Dies at 103 with a vision!

By Ebenezer T. Bifubyeka

IT is 11:00am, September 25, 2003. At 103, Elnest Bukabeeba gets up from his bed and strolls outside. He tells his son, Benon C. Bifubyeka, “May God bless you!” Still energetic and strong, he walks to the neighbour’s house and prays with Deborah Sabiiti. Later, he waves to her.

His wife, Ferris Kabarungi Bukabeeba, 90, tells her last interaction with Bukabeeba: “Mzee stumbled for about 100 meters away from his room to the garden of beans I was weeding.” Tears gather in her red eyes. She suspends narrating and wipes the eyes.

Ferris, ‘‘Swenkuru’ (as we call grandfather in Rukiga) has gone to heaven,’ I console her. She nods and wipes her wet eyes again. Then she quotes Bukabeeba as saying, “Thank you my dear for weeding the beans. They have yielded well. ‘I see people preaching in heaven!’ Okay, bye!”

Ferris says, “After thanking me, he started creeping back home. After a few strides, he fell down! His walking stick and a hat fell beside him. “I ‘ran’ to see what has happened but Mzee (Bukabeeba) was not breathing! I shouted to the neighbours, who came and carried his body home,” she narrates with anguish.

Preaching over 300 mourners at Bukabeeba’s burial on Saturday the 27th of September, the bishop of Ankole Diocese in Mbarara, Rt. Rev. Elisha Kyamugambi says, “‘Saved’ (born-again) people normally die peacefully like Bukabeeba.”

Kyamugambi is officiating at Bukabeeba’s burial at his son, Benon Bifubyeka’s home; Ruharo, Mbarara in south-western Uganda. He says Bukabeeba is survived by a 90-year-old widow, four children of over 70 years and 142 great grand children!

Kyamugambi shocks the crowd by kneeling before Ferris and commends her for the rare love she has had with her departed ‘born-again’ husband (Bukabeeba).

He tells Ferris, “I envy your marital love. Bukabeeba staggered 100 meters away from his room to the garden and told you, ‘thank you my dear for weeding the bean-plants; May God bless you!’ Then he fell and died as he strolled back home! That was great!”

Kyamugambi adds, “Bukabeeba, who was the famous oldest man in Mbarara, has challenged many drunkards fond of visiting the bars and return home speaking English to the trees, and beat their wives on reaching home!”

Bukabeeba’s history:

Bukabeeba was born in January 1901 at Nyakishenyi, Rukiga in former Kigezi district (currently Rukungiri District); but his smooth and scintillating face was less wrinkled as expected of a 103-year-old! If someone told you he was 75, you would agree wholeheartedly!

The physique of this ever quiet man testified that he was previously a sublimely strong person. “I expect to live for four more decades! I still feel strong as you can see. In fact I have decided to ‘keep quiet most of the time in order to save my breath!” Bukabeeba, a Mukiga by tribe, claimed earlier in 2002.

The grey-haired Bukabeeba, who was still able to walk almost upright (with a stick), said, his hobbies were hunting, fighting and digging though he was no longer able to do any of these. Widening his reddish eyes like President Yoweri Museveni, Bukabeeba said he likes people with similar hobbies because they are heroes.

Bukabeeba was among the first Christian converts of 1936 when the Church Missionaries introduced Christianity to former Ankole kingdom in Western Uganda. “I was only 35,” speaking Runyankore-like Rukiga, Bukabeeba remembered. He was among the first people to accept Jesus Christ in their lives and become ‘born-again.’

Bukabeeba hunted for 50 years! Hunting was his career on which his family depended. Bukabeeba wasn’t lucky to get formal education but the informal training he acquired from his Dad, Rukyenesa Rugomoka made him brag of it.

“My father, late Rukyenesa Rugomoka wa Rwanika was physically powerful hunter per excellence! I didn’t go to any school and I don’t regret it because Rugomoka taught me hunting, which earned me a respectable living,” I quoted Bukabeeba in his biography, “A hunter for 50 years,” which I published on the Banyakigezi website: http://www.banyakigezi.org/gen_area/bios/bukabeeba.htm

The intrepid Bukabeeba, an Anglican by religion, gained hunting-experience within four years he spent going with his father to hunt wild animals (hunting was not restricted by then). Later, he formed a 30-man hunting group comprised of his age-mates. Late Bukabeeba started hunting strange animals like leopards and lions at 20.

After which, he started hunting alone with nine dogs namely: ‘Ndyanakahinda’ (his most loved dog), ‘Kuributeira,’ ‘Kurinamanyire,’ ‘Kazongoroza,’ ‘Kagandura,’ ‘Kasyekyero,’ ‘Bwenda-maka,’ ‘Rubarimu’ and ‘Keeza-buremu’ (a lazy dog).

He boasted of hunting (for 50 years) in Mafunjo and Omurugano forests in Kabale and Dura forest in Tooro. In this period, Bukabeeba used a mere spear to kill three leopards, two lions, several baffalos, hyenas, antelopes and many other animals.

At night, they would use ditches to trap big animals like elephants. He averred that he could only feed on those wild animals on a daily basis! To him, animals are delicious and nutritious; and perhaps that’s why he has been able to live for many years.

However, Bukabeeba regrets, “A ruthless Tiger killed my first born son, Kaburabuza-Mwene-Bukabeeba in the course of hunting. I will never forget that miserable day.”

During his youth, Bukabeeba was a renowned wrestler at his residential village, Ryabasiita, Kahungye in Kibaale district. In his life, he was defeated once by a Mukiga, Mwene-Ndondo whom he fought for ‘three’ hours!

“I regret that defeat, even up-to now!” he said shaking his head. Both the juveniles and adults of the area, he said, respected him for being a hunter and wrestler. Bukabeeba said he is glad to see all his sons and grandchildren are strong and brave.

Bukabeeba commended his sons and grandson, Ebenezer Ten Bifubyeka.

He said, his son, Benon Bifubyeka was a good fighter, and Late William Bankobeza was a military genius. Bankobeza fought the famous 1945 Global War, which was geared by a Germany Chancellor, Adolf Hitler; the warmonger that shook the Globe.

“My grandchild, you are equally strong. I always see you going for road-work every morning, and doing a lot of strenuous exercises in the evenings,” he once commented about me.

Bukabeeba had key interest in politics:

Though he was physically old, Bukabeeba’s mind was still politically rational. “I need someone to always tell me current affairs especially politics,” Bukabeeba said with a joy-radiating face. He disliked multi-parties. He said the main repercussion of multi- parties in a poor country like Uganda, is social divisions hinged upon hatred!

He cautioned that multi-partism accelerates disunity, a short cut to underdevelopment. “At the moment, our status in Uganda is still immature to let multi-party system take its course,” he suggested.

Bukabeeba experienced colonial pressure:

However, Bukabeeba recalled the brutality of colonialism. Bukabeeba remarked, “Although the whites built schools at Rushorooza and Rugarama churches, I will never forget their notoriety.”

“The whites came when I was young but understanding. They had women who were tax collectors. These women used to cane tax defaulters like thieves. They taxed us highly and yet we earned little salaries!” Bukabeeba lamented.

He said these ruthless ladies forced people to say, ‘thank you,’ after caning them. “I used to be given more strokes of the lash because I could not easily say it,” he recollected. Many other Bakiga rejected to utter it out too,” he narrated.

The Bakiga’s anger worsened when the whites stopped their culture of tying small calabashes on their nude and muscular legs. Subsequently, furious like wounded leopards, the Bakiga started piercing the whites with their stabbing spears!

“Many whites were killed in this anti-cultural war. The helpless oppressors had no guns. This helped us to oust them from Kigezi (now Kabale). Later, whites reorganised and returned with guns. This time, whites were bloodthirsty!” he said.

Many brave Bakiga were killed! Anyone who resisted the white’s rules and regulations was given heavy kicks like a motorcycle! Due to this chronic harassment, Bakiga’s culture eventually deteriorated, he said with grief on his shiny brown face.

During 1920’s, the Bakiga reportedly grew lots of peas, sorghum, and Irish potatoes under the orders of a Muganda Chief nicknamed, ‘Kaigo Rutatinamiriigo.’ These crops were grown extensively and the colonial masters used to sell them to Indians.

Bukabeeba said they used to work for long hours and under heavey caning and earn little money. He said that later, the colonialists introduced compulsory cotton growing without any increase on their wages.

“As a way of revenge, we fried their cotton seeds before sowing them and claimed that; ‘cotton doesn’t grow in our area!’ The colonialists foolishly believed us and this marked the end of cotton growing in Kigezi,” he disclosed, shaking his head.

The Bakiga rejected a kingdom:

Although Bakiga refused kingship in 1960s, the whites chose some collaborating strong Bakiga men to supervise their projects. Those locals were distributed in many different localities to ensure smooth running of their business.

Bukabeeba said, even the former King, late Canon John Bikangaga of Kigezi was crowned under the influence of the whites, and the few collaborating Bakiga gave him a title of 'Rutakirwa,' which meant, 'there is no one above me!' This title irked the locals for they felt degraded and overlooked. They refused to embrace the king and become his subjects.

Subsequently, they neglected and disrespected the king (Bikangaga). Fortunately for them, the then president of Uganda, late Dr. Apollo Milton Obote banned monarchies around 1966, after Bikangaga had ruled for about two years!

Bukabeeba said Bakiga believed that ‘it is only Heavenly God, who is above all people but not Rutakirwa.’ They resisted any political bulldozing by telling Rutakirwa that ‘everyone is a king in his home!’ And that’s what led to the collapse and natural death of Rutakirwa kingdom.

Bukabeeba relocated from Kabale:

In late 1950’s, Bukabeeba migrated with few friends to Tooro Kingdom in Western Uganda, in search of land. The colonial slavery in Tooro was worse. There was a king by the names of Rukirabasajja Mwebigwa who was a collaborator of the whites’ mal-administration.

Bukabeeba said that Mwebigwa’s subjects were working in the whites’ plantations but he did become Mwebigwa’s subject.

Bukabeeba acquired land from Tooro:

Bukabeeba annexed nine square-miles of land in Tooro and later shared it with relatives. “The natives feared us because we were a cluster of strong fighters. Due to old age, my son Bifubyeka took me with my wife to Mbarara in 1978, leaving our land to relatives,” he concluded.

By the time he met his end, Bukabeeba was living with Bifubyeka at Ruharo, Kamukuzi division in Mbarara municipality.

Bukabeeba was the only child ‘alive,’ out of 17 children produced by his late mother, Mukeirera Rukyenesa, who was a Mukongwe by clan. Bukabeeba’s Mukiga wife, Ferris, produced only one child, Bifubyeka, aged 73.

Bukabeeba had three wives:

Bukabeeba was a husband of three but the eldest wife died. He separated with his second wife before her death.

Out of the nine children {excluding one deceased illegitimate child} he produced from her three wives, four are still alive. Bukabeeba’s youngest wife, Ferris is the only one still alive. She is staying with his son, Bifubyeka at Ruharo.

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