In May, the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development gazetted the change of name of Inzu Ya Masaba Cultural Institution to Bukuka Bwa Bugisu.
Misunderstandings among elders in Bugisu Sub-region, stemming from the renaming of the cultural institution, have worsened, with one faction electing a new parallel cultural leader to replace the current chief, Umukuuka III Jude Mike Mudoma. Inzu Ya Masaba Cultural Institution was formed in 2010 to unite the descendants of Masaba, living around the slopes of Mount Elgon.
The tribe occupies districts such as Sironko, Bulambuli, Mbale, Manafa, Namisindwa, and Bududa in Uganda. The institution also extended its territories to western Kenya in Bungoma and Tanzoa, where residents are of Bugisu descent.
In May, the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development gazetted the change of name of Inzu Ya Masaba Cultural Institution to Bukuka Bwa Bugisu, which left many disgruntled and have since protested and questioned the motive.
As a result, a section of elders last week elected Mr Joram Khambo Mayatsa from the Wanale Clan to take on the mantle from the current Umukuuka, Mr Mudoma, saying his five-year term ends this October. Mr Mudoma was reportedly elected by the General Assembly under Inzu Ya Masaba in 2020.
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Shortly after his election, he was engaged in fights for the throne with Mr John Amram Wagabyalile, but the Ministry of Gender in 2023 gazetted Mudoma as the rightful Umukuuka. Dr Edward Komoli, the Inzu Ya Masaba secretary general, said the change of the name of the institution meant that leadership of Inzu Ya Masaba that brought the current Umukuuka to the throne had fallen vacant.
"As Bamasaba, we don't want to identify ourselves as Bagisu. We held a meeting at Kayegi Hotel and all people denied being identified as Bagisu.There was a rescue team set to consult the government on why they would decide for us on how we should identify ourselves, but we found out that the changes were requested by the current Umukuuka III through his lawyer, Masereje and company advocates," he said.
Mr Komoli said in the meeting, they also agreed to bring back the structures of Inzu Ya Masaba to start the work of identifying Umukuuka IV, which resulted in the election of a new Umukuuka.
During its inception, it was agreed that leadership of the institution should be on a rotational basis, where the cultural head is to be picked from the clans of the three sons of Masaba- Wanale, Mwambu, and Mubuya.
According to the history of the Bamasaba, Masaba had three sons: Wanale settled in Mbale District, Mwambu in Sironko, Bulambuli, and Mubuya in Manafa, Bududa, and Namisindwa.
The late Wilson Weyasa Wamimbi from the Wanale family was elected as the first Umukuuka from Wanale, and he reigned from 2010 to 2015, handing over to late Sir Bob Mushikori from Mubuya, who steered the kingdom until 2020 when his reign ended. Mushikori passed on in 2021, and the institution's operations came to a standstill over leadership wrangles until Mudoma III was gazetted in August 2023.
Mr Komoli said the government does not dictate how Bamasaba people should recognise themselves and reminded the current Umukuuka that his term started the moment he took an oath and not when the government gazetted him. Mr Robert Kimanai, an elder, also said the move by the elders is in good faith and asked the current Umukuuka to vacate the institution's offices. "Our Umukuuka III was elected in 2020 and swore an oath at that time to start his work.
He was only gazetted in 2023, like all other past leaders. Let him be a gentleman enough and quit," he said. However, members from Mr Mudoma's camp still argue that even when he was elected in 2020, he was not in charge of the institution's affairs until he was gazetted in 2023.
Mr Sakwa Napokoli, the chair of clan heads in the Umukuuka Mudoma's administration, said forcing them out of office at this time is calculated intrigue.
"While it is true that Umukuuka I Wamimbi Weyasa Wilson and Bob Mushikori 11 took oath much earlier and was gazetted much later on, they were duly de facto leaders who we saw carry out their duties until the expiry of their term. Umukuuka III Mudoma was in charge of the state of affairs from 2020," Napokoli said.
Counsel Richard Masereje, the attorney general of Mudoma's faction, refuted the claims that he advised the government to change the name.
"In my letter, which they said I requested the solicitor general to change the institution's name, I simply raised a matter of concern and guided the government to interpret the law after they found out that some of the cultural institutions, including Inzu Ya Masaba, were operating outside the law," he said.
He explained that the government rectified the mistake where most institutions were submitted as associations, citing examples of Lango Cultural Foundation, Inzu Ya Masaba, Kumam Heritage Foundation, among others, adding that the founders based on logic, not the law.
Mr Masereje said they are currently working with experienced lawyers to develop principles that will guide the institution going forward, rather than focusing on personalities.
"Those who are saying Umukuuka IV has been elected are just ignorant of the law, and some of them are the ones who have been sabotaging cooperation efforts among the Bagisu for a very long time," he said.
Mr Masereje accuses elders of spearheading the election of the new Umukuuka for selfish interest such as targeting to benefit from the government remittance.
"That money is paid directly to the cultural leaders. That is why some of those are against the changes since they don't see how they will benefit," he said.
Response from the institution During an earlier interview, Mr Steven Masika, the spokesperson of the institution, however, said the change of the name was not only legal but necessary for the good of Bamasaba.
"We identify ourselves as Bamasaba, but legally we are Bagisu, and that is why we are just trying to align our cultural institution with the Uganda Constitution that recognises us as Bagisu, not Bamasaba, and the ministry of gender made a corrigendum," he said.
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Mr Masika claimed that the Inzu Ya Masaba was registered by a few individuals who had selfish interests and under that setting the institution was missing out privileges allocated to cultural institutions in every region.
However, the newly elected Umukuuka Mayatsa told our reporter that he didn't have any influence in his election as new Umukuuka neither did he show any interest to become the next cultural head of Bamasaba.
"I am going to work for unity. We are completing our processes of inauguration and at an opportune time I am going to engage the current leadership to accept and leave the leadership of the cultural institution to me," he said.
The institution
Inzu Ya Masaba Cultural Institution was formed in 2010 to unite the descendants of Masaba, staying around the slopes of Mount Elgon.
The tribe occupies districts of Sironko, Bulambuli, Mbale, Manafa, Namisindwa, Bududa and Mbale City, in Uganda.
The institution also extended its territories to western Kenya in Bungoma and Tanzaa, where residents are of Bugisu descent.
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