UGANDA

COMPENDIUM OF CONFLICTS IN UGANDA
groups into their Kingdom. When the Kingdom, following the British acquiescence,
declared the slopes of Mount Rwenzori and the lowlands a part of the Kingdom, this
triggered open hostility from the Baamba and Bakonzo towards the Batooro.
Following their incorporation into the Tooro Kingdom, the Bakonzo and Baamba felt
marginalised and sought a return to autonomy. Such perceived marginalisation consisted
of several aspects. For example, Batooro loyalists occupied the land of Bakonzo and
Baamba retreating from Batooro dominated areas. Further, they levied heavy taxes on
those who remained and subjected them to forced labour (olubwa) on plantations, in
road construction and in the palace. According to the Bakonzo and Baamba, the Batooro
acted with scorn and arrogance. The Bakonzo and Baamba were also denied access to
schools, clinics, roads, markets, and were prohibited from speaking their own language.
The British gazetted their farmland and forests to serve as hunting grounds and game
reserves. 419
One particularly important incident marks the conflict between the British/Tooro and
Baamba/Bakonzo and remains actively commemorated today. Three Bakonzo/Baamba
leaders, Nyamutswa, Tibamwenda and Kapolya, sat in the Tooro Parliament (“Rukurato”)
but were consistently overshadowed by the Batooro parliamentary majority. Frustrated
by such political marginalization, the three representatives launched a liberation
movement against the Tooro Kingdom, so as to create a district of their own in the
Rwenzori Mountains. This movement was initiated while Uganda was still under British
colonial rule and was thus in effect a resistance movement against both British and
Batooro subjugation. 420 Under orders from Captain F.D. Lugard and with the collaboration
of the Tooro Kingdom, the three leaders were killed by British colonial forces and buried
in one grave at Kagando (present day Kagando Hospital). Burying multiple bodies in the
same grave was considered a cultural taboo, and thus caused outrage. This incident
marked a turning point in the relationship between the Bakonzo/Baamba and Batooro
and the larger struggle against subjugation. 421 It inspired anger and became a rallying call
for resistance.
92. Ethnic conflicts over the Rwenzururu monarchy (pre-colonial –
present)
This conflict involves, on one side, the Batooro, and on the other, the Bakonzo and Baamba,
along with the Banyabwindi, Batuku and Babwisi tribes, all of which are considered to
have a special link to Mount Rwenzori. They initially considered the Batooro to be a
common opponent and were all in favour of a Kingdom for the Rwenzururu Mountain
people, or “Obusinga Wa Rwenzururu,” as a common rallying point against Batooro
subjugation.
Obote’s abolition of the Kingdoms in 1967 created an additional rallying point, and fueled
419 Research conducted in Kasese District (key informant interview with senior official of the Rwenzururu
Kingdom)
420 Ibid
421 Research conducted in Kasese District (key Informant Interviews with several senior officials at t h e
Rwenzururu Kingdom)
190