought to contribute to changing attitudes and mobilizing support, according to sources. But UWA is underfunded and community conservation is not working to reduce poaching, according to sources. “Also, people around the parks are poor and, therefore, depend on bush meat for food and income.”

“In the absence of effective poverty reduction programmes in such areas as national parks, poaching is unstoppable. What are the acceptable alternatives to the poacher?” the source asks.Queen Elizabeth National Park. Its tusks had been extracted from the carcass, meaning UWA officials are still running in the shadows of the poachers at the park.

At Kibale, elephants are being killed using automatic rifles (AK47) or trapped in pits, where sharp sticks are planted and covered with leaves. When the elephants fall into the trap, the poachers cut off the tusks and leave the carcass behind. In northern Uganda tours, poaching is still a problem in Murchison Falls National Park, but Olinga says the rate has reduced, compared to what it was two years ago.

Uganda among the gang of eight A dark cloud still hangs over Uganda, which was accused at the most recent Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), of providing a safe haven for poachers from neighbouring countries. The poachers also use Uganda as a trafficking route. Sources also fear that the poachers could turn their guns to Uganda’s elephants. CITES cited Kenya and Tanzania among what they called the ‘gang of eight’, in reference to countries which are doing little to curb the illegal trade in ivory.

Others are Malaysia, Vietnam and the Philippines, and destination countries, Thailand and China. The countries were ordered by CITES to provide a programme of action to minimise the trade in ivory in the next 12 months or face sanctions. “There was a high level meeting on elephant poaching when the Thailand prime minister visited Uganda recently,” says Mutagamba. Other measures, according to Mutagamba include setting up an intelligence unit, recruiting 430 rangers and placing gadgets that can detect ivory at Entebbe Airport.

Sources say Kenya has put in place punitive laws, from which Uganda can copy. Poachers from West Africa and countries in Asia were operating rackets in Uganda because of the weak wildlife laws, according to sources. Illegal ivory traced back to Uganda About 1.3 tonnes of elephant ivory were recovered in Mombasa, Kenya, hidden under fish for export.

According to the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), the Malaysia-bound ivory was from Uganda. KWS revealed that the ivory was stashed in bundles and sacks and hidden in the fish maws within the container and was ferried from Malaba (at the Kenya-Uganda border) to Mombasa. Its value was estimated at $342,000. Asan Kasingye, the Interpol director told Saturday Vision that they were working with UWA and Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) to establish the origin of the ivory. Last year, tusks belonging to 200 elephants were impounded at Entebbe Airport, according to Kasingye.

This happened just after a massacre of elephants in Garamba National Park, in the DR Congo, by heavily armed poachers, assisted by a helicopter. animals hard to see in Queen Elizabeth In areas around Queen Elizabeth National Park, poaching is worse than is reported, according to sources.

“When you take a game drive through the park, you will keep wondering where the animals have gone.” A tourist who was giving feedback to one of the tour operators after a game drive in Queen Elizabeth complained that the animals were becoming too elusive. Tour operators say Murchison turns into butcher ground in Murchison Falls, the problems have been compounded by the current exploration of oil.

Also key is the fact that bush meat is part of the culture tours of the people in northern Uganda. While park authorities in Murchison wildlife safari say poaching has scaled down compared to the rate two years ago, tour operators say every time they are on a game drive, they encounter abandoned carcasses or poachers on a hunting spree.

“When you report to UWA, they intimidate you,” a source told Saturday Vision on condition of anonymity. “It is unfair for tourists to spend their money and get almost nothing out of it. After encounters with poachers spearing animals, what will tourists tell others who are planning to come?” Author New Vision

Uganda at (nearly) 51 celebrates the UNWTO World Tourism Day in style

Today will see the formal launch of the UN World Tourism Organization’s World Tourism Day in Uganda in the town of Fort Portal, located in the heart of a triangle of national parks at the foothills of the UNESCO World Heritage Site the Rwenzori Mountains, aka Mountains of the Moon. Within easy reach from Fort Portal are such natural wonders like the Semliki NationalPark, the Semliki Toro Game Reserve, the Kibale Forest National Park and only a little further off the Queen Elizabeth National Park, making the seat of the Toro Kingdom an ideal base to explore the West of Uganda.

Uganda at (nearly) 51 celebrates the UNWTO World Tourism Day in style It has been a tradition in Uganda to celebrate the World Tourism Day in different locations, every alternate year moving out of the capital Kampala and showcasing the Pearl of Africa’s tourism attractions to the locals and foreign visitors alike.

With the main celebration this year out of the city have tourism gurus nevertheless made sure that Kampalans get their fill too, as today will also see the launch of the Annual Tourism Expo in the extensive gardens of the Sheraton, with the main base at the hotel’s Lion Centre. The public will have three days to see what will await them as they try their hand in Tembe a Uganda or exploring Uganda as the Kiswahili version translates to.

Also this weekend will the Kampala Serena Hotel host the Uganda Night on Saturday 28th, all part of this year’s World Tourism Day celebrations though in a wider sense also dedicated to Uganda’s upcoming 51st Independence Day celebrations. If you wish to discover more about Uganda, the Pearl of Africa where arguably the widest range of tourism attractions and service providers are featured.

Fort Patiko: A beauty born out of slave trade

It was the 1800s. The Arabs, in their search for trading venues stumbled upon Ocecu Hill in present-day Gulu District.

Patiko is a beauty – mountains and hills grace her extensive vegetation. And she advantageously sits near Nimule, South Sudan and onwards to eastern Egypt, where the Arabs sold their merchandise.

The Arabs could not have found a better slave harbor and trade link. They descended upon Ocecu Hill and built three square-shaped huts to serve as stores for ammunition, ivory and foodstuff as well as hides and skins.

Slaves were a key trading item for the Arabs too and were captured from northern Uganda, Gondokoro in Sudan and other areas. Ocecu Hill became a sorting ground for slaves. Healthy-looking ones were forced to trek from Patiko, through Sudan across the Red Sea and sold in Egypt.

The journey to the slave markets was not easy. “The slaves were forced to carry looted millet, simsim, ammunition and ivory,” explains Constance Oneka who was in 2011 the caretaker of the site. Slaves who were too weak as a result of beatings and long treks were killed by firing squad or beheaded in the designated ‘execution slab/prosecution chamber’ on the hill. Barter trade was the major form of exchange. Traditional chiefs in Patiko supplied ivory to the Arabs in exchange for sukas, beads, guns and gun powder.

The Arabs turned Ocecu Hill into a trading centre and business boomed. However, when village raids intensified, fear, hunger and disease befell Patiko. Something had to be done. The then chief of Patiko – Rwot Kikwiyakare – organised the relocation of children, elders and the sick to a nearby mountain so that his people are not wiped away by slave trade.

Baker and the birth of Fort Patiko

That mountain, located about 2kms from Ocecu Hill, became known as Got Ajulu (Julu is Acholi for ‘nurture’, Got means mountain/hill). According to the Chief of Patiko, Rwot Jeremiah Muttu Bonojane, Rwot Kikwiyakare said to his people: “Let’s nurture (julu) our people so that our clan is not wiped away.” As a result, the mountain has since then been called Got Ajulu.

As Britain spread its colonial wings across Africa, quashing slave trade was one of their missions. Explorer Sir Samuel Baker was commissioned by the Queen of England to oversee that mission. Although Britain would colonise Uganda in 1894, by 1863, Sir Samuel Baker and the chief of Patiko - Rwot Kikwiyakare met and discussed the slave trade menace in the area.

In 1872, Baker returned from Egypt with Nubian soldiers, passed through Bunyoro to quash the Kabalega resistance against the British and headed to Patiko. He over-run the slave harbor, expelled about 250 Arabs and fortified the place. Fort Patiko, also known as Baker’s Fort Patiko, was born.

Located about 32 kilometers north of Gulu Town, the fort is enclosed by a 16 feet wide and 15 feet deep trench dug by slaves on the orders of the Arabs to avoid the escape of captives. The Uganda tourism site, located in Patiko Sub-county in Gulu District covers about 9.4 hectares.

It is neighbored by six hills - Ajulu, Ladwong, Akara, Abaka and Labworomor to the north and Kiju hill to the south.

In 2011 when I first visited the Fort, an oval-shaped, roofless hut with half of its wall crumbled down, stood at the entrance with two doors on either side. Small rocks pieced together with mud and cement, formed the wall of the hut which served as a gate.

Two years later, the hut is no more. Inside Fort Patiko lies well-trimmed grass, with a rectangular-shaped structure sitting on the left of the vast compound.

This small house used to be a reception and a registration room. But the roofless structure is now a haven to grass, insects and animal waste, despite its well-trimmed surroundings. On the right side of the compound sits an oval-shaped structure, built only almost two feet up. “It used to be the visitors’ waiting room,” says John Too, who says he was the Fort caretaker from 1976 to early 2000.

Beyond the lush compound dotted with small, scattered, protruding rocks, sit three square-shaped and roofless huts that were used by Arabs to store their loot. Two years ago, one of the store walls had an inscription “Patiko, 1872-88, founded by Sir Samuel Baker, occupied by Gordon and Emin”.

Mr. Too says the name Patiko was misspelled by Baker, while writing the inscription. The metallic plate that bore the inscription is no more and according to Rwot Muttu, it was recently stolen. Next to the three huts stand a giant rock, about 150 high and is known as Baker’s leap/seat. It was on top of this rock, that the Arabs would sit to monitor any infiltration by their enemies to the area. Behind the three square-shaped huts is the execution slab and further left of the slab is a cave where slaves –destined for execution were ‘imprisoned’.

The ‘execution slab’ is dotted with dents which Mr. Too says were caused by axes used to behead slaves. Dark spots, believed to be blood stains of slaves, can also be seen on the rock. Fort Patiko might have witnessed terror from Arab slave trade dealers, but the natural beauty of the place, rose above its dark history.

Management, maintenance woes cloud Fort Patiko

Fort Patiko could have risen above its dark history, but what remains to be seen, is what the government, which gazettes the Fort as a government object in 1972, will do to milk its potential for area residents and the country.

Area residents think fencing off the area and placing its management with them, will ensure the protection and preservation of the Fort.

The chief of Patiko, Rwot Jeremiah Muttu Bonojane, who accuses the government of taking away management of the place from his people, says the area where Fort Patiko sits, was given to the Arabs by Rwot Kikwiyakare, his great grandfather. “I don’t know why I should be wrangling with government over this place. Government said they can’t give it to me because they have a plan for it,” he explains.

He adds: “But I told them the people of Patiko want to manage the place in partnership with development partners.”

Fort Patiko, according to Rwot Muttu is currently managed by the Sub-county but he thinks a lot needs to be made better.

“There are no urinals, no toilets in the place. If I have life, I’ll change that place for the better in just five years,” he says, adding that Fort Patiko has been moving from the ministry of Tourism, Trade and now they understand it’s under Heritage and iniquities.

In a letter dated October 13, 2009, the Department of Museums and Monuments in the Ministry of Tourism and Industry, expressed concern over the decline in maintenance of Fort Patiko. “There are signs of degradation of the walls of key historic monumental structures (the granary, ivory and ammunition stores). The compound is bushy and the trench system is rundown and invisible,” the letter, addressed to the Gulu Chief Administrative Officer, reads in part.

The business community in Gulu has in the past requested the Ministry to be allowed to manage the fort. However, the ministry said after basic conservation work is complete, there could be a private-public partnership. “The immediate need of the site is opening the borders to establish the boundaries of the site, clearance of vegetation and grass cutting in the defensive ditch surrounding the camp…” the 2009 letter reads further.

“Removal of all anthills within the periphery, reconstruction of an attendant’s office, construction of a pit latrine and erection of enamel signposts in Gulu and on the main route to Patiko,” the letter, signed by Mwanje Nkaale Rose Ag Commissioner, Museums and Monuments, adds.

Even as the management hiccups for Fort Patiko get sorted out, local and foreign visitors have continued to troop the area to revel in its beauty and history.