Ben Trevor

[Mwami lu @lulanzeashirafu]

WHY KING OYO WAS CALLED OYO - THE LUO SECRET OF TOORO AND BUNYORO

If you are a Mutooro or a Munyoro, your King has a Luo name. Oyo, Olimi, Rukidi, Winyi, Kaboyo, Duhaga. How? Long ago, we had no Babiito, we had the Bachwezi. The Kitara Empire was powerful, with its capital at Bigo bya Mugenyi, but then things fell apart. King Wamara's cows started producing blood instead of milk, Mugenyi's sacred cow Bihogo died at a salt lick, and rebellions broke out everywhere. Wamara called his diviners, who brought a fattened calf, rinsed their mouths with milk and slaughtered it to read the future, but when they cut it open there were no entrails inside.

No one could explain it until a Luo diviner named Nyakoka from across the Nile came forward. He hit the head and the legs of the calf and the entrails fell out, covered in black soot from the fire. He interpreted the omen: an empty stomach means the reign of the Bachwezi is over, entrails in the head and legs mean the Bachwezi will survive only as spirits in the Mbandwa shrines, and the black soot means Kitara will be taken by dark strangers from another land. The Bachwezi tried to kill him for this prophecy, but he escaped north across the Nile back to Bukidi, today's Lango and Acholi.

Who was waiting in Bukidi? Years before, a Chwezi Prince called Isimbwa had gone hunting in Luo land and left his son Kyomya behind. Kyomya married a Lango woman, Nyatworo, daughter of Labongo of the Mukwonga clan, and their child was of mixed blood. They called him Isingoma Mpuga Rukidi - Isingoma meaning father of drums, the Bantu name his subjects gave him, Mpuga from empuuga, the black-and-white cow symbolizing his mixed ancestry, Rukidi from his birthplace, and Labongo from his Luo grandfather. He and his brothers were hunters, loved by the Luo people. Nyakoka found him resting under a Bito tree, which is why they are called Babiito, and told him: "Kitara has no king. Go and take it."

So a small group of Biito-Luo crossed the Nile - legend says they had to sacrifice a child to cross - and when they arrived at the empty Chwezi capital, the Banyoro viewed them with suspicion because they were half Bantu and half Luo. Rukidi asked Wamara's wives, Bunono and Iremera, "Where did the Bachwezi go?" They answered, "They disappeared towards Lake Victoria, they will never return." He took the drum, and that was the start of Bunyoro-Kitara. The new kings lost their Luo language and spoke Runyoro, but they kept Luo names as throne names. That is why the first Bunyoro kings are Rukidi, Ocaki, Oyo Nyiba, Winyi I, Olimi I, Chwa, Nyabongo and others, because when you become Omukama you drop your childhood name and pick an ancestor name to prove you are a true Mubiito.

That is why the founder of Tooro in 1830, Prince Kaboyo who rebelled against his father Kyebambe III of Bunyoro, called himself Kaboyo Olimi I on the throne, taking a Luo ancestor name, and why Oyo's father named him Oyo Nyimba before going to Cuba as ambassador, with elders later adding Rukidi IV after his grandfather. They even brought Empaako, the word pako itself is Luo meaning to praise someone, and names like Amooti, Akiiki, Abwooli and Ateenyi are Luo pet names with direct meaning in Luo language. The Babiito are also the only clan in Bunyoro that does not marry outside; they marry within to keep that royal blood. Even in Buganda, Rukidi's twin brother is Kato Kimera, the third King of Buganda. So we are Bantu people, but our kings are sons of the Luo. That is why the Tooro anthem says, "We are children of Bachwezi, grandchildren of Batembuzi, but sons of Rukidi Mpuga." Oyo was not just a name. It was 800 years of history. Rest well, Rukidi IV.

[JaPrado. @Dr_AustinOmondi]

There was a group of Wazungus that came to Kenya for a social experiment on corruption. Within 6 months they had gotten original IDs, passports, DLs and even academic certificates through corruption. Their conclusion was the average Kenyan wouldn’t survive a day in a a corruption free society.

[Amon 👷 @rwenzori_]

Omukama Kabalega having lost an empire, a horriffic war that combined mercenaries from India, Sudan,Buganda, Britain, Egypt, Bangaladesh etc, captured from Dokolo, amputated, lost most of his army, over 50 children but never resigned even as he was exiled miles away. At the time of his capture, although it's claimed that he was on the run, no- he was enroute Abbsyina /Ethiopia to pick lessons after news that twice the Italians had been defeated by Menelik. Had the bond happened, the face of Africa would be different today. An all-time hero, whose portrait needs to be placed at every African's living room.

Curriculums haven't taught him as a subject, they should.

[Gabriel Buule @GabrielBuule]

This parent drove from work to King David Junior School to stop his two children from joining the tour. He acted after learning of a school accident in Mukono. "I was born alone; my children shouldn't go," he told the bursar and that's how his kids survived.

[Saufahh🦋 @saufah_]

If anyone knows a parent of a kid from King David Junior School who needs any help, i will be glad to help. I’m at Kapchorwa referral hospital🙏

[Jeje Odea 🇺🇬 @joshjeje2]

These are Ugandans who were repatriated from South Africa recently.

What is the purpose of forcefully taking them to Kyankwanzi?

[Ben Trevor @captainbt21]

@uganda44948 Is it haunted

[Ben Trevor @captainbt21]

Mind-blowing science fact: An average cloud weighs about 1 million tonnes — roughly 100 elephants or a fully loaded Boeing 747! ☁️ Yet it floats thanks to physics. Nature is wild. #ScienceFacts #DidYouKnow

[Ben Trevor @captainbt21]

@Andxion_ Not at all

[Ben Trevor @captainbt21]

@mbales_finest Buy poison and your soul can travel anywhere you want

[Ben Trevor @captainbt21]

@Sironyeka Hi

[Ben Trevor @captainbt21]

@AllanSseky Using which money

[Ben Trevor @captainbt21]

@sevdaloji ……

[Ben Trevor @captainbt21]

@KasajjaAndrew3 But isn’t that a hack for saving fuel?

[Ben Trevor @captainbt21]

@rinahbbyyy @Agatie7 Both

[Ben Trevor @captainbt21]

@thirdmetax He’s right at some point but the timeline is unrealistic though

[Ben Trevor @captainbt21]

@agribussiness1 Congratulations

[Ben Trevor @captainbt21]

@emeka_ug @IamHaxx She really didn’t want him at all

[Ben Trevor @captainbt21]

@kirya_ug He’s just insane

[Ben Trevor @captainbt21]

@OkelloDixon @africaupdates Mention the bars