Uganda gears up for Kagulu Hill climbing challenge in Busoga

The Kagulu Hill Climbing Challenge where thousands of local and foreign tourists throng to participate in the annual event in Buyende district is back again.

Slated for Saturday, 26 August 2023, the event shall feature the Kyabazinga of Busoga, William Gabula Nadiope as the Guest climber, backed by his Cabinet, MPs, prominent figures, and hundreds of mountain climbers.

Speaking to the media on Monday, the Busoga Kingdom Tourism and Culture Minister, Hellen Namutamba said that the event under the theme, ”Promoting job opportunities for the youth through Tourism,” is aimed at showcasing Busoga’s culture and tourism potential.

“The subjects are eager to see the young energetic monarch conquering the 3,484 feet range,” Hellen Namutamba, the Busoga Kingdom Tourism Minister, said while inspecting the Hill on Monday.

Namutamba added that the Miss Tourism Busoga beauties have been lined up and the winner shall be announced at the event.

The event is being supported by the Ministry of Tourism, the Uganda Tourism Board (UTB) in conjunction with Busoga Tourism Initiative (BTI).

Moses Magogo, the FUFA President, hailed the Government for upgrading the hill to enable both the energetic and weak climbers to participate.

“The tourism ministry has built staircases and chains for the climbers to hold as they climb higher,” Magogo, who is the host MP, said, adding that the upgrading cost over sh350m.

The route is blessed with two white-painted cottages where the exhausted climbers rest before proceeding to conquer the summit.  

 Prominent singers from Busoga and Kampala bless the events.

Commissioned by President Museveni

Commissioned in 2012; President Museveni named Kagulu Hill one of the nation’s tourist destinations.

The event gains vibe every year, featuring local and foreign tourists jostling to participate, before winning big prizes including motorcycles, mattresses, bicycles, etc.

In 2018, the Speakers of the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD-IPU), dared the hill.

Showcasing culture

The event showcases culture, featuring the “Oracles” (Abaswezi) of the hills, forests, and huge trees.

Clad in backcloths and headdresses decorated with cowries, backing like mad dogs and smoking tobacco pipes, the Baswezi are a spectacle to behold.

These include Mmandwa Kagulu (Kagulu Hill), Iyingo Kireeba Isabirye (Iyingo Hill)  Dhaadha Bujagaali Nabamba (former Bujagali falls) , Mayembe , Siraje Kinagoidhi , Kasaato, Kitukiro  among others. 

Why you must climb Kagulu Hill

At the summit is what is known as the sacred well with a sailing canoe and a small oar.

On the western side are prints of a human foot, another one of an animal believed to be a dog and a spear blade.   All these remind the Busoga community of Mukama Namutukula, Basoga’s original ancestor.

Legends tell that the foot mark is where he stepped on arrival from Bunyoro, across Lake Kyoga, way back in the 17th Century.

A deep well, whose tunnel joins Lake Kyoga, about nine kilometers away, is another wonder.  

After performing some rituals on the hill, Namutukula settled near Lyingo hill, about 9 kilometers away, where he begot 11 sons.

He then conquered the entire Busoga, divided it into 11 chiefdoms he allocated each to the sons, birthing the 11 chiefdoms in Busoga Kingdom.

Beautiful panorama

Other fascinating features while at the summit include a beautiful panorama of over 600 villages and green vegetation.

While at the summit, Lake Kyoga seems to have extended nearer the hill.

 A deep well whose tunnel is believed to join Lake Kyoga, about 9 km away, is another wonder.  

The neighboring zones are blessed by the shorter rocks popularly known as Kagulu’s “wives” and “children.”

These include Mawaale, Bukolimo, Kagwese, Nakyeere, Mumpanga, etc

In the thick forests at extreme northern end is the “enkuni” (most sacred cultural stone), including the shrine (eissabo) and the courtyard (embuga) of the 72-year-old Oracle, Mmandwa Kagulu Nabiryo.

Shrubs, long bushes, depressions, cliffs, and the mahogany trees clinging to the sides and cliffs, add to the hill’s beauty.

The hyenas mass grave

At the western side of the summit, tourists don’t miss the big cave known as the hyena’s grave.

This is where locals suffocated over 200 hyenas to death, accusing them of mauling their livestock.