Kangai: Place where colonialists captured Mwanga, Kabalega

A medical practitioner tests a man for HIV. A Bill currently in Parliament seeks to make such testing mandatory but CSOs say it will chase patients from health centres. PHOTO BY JOSEPH KIGGUNDU 

By  Flavia Lanyer

To many Ugandans, Kabaka Mwanga and Omukama Kabalega played a crucial role in Uganda’s anti-colonialism struggle. However, the capture and eventual deportation to many Ugandans is not clear. Saturday Monitor’s Flavia Lanyero revisits the place where the two kings were finally captured in their fight against colonialists.

Dokolo- For the locals, Kangai Sub-country in Dokolo District is just an ordinary location. But in Uganda’s history, Kangai is no ordinary place. It might signify the final blow to Uganda’s anti-colonialism struggle. It’s in this place where the Ugandan 19th Century monarchs: Kabaka Mwanga of Buganda and Omukama Kabalega of were captured by the imperialists.

It takes about 45 minutes from Dokolo Town on a motor bike to arrive at this site. Luckily, it is a rainy season and there is no dust on this murram road except pools of mud formed in the road.

Before long, a landmark can be seen in the outskirts of a sweet potato garden. A small windy road leads to the blue and white landmark.

“Kabaka Mwanga, Date of Capture 9th-April-1899,” reads an inscription on one of the marks. About 500 metres away in the opposite direction next to Kangai Senior Secondary School, is another landmark with an inscription: “Omukama Kabalega, date of capture 9th April 1899.”

The most recent and perhaps most popular person to have visited the area is the Omukama of Bunyoro, Solomon Gafabusa Iguru, who visited in July. According to the locals, he spent about five minutes on each site before his entourage drove back to Lira Town.

In a series of stories dubbed “Uganda@50” in the Daily Monitor last year, historian Shane Doyle reports that the joint war of resistance between Kabaka Mwanga and Omukama Kabalega were the best – albeit belated – effort by traditional leaders in the region to keep the yoke of colonialism at bay.

An Extract from A.B. Fisher’s journal reads; “The capture was effected owing to a clever scheme of the two Baganda generals, Semei Kakungulu and Andereya Luwandaga, making friends with the Bakedi who led them to the village where the rebels were hiding, after first sending word that all the Baganda had returned home beyond the river. Semei Kakungulu captured Kabalega and Andereya Luwandaga captured Mwanga. They will be rewarded for excellent service to the whole Protectorate in clearing up such a cesspool.”

Kings’ resistance
An extracts from Monitor’s Uganda @50 project article reads:
“Although the two kings managed to evade the British, their luck ran out on April 9, 1899, when they were betrayed by their Langi/Bakedi allies and taken by surprise by an attack led by two Baganda collaborators; Semei Kakungulu – who was married to Mwanga’s sister – and Andereya Luwandaga.”

British correspondence from the time notes that the Langi betrayed the kings because they had suffered “severe handling” by the British for harbouring Kabalega while the Omukama always evaded punishment.

The kings and their bodyguards fled to a swamp but the pursuing fighters killed 200 of their men and shot Kabalega in the arm before the two kings surrendered.

The two kings were marched to Kampala, with Kabalega carried on a stretcher for most of the way as the British made preparations to send them off into exile.

The war of resistance would continue for a few more months but the capture of the two kings had dealt the kingdoms of Bunyoro and Buganda a decisive blow from which neither would ever fully recover.

And in a sign of predatory and opportunistic politics that would come to dominate the country, the final, decisive blow against Ugandan independence had not been struck by the British but by African collaborators against their own.”

Today, none of the locals at Kangai was present at the time of capture but many are proud to associate with the history.

Isaac Opio, a 25-year-old native of the area, says they have grown up hearing legends of what happened here. He says the landmarks are even an additional plus since they make the stories believable.

Place recognised

“We grew up hearing that two kings were captured here and the good thing there is something to show. These are legends we shall tell to our children to come and we are proud to associate with history,” Mr Opio says.

According to Alice Naluswata, whose house is located besides one of the landmarks, visitors arrive at the site though not so often. Since there is no regular caretaker, people just come and read the inscription and go away without paying a penny. Ms Naluswata says that in a month at least a visitor or two arrives.

For maintenance of the landmarks, Ms Naluswata says members of the Bunyoro Kingdom pay locals to slash and wash the landmarks occasionally.

Having lived in the area for the past four months, Naluswata says she welcomes any ideas to have the site upgraded to a tourism attraction.

“We normally have a chance to see the visitors who come here. Like the Omukama who visited the other day who knew that I would ever see the Oumukama of Bunyoro face to face,” Ms Naluswata asks.

Early this year, there were media reports that some residents of Kangai Sub County want government to establish a University in the area to recognize their fallen ancestors who hosted anti-colonial Kings Kabalega and Mwanga. The locals argue that it is high time the place was made visible since it played a vital role in events that led Uganda to come under British rule