Bunyoro-Kitara Kingdom

Bunyoro-Kitara Kingdom (BKK) is a Kingdom in Western Uganda. It is ruled by the Omukama of Bunyoro. The current Omukama is H.M. Dr. Solomon Gafabusa Iguru I, the 27th Omukama (king) of Bunyoro-Kitara. The people of Bunyoro are known as Nyoro or Banyoro (singular: Munyoro); the language spoken is Nyoro (also known as Runyoro). It is a remnant of one of the most powerful empires in Central and East Africa from 13th century to the 19th century – Bunyoro-Kitara Empire.

The kingdom enjoys a rich history spanning over 4000 years.

The Kingdom, located  Bunyoro Kitara Kingdom in mid-western Uganda lies 1°N to 2°N and 30°45′ East to 32°25′ East of the Equator. It enjoys a rich history spanning over 4000 years. It covers a total area of 21,376 sq kms, one third of which is covered by water mass.

In the past, the traditional economy revolved around Salt Mining, Black-smithing, Agriculture, and Wild Game hunting when wild game was still in abundance, but today, the Banyoro are now predominantly agriculturalists who cultivate coffee, maize, rice, cotton, bananas, millet, cassava, yams, among other cash crops, as well practice of animal husbandry.

The kingdom of Bunyoro was established in the 16th century by Rukidi-Mpuga of the Babiito Dynasty, out of the northern portion of the Kingdom of the Songora also known as the Chwezi Empire or Empire of Kitara. The Chwezi people who succeeded the Batembuzi. The Babiito / Biito Dynasty still rules the kingdom to date.

At its height, Bunyoro-Kitara Kingdom controlled the Great Lakes region of Africa, covering Uganda, Eastern parts of Zaire, (present day Democratic Republic of Congo), parts of Tanganyika, Rwanda and Burundi , with the earliest stories of the kingdom having great power especially  in Uganda and Rwanda. Later, due to internal strife and rebellion, some parts of the kingdom would break off to form new present-day kingdoms and chiefdoms such as Ankole, Buganda, Toro, and Busoga, and Karagwe.

With control of most of the region’s resources such as the lucrative Kibiro saltworks of Lake Mwitanzige (Later renamed Lake Albert), trade in the then plentiful ivory, and having the highest quality of metallurgy skills and products in the region, this made Bunyoro-Kitara the strongest military and economic power in the Great Lakes region.

However, continued internal strife from rebellious sections of the kingdom, and subsequent break-aways as highlighted above reduced the Kingdom to the size it is today.

Capital: Hoima