My Life at the Spiritual and Cultural Site of Walussi Mountain
Omusiige of Walussi Ssalongo Sebyayi Kyabangi
History of Walussi Hill
Walussi Hill (Mountain) is found in Kikyusa Subcounty, Luweero district, in Central Uganda. It is called the center of the universe; a show ground of sorts, where heavenly goings-on are exhibited, or reflected in earthly forms. It’s the biblical Eden, where the first man from heaven landed. The first man is called Musoke Ssewamala and he is the father of all mankind. The hill however remains unknown to thousands of Ugandans, who every year make pilgrimages to Jerusalem and Mecca, but ignore the spiritual treasure in their backyard. It was the traditionalists who discovered the spiritual powers of Walussi Hill.
Walussi Hill is where Museveni got the powers to dislodge President Obote. It was from this same hill that Sir Edward Muteesa II (King of Buganda) acquired the powers that protected him during the 1962 attack on his palace in Mengo. During the bush war, President Yoweri Museveni, Kabaka Ronald Mutebi II and Prince Juuko made a pilgrimage to Walussi Hill, where they were given the spiritual troops to fight alongside the regular NRA soldiers.
Walussi was a human being, belonging to the elephant clan. His original home was in Kyampisi Kyaggwe Kiwumu, from where he would make annual pilgrimage to the hill, each lasting between four and six months. After Walussi, people from Kyaggwe continued making pilgrimages to the hill, which was named after him.
On May 24th 1972, Walussi’s successor, Omusiige Ssabakabona Sebyayi Kyabangi moved permanently to Walussi Hill and set up a home where people with problems could come for consultation and guidance. By word of mouth, more and more people got to know about the hill, leading to a steady growth in the number of pilgrims visiting it. The Omusiige Ssabakabona Sebyayi Kyabangi died on July 15, 2006. This is his story.
I have spent thirty four years living here (Walussi Mountain), since 8 August 1972, up to now as I am writing this.
I have written these words because I realized that it was high time for me to tell my people of Buganda and all the other parts of the world that this was the right time for them to realize their problems, seek consultation and guidance; from the clan heads to princes, and princesses, the holy spirit, and all my children that come directly to here where I am. I have always been talking and telling you the truth and the same things all the time.
I was compelled to tell the whole world about those who might disorganize what I have been planning all this time, I have spent here. For my God, my instructor sent me to serve and arrange his works in different stages in order for him to show the whole world his might.
Firstly, let me take this pleasure to thank all the people at the mountain for their support to see that what I have been working on is a success. I greatly thank the servant Kizza Kyazike for protecting and caring for me. In all times of crisis, you have always been there for me. And for her courage for living in this world where people don’t believe where they come from, though you will always tell them. No white European has ever seen a moon shine like a sun.
How I came to this place
I used to live at Monde Ttweyanze. The spirits protected me from there until 1952 when I inherited my father’s spirits. My father’s name was Kakembo Mindi za Muwanga. He was instructed by his gods to leave them a son and that is me.
One day I was home, my father packed his belongings and came to see me. He had come to believe I had reached manhood. When he went back, he died after four months and was buried in his ancestral site at Kiwumu Nakassaja in Kyaggwe. He openly disclosed to the rest of my family, as we grew up in the same compound, that I was to be heir. The rest didn’t like me so he gave his daughters the responsibility to choose between the two boys, who would succeed him. Then he said “that if I, Sebyayi Kyabaji, and said, “That if Sebyayi doesn’t succeed me, then my companion Bukulu Ssozi should take my drum.” What surprised me was they didn’t give my father’s drum as he had said.
One night as I was sleeping, my father’s ghost came with all his property. All of a sudden I started hearing the sound of a drum, flutes, harps, horn drums and a cheerful noise on top of the roof of my house, and then my father called me using a rude tone, and immediately the noise on my roof top stopped.
I realized when I responded that the noise stopped. He handed me a spear of Kitinda and instructed me how the blacksmith should shape it. Two heads with four holes in the middle. From that time, I didn’t settle. I couldn’t rest because I was looking for the sites of the eleven spirits.
I would spend sleepless nights hearing voices calling my name, my doors and windows would open and close by themselves, and the spirits held me back so I couldn’t move and I died for some time. Now life became harder and that is when the whole world went mad in the year 1966, the same time when Kabaka Sir Edward Muteesa II went into exile.
As I was still in the spiritual world of the dead, dancing with that of the tortoise clan, I heard a voice calling me and the same voice said to me, “your grandson has been taken where he is supposed to live,” and he told me to stop sleeping, but go and protect the people of Buganda, while he plans for the rest of the world.
My brothers, who had been instructed to protect me, had imprisoned me in 1966. Since then Walussi couldn’t give me peace. Then he said, “I want you to go to the Holy Mountain, where the spirits emerged with a force of creation. We shall always sit at the top of the mountains, but not as ghosts or spirits.
The spirits destroyed my everything when they realized that the supernatural powers were seated down for so long and embarking on Jesus. Never fear, we shall always be upon the mountains protecting, praying, and healing people at all times at our shrines. That is the place where all the spirits that led to creation would be preserved and taken care of, because if there was no creation, you would not be producing in the world, he concluded by saying, don’t lose or forget everything that we are saying, and you shall be rewarded at every site that belongs to us that you reach.
Therefore this was the reason as to why I was sleeping, to be instructed by God. When I realized, I was sitting at the island of Nsazi, and from there, a meeting was called where even all the children who were in the Lake were called, so the island was full of people.
The sun declined as well as the moon, with the shooting stars among other stars, when that was seen, a person came from the moon and another from the sun. The one from the sun knelt down for the one from the moon and said;
“Father, I pray and kindly ask you to direct and take me back at the place from which you gave me this world, because the world is contaminated now. For my children have cut down the trees, that is the reason why I want to go back. My children need to unite.”
And God responded; “When I was giving you this world, didn’t you see the place?” And Ssewamala said, “For me if I saw the place there, were not they born like me? When I produced them, you had already left the earth and for that matter no one knew I had a father, now I request you to take me back, for them to know that I also had a father.”
All that time, the rest of the members that were in the meeting were quiet, and God said, “Ssewamala, should I take you back? Ever since this world began they have never given a servant.” All of a sudden, Ssewamala turned his eyes to me and said to his father the creator, “In my world I am going to give the one they gave me.” And God responded to his son, “I have always seen and known him but you have never introduced him to me.”
Ssewamala replied; “There he is.” And God said, “Are you giving me this person?
As I gave you the world, remember I didn’t give it to you alone. Do you want me to take him alone? To be like those you have been taking, who build the huts and leave the termites to eat. What if also mine becomes like that? And Ssewamala said; “let me go back to the clan of my servants and bring forth the woman.”
In that meeting, there was judging of cases between Mukasa and Muwanga and were blamed for calling themselves the overall masters of Creation in everything, Mukasa was accused of stealing the children of Musoke, claiming they were his descendants and he claimed everything on earth belonged to him, while Muwanga was blamed for calling himself this name which means the creator of lakes, rivers, and mountains, which misled God’s people. And God said unto him; “By the time you were born, the world already existed. What did you create?”
Since then their powers were reduced by God and then my doors and windows closed. Their names were changed and I was told that when Buganda Kingdom is at peace, Muwanga would be called Kisinde and Mukasa would be Mugasa, who would use a white goat with a black skin on its back. When that was done, the meeting was dispersed, the commandments that led to creation were brought individually and for that matter, the powers were given to me. I have managed to live without any problem or regret.
As I was heading for the journey
When I came to this place on 8 August 1972, I first bought a calabash of local brew, courie shells, amatembe, and a bark cloth to place them. A woman was brought with whom we were to please the gods and serve. When I brought these items, my partner, Omukuma Kalule refused and later she died. After 3 weeks a woman, Namuganyi Kukira-eka was brought. I was sleeping when a voice said to me, “We have bought you the woman.” That early morning, I rode a bicycle from Monde and came. I saw the woman after three days and I really believed they had bought her.
After realizing that matter, I went back to pick my belongings, it took me two days. That is the time I left my home. I immediately begun the works of clearing all the cultural sites, which were covered with bushes and it took me a period of four years.
After the four year period, there was a problem, and something told me, “Musiige get your things and we go back because I have realized we might lose the things handed to you.” By the time they were telling me that, the woman had also been told to leave the place. I woke up and sat on my bed and began thinking about what I had been told. A servant came from his quarters and with his heart pumping so fast and told me he had seen them undress him and threw his clothes up.
My God came back in the morning and sat on this woman he had brought me and asked me, “Musiige have you prepared what I instructed you?” “And I responded that I had to first pray.” After that, I went back to my place and spent three weeks and God appeared to me and said, “Musiige let us go back to the Holy Mountain and start a new place, because my children don’t have another person to whom they can always go.
By the time I went back, I found that they had bought a piece of land at Bikoodo for my Omuzana, because all the people who were at the mountain had dispersed. I went back to Muwanguzi, one of the King’s men, and informed him about the situation and he called other clan heads, Omutaka Ssegayi, Lusimbo. He instructed them to take me to Najjuma, but we first reached at Walussi’s Mountain and I realized I could live there due to the lands of the people that were neighbouring the mountains.
But, I left there and went to Najjuma where I spent two years. As his servant Omuzana Wabikoodo was a problem, I brought him a piece of land at Kankole Kunjegoyego at Walussi Mountain. He also failed and decided to stay with the Whites at Nnombe.
All of a sudden, Walussi dropped the skins or hides at Nannona’s fire place in Kireku where Namulanda combined everything and said, “Everything that I possessed has died, and disappeared and they have taken the world.”
As I tried to protest, he beat me until I fell to the ground. He removed the roof from my house and I told him, “My God don’t kill me, if I died now I wouldn’t know when one is adamant. They then attacked Muwanguzi the Omuzana and he was requested to go where there is the agreement, which was at Walussi Mountain. He was instructed always to protect me from there.
When he allowed, they brought me back as they carried me. In those times Namuganyi was still with her Whites and she told me that I have divided the world into two. One side should die and my world did, and many people died. The meeting was held at Walussi Mountain and at Nsazi and he instructed me to go to Ddindo to pick Serukeera. He was instructed to go with a calabash of local brew, a goat that was double colored and a hen, which I picked.
When I reached here at Nnombe, Kisemuzi came and instructed me that their norm would always go like this, masanga, masanga (4 times), “agulu agulu bbw ddene ligambwako nyiniryo alimugambaka alizza amasanga kawulukutu simba amasanga Nakate ajje,” and the earth divided itself into two and he disappeared in between.
That was the time when God had finished saying that the world should be on the left side and the right side. Ssewamala, with his servant, cautioned his sons and children, that they should also do the same, produce for and fill the world and all the rivers that water the lakes, if they worked with the Omuzana.
That was the time we started constructing, as they had brought me another helper from Nakawuka of Kisuze known as Nakayima Nakkazi, and we constructed this place from 1981 to 1982, when war broke out and claimed all my people. And God told me to look for the key to the Mountain of Creation and this was the reason as to why it took me three days thinking, trying to make meaning out of what he had told me, until I got it. He commanded me to tell my fellow people to look for fibers so that we could put it in after mixing it with the one the whites had brought and the person who brought the fibers was Prince Jjuko Kasabbanda.
After all that, Kasabbanda was sent to go abroad with his brother Ronald Muwenda Mutebi, because he said he cannot live in a country without a kingdom. By the time I was doing this, I had been separated with Omuzana Namuganyi, and ever since then, my God has never assigned me any duty with her. Her part had already been performed. Now I was with Nakkazi the one who came from Nakawuka.
Prince Kasabbanda had given the luggage to the owner. I had come back to the Walussi Mountain to pray and My Lord said I should never leave the mountains. I was told to be brave and I was assured that me and God would always run the Mountains. I was brave and stayed there from 1982 to 1984, as we were remaining with only the one house of Walussi, as all the people had fled not even the sound of birds could be heard. That was the time when I went out of the mountains when My Lord had instructed me to go and guard Kampala city for the whole of 1985. I was by then living at the late Mawejje’s residence, who was the Sentamu of Mukajjumbe of lower Katwe suburb. From there I went and constructed a shrine at the lake in Rusiiti Busabala, a resting place for the children of Walussi. When I had finished it, Kayiira entered Kampala with his fighters, who were the Fedemu. The Fedemu burnt the shine as if they had been paid, and that was the end of their lives, not one exists up to this time.
In the same period, that was when my God came from above holding a stick with a yellow bungle and ordered me to go to a blacksmith and make a stick exactly like the one he was holding, because he had given the one he had, and then it disappeared into my body.
When I finished making it, he sent me to Ssezibwa, I went there and found a snake with two heads, two bungles yellow in color, and he told me to catch it and dress it with the stick. When I was doing this, I was with the twin of the Mountains called Kizza Mayega. When the snake ritual was finished, I came with it to where I was staying in Kampala. I spent three days with the snake until the war ended. Those who had fled into exile, on realizing that the war had ended, started coming back to the city and became fighters.
All that was commanded to be performed immediately after the war has not fulfilled up to this time. Sacrifices were offered in different places, not forgetting Kasubi where I took the Nabulagala, where the feast was prepared for the Bazukulu to pick him from the country. But that didn’t happen, as Omuzukulu Nakamanya Nalinya was too tired for three days and we could not fulfill that. The cow, which was supposed to be prepared, was handed to the Jjajja of the palace to protect and we instructed him that the cow would be prepared after the war. Those who were present are Ssabakaki of Kasubi and His Highness Kabeja Wabukajumbe.
By the time the war ended, the cow had died, and up to now the ritual has never been performed. Also the stones for the fire place have never been cleansed of their tears. It is of good luck to see that his Muzukulu, the one he had sent to catch the gun, fought well and won the battle. But he has never sat before His Lord to thank him. Also his Jjajja’s Ritual of the Stones has never been performed.
As they were preparing to crown my grandchild at Namulondo, I went to where they were meeting at Mulondo sabe, I was straightforward with them, for I told them to first deal with the affairs that went wrong in the country.
The leaders of the five clans were dispersed in other beliefs that originated amongst them, and these are the following;
The above are the five spirits which God commanded to create every thing we see on earth.
When the war was over, I came back here in the month of March 1986 and I was with Nakkazi when my God stopped the war and we started clearing the place.
In those days, in the year 1989, Omuzana Nakazzi died and I stayed alone for three months until my Lord sent me another one, who was Kizza Kyazike and she is the one serving at the Walussi Mountain up to now. She has served for the last 18 years, being the one that has served longest.
I have been doing the work of my Lord and everything has been happening the way it is supposed to be. From this very place, I have produced children, Kawagga and the twins Kato Kikomeko and Waswa Lukoda and the girl Kizza Nalubaale.
The Funeral rites of Ndawuka at Buwanika, Walussi.
In the year 2000, I was ordered to arrange the funeral rites of Ndawula for the people to understand what they shall always do for the children they will produce. My God was asking the descendants of the 5 spirits that are settled at all shrines, to add him more children so that the compounds of the Shrine never dry completely without people.
The twins I produced, Waswa and Kato were purposely for him to serve at the Mountain, as I was also produced to be God’s own when I was taken at Bubembe where the wife of Kitinda lived, at the place where Musoke’s pillar of Creation story is based. Another child is to stay on land for Kiwanuka, to unite the waters and the land.
My God grew water weed on water because he was angered and he passed through me to remove it when government had failed to remove it, and all this shows God’s anger. To dry the lake was to show the birth place of Nambi, who produced the kingdom of the people. As also, at that place, a shrine has to be constructed where there is a worshipping Shrine of Creation.
I have served my God while I am seated here with my Omuzana Kizza Kazike, the One, who came from the line of those who crawl and to where my God directed me to his servant, from Gabunga of Ssagala Buwaya. The One, he told me that would come and protect the land when the people have put to rest the One God or the Spirit of food plants. The One, from those creatures that crawl, is like the Mother Creator, because that was the egg that produced everything like the plants, those that fly, the animals and the people. From the One that crawls is where the world originated from. Everything I have possessed, I got from my Creator who brought me here and the One I have worked with. And no one else has rights over them except me.
PRAYERS
He ordered that every one should praise in any language due to the different language crisis. Pray and thank The One that created man in his own image. The person, who wants to pray, should always humble themselves before the Creator of Heaven and Earth while kneeling down to lift his soul and put it before God. Every prayer begins with songs of many mixed voices connected with those of the Creator, Namugereka.
The burning of incense, from the omuwafu tree, omusavu, enoogo, or omwoloola, is good not to forget them at all times because incense is the bridge for prayers amongst the worshippers. When the putting of the incense is over, another task to be performed should be the praising of Kyetondeka-Nnamugereka, and the praising is found in the Book of Prayers of Kyetondeka-Namugereka.
This is the prayer that unites all.
“Because of the twins, gods, and spirits, that lived in the beginning of the world, those that gave us the names that we have, which can be changed or lost forever. We, the grandchildren, that have brought back our souls to you, we pray that you give us the knowledge you had when creating the world. Fit to know and understand that we are seated in the places of children of the Child of the Creator. Ssewamala Musoke, the owner of all the seven souls, and the army of the seven souls, like the gods, Lubowa lwa Kabombo Namuzinda, Kiraire, Kasajja Lukowelwa, Nakaliika, Nnalongo, the one who held a shield like men, Lukwata and Lubanga, for the God of Creation Ssewamala, who possessed all the five spirits of creation.”
To receiving every one:
We thank you, the owner of the voice that is for the whole world. We have never stopped worshiping you, because you have protected us in all doings. Who knew that we would also be remembered to be forgiven. Oh, Ssewamala, the sun, the moon and the stars, shine every day so that those that we command and those that command us, thank us and smear us with ghee to attract who ever looks at us. Then say;
Mirembe bweza bweza mirembe, mirembe bweza bweza mirembe, mirembe bweza bweza mirembe.
We shall always sing songs of praise for you, because our hope and knowledge are in you, because you give us life and peace.
Oh Creator, Namugereka, protect us from our enemies because we don’t have the powers. It is always you who has been protecting us for so long, as they were laughing behind our backs, and badmouthing us. We had not known you but now we know you. Let all the spirits always send you to protect us, so that we stop suffering like orphans.
Oh Creator, thank very much.
End prayer
Be praised, worshiped, and respected, by all the nations of the land in their languages, always and forever!
Creator Namugereka, of all the earth, protects you in all your works.
It is me;
Omusiige of Walussi Ssalongo Sebyayi Kyabangi of Kikwandwa
Nombe Kireku at Wabusaana Bamunaanika
Luweero District, 2005
ADDENDUM
The Omusiige died on July 15, 2006 after a long and difficult illness. We have the rarest opportunity of meeting him and his Omuzana at the New Years pilgrimage in 2005 as his guests of honour. We were the first from the Diaspora to witness this African cultural and spiritual tradition. He told his people that we were original people [ancient souls] that have returned to their ancestoral land, in other words, the original children of Walussi. Little did we know, we would be caring for him at our clinic in the last six months of his life. We became very close to him because according to the Omusiige, we were fulfilling prophesy and to them we represented their ancestors. But language and trust in interpreters became a huge barrier to gaining the knowledge that we sought as he spoke no English and we did not speak Luganda. However, our experience with him was like getting to know the Pope, only we felt the Omusiige was a true representative of the Creator.
The night before he was to reenter the hospital for more surgery, he made a fire at the shrine he gave to us. Before he started coming to the clinic, the Omusiige could not walk. His illness prevented his getting around on his own. Our herbal treatments were helpful and the very first time he left the clinic after about 10 days with us, he was walking on his strength. One of the questions we put to him was as God’s representative, how would he know what condition the world was in if he never left the Mountain? He said he tell what was happening in the world by the people who visited the Mountain. He could see how greed and corruption of western culture were changing his people. We inform him that the state of the world is in crisis, and how is mankind to survive? He consulted his Jaajjas [ancestor spirits], who told him that the world was in a very sad state indeed and there will be a cleansing, and that many, many people will die. He said the people who were trying to destroy this world, will not succeed. Uganda is where humanity started and this is where it will start again. He encouraged us to continue doing what we are doing. There will be those who will believe what we are saying and come home to help the African liberation. We had never met anyone like the Omusiige and we are grateful for the opportunity to have met and speak and break bread with him.
Not many of Africans from the west will ever witness the traditional burial and funeral rights of such a man. It was a very solemn affair, watching ancient burial customs and traditions that are centuries old. We were honoured guests at his funeral and the only outsiders invited to attend. Most of the ceremony was in Luganda, the local language. No one really bothered to explain what was going on. We were observers from the west, and as such the only African represent-atives from the Diaspora. The death of the Omusiige left a tremendous void in leadership amongst the Buganda traditionalists as there was no clear successor. There was very much infighting and political maneuvering among the senior Kabonas [priests]. In the end, it was his omuzana who gave him four children that has become the caretaker of Walussi Mountain until God sends another “chosen one”.
Nakato and Kiwanuka Lewis