Meet the five longest-serving Buganda clans of the longest-serving Kabaka

The coronation anniversary will be running under the theme dubbed "The Value of Clans to the Kingdom." According to the minister for special duties and chairperson of the organising committee, David Mpanga, this year's celebrations will centre on clans since clans are vital to Buganda's existence and origin.

Let us look back at the major five clans that existed before Buganda became a Kingdom and their roles/duties.

Before it was known as Buganda, in the 12th century the region was known as Muwaawa (a place that is sparsely populated). It is believed that the natives came from Abyssinia through the rift valley and the mountains of Elgon.

They were organized into groups that had a common ancestry and constituted the most important unit in Buganda's culture - the clan. There were five original clans referred to as Banansangwa or Ebika Binansangwa (the indigenous clans) and they are; the Ffumbe clan, Lugave clan, Ngeye clan, Njaza clan and Nyonyi Nyange clan.

Ffumbe clan

Meet the top five longest-serving Buganda clans of the longest-serving Kabaka/Pexels Pulse

The clan leader Buganda-Ntege Nalusiri Walusimbi is believed to be the 33rd king of the Tonda dynasty. It is believed that it is after him that the land of Muwawa came to be called Buganda.

Ffumbe (civet) is believed to have started with Walusimbi who had a huge banana plantation that was harassed by this same animal. It ate every banana that ripened including the wine-making ones. He tried every possible method to kill it but it out-witted him. Because it survived every trap he set, he declared it an abomination in his house for the loss it caused him and the distress. All his children and grandchildren were to respect it for its clever ways and with time, it became the clan totem.

The Ffumbe clansmen were the kabaka's medicine-men and Magunda, a member of this clan was his principal doctor. He had judicial duties to perform on the king's behalf. This clan was in charge of a deity called Mukasa based in Ssese. A member of the Ffumbe clan called Nakku, was in charge of declaring the end of the king's funeral to let people go back to their normal duties at home. Kiwukyeeru of this clan was in charge of Namulondo (throne).

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Lugave clan

Meet the top five longest-serving Buganda clans of the longest-serving Kabaka/Pexels Pulse

The leader of the Lugave clan at the time Kintu took over was Mukiibi Ssebuko Ssaalongo. For his role in acquiring the throne, Kintu gave him the privilege of choosing for himself and his children choice pieces of land anywhere in the Kingdom on which to settle. He also allowed Mukiibi the unusual privilege of planting fig trees (Mituba) for his children in the places they chose to settle. (Planting a fig tree is a symbolic recognition of the granting of ownership to the land).

This is one of the reasons that members of the Lugave clan are widely scattered throughout Buganda. Mukiibi himself settled at Kapeeka in Busiro. The crowning mark of Kintu's gratitude was the choice of Kakulukuku, one of Mukiibi's sons to be the very first Prime Minister (Katikkiro) in the Kingdom. This is the highest office to which a non-royal can rise in the Buganda hierarchy.

The Lugave clan also temporarily took over throne duties when Ccwa disappeared.

Ngeye clan

Meet the top five longest-serving Buganda clans of the longest-serving Kabaka/Pexels Pulse

The official duties of the Ngeye (Colobus Monkey) clan are to supply the Kabaka with a chief butler (Ddumba) and the man in charge of the king’s drinking water (Kalinda). They supplied the king with the royal potter (Sseddagala) who made the king’s cooking pots.

Njaza clan

Meet the top five longest-serving Buganda clans of the longest-serving Kabaka/Pexels Pulse

Members of the Njaza (Kob) clan originally came from Bunyoro and settled at Kiwawu in Busujju. They moved and eventually settled in the area of the Mabira forests in Kyaggwe. Because of Kyaggwe's proximity to Busoga, members of the Njaza clan were sent on many expeditions into Busoga by the various kings of Buganda.

Members of the Njaza clan had the ritual duty of hunting elephants for the king. This clan also had the responsibility of transporting the Kabaka's tributes from Busoga to Buganda. They also served as customs officers in the Kigungu Market where most of the merchandise from the states to the east of Buganda arrived into Buganda. Kaggwa Ndikumulaga, who was responsible for the construction of the Kabaka's Lake at Mmengo was a member of the Njaza clan.

Nyonyi Nyange clan

Meet the top five longest-serving Buganda clans of the longest-serving Kabaka/Pexels Pulse

The Nyonyi Nyange (Cattle Egret) clan is situated in Bulimu, Kyaggwe. Their clan slogan is "Mu Kyambadde mulimu engo. Bampe omuggo nneewerekeze".

There are different versions of the origin of Buganda and one of them states that Kintu, who was a grandson of Kintu the first man, fought against a tyrant called Bbemba and won. Bbemba's house had been named Buganda, and when Kintu slept in it as a sign of victory, the name was then expanded to the whole territory.

Following the victory, Kintu reorganised the five clans he found and merged them. He then called for a meeting that decided the structure and nature of the kingdom and governance.