Bamasaaba people have been urged to embrace their culture, ethics in order to nurture a well behaved and hardworking generation.
Speaking during the launch of Masaabaland So Amazing book, Bungoma County Assembly Speaker Emmanuel Situma revealed how important it is for the community to teach the young generation about their culture plus its importance for the betterment of their lives.
He regretted how the community at the moment is experiencing so many indiscipline cases citing an increase in early pregnancies among young and school going children.
Mr Situma was quick to blame grown up members among Bamasaaba people for abdicating their duties thus encouraging indiscipline cases among the young people.
He singled out the cultural advisory role played by aunts and grandmothers saying they have so far run away from their duties.
Speaker Situma who led a delegation from Kenya, reiterated the similarities on cultural practices between the Bugisu and the Bukusu saying it points to one ancestry.
On matters economy as outlined in the book Masaabaland so Amazing he pointed to tourism and agriculture as the two main pillars for the Bamaasaba appealing to Bamasaaba people to practice farming in order to empower themselves economically.
He applauded efforts shown in coffee farming by the Bamasaaba in the Uganda and asked the Kenya ones to take a leaf.
He further commended the author Mr. Erick Mukhwana appealing to Bamasaaba people to read the book and practice what has been captured in it.
Speaking during the launch, the author Mr. Erick Mukhwana thanked all those who participated in organizing and making the launch successful in both Kenya and Uganda.
He extended his gratitude to West Media Limited that owns West FM, West Tv and Mumbo FM for the great support towards the launch.
Mr. Mukhwana used the opportunity to call upon Bamasaaba people to support his work by buying and reading the book while at the same time putting into practice what the book entails.
He further appealed to other people among Bamasaaba people to come out and write more about Bamasaaba people revealing that there is still a lot to be written about.
“Let us tell our stories, if we allow others to write about us then misinformation about our Bamasaaba culture will continue,” explained Mr Mukhwana.
His Highness Omukuuka III John Wagabyalire while giving his speech appealed to Bamasaaba people to work together for the betterment of Bamasaaba at large. He asked for purposeful unity among the descendants of the 3 sons of Masaaba namely Mwambu, Mubuya and Wanale.
The King of Bamasaaba noted that the Bamasaaba on the Kenyan side are more than the ones on the Ugandan side reiterating on the importance of the two sides working together.
Mr. Omar Njofu, the Chairperson of Culture Council and the Deputy Prime Minister in the Inzu ya Masaaba thanked the author for what he termed as a wonderful job of telling the whole world who Bamasaaba people are.
He emphasized on the need to strengthen unity among Bamasaaba people for economic, social and political gains.
The launch that took place in Mt Elgon Hotel, Mbale City, Eastern Uganda came one month after the first launch that took place at Tuutis Hotel in Bungoma.
