Thousands of members from Bamasaaba Community drawn from both Uganda and Kenya turned out in Mutoto Cultural Center, Mbale, Eastern Uganda for the 2018 circumcision launch, which took place on Saturday.
Initiates together with their relatives had been camping at Mutoto Cultural Centre from early July to witness the event.
According to the organizers about thirty thousand people from Uganda, Kenya and all over the world attended the launch.
Uganda’s Culture and Heritage Minister Hon Irene Muloni who represented President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni called upon Bamasaaba people to continue embracing the circumcision culture as a unifying factor.
She revealed that Imbalu among Bamasaaba people has put the community on the international radar in terms of cultural activities that attract both domestic and foreign tourists, almost riding toe to toe with Brazil.
President Museveni in his message through the minister promised to continue supporting Bamasaaba people assuring Bamasaaba leader Omukuka Bob Mushikori that his government has great plans for all the cultural institutions in Uganda including Bamasaaba community’s institution.
On his part Omukuka Bob Mushikori called on Bamasaaba people to promote and guard Imbalu especially after it had been reported that the practice has grown greatly on the international platform.
He, however, appealed to leaders and members of Bamasaaba Community from both Kenya and Uganda to continue supporting the institution revealing that so far there are several challenges his institution is facing among them lack of infrastructure, finance to run day to day programmes of Inzu Ya Masaaba.
Guests from Kenya led by Bungoma County Deputy Governor Professor Charles Kibanani Ngome said Kenya has emulated Uganda when it comes to conducting their cultural practices saying it has enabled people from the two countries to interact.
“We are grateful to be here and we’ve learned a lot. Ugandans value their culture so much, we are looking forward to working together so that we can make our culture more appealing,” he said.
Member of Parliament for Bumula Mwambu Mabonga called on the leadership of the two countries to organize-through the Omukuka Bob Mushikori-for Kenya to host the same event in the coming years to give an opportunity to Ugandans to experience what Kenyans are capable of doing.
He said it’s through such interactions that Bamasaaba people can take over the leadership both in Kenya and Uganda.
The circumcision process that takes place every even year among the Bamasaaba of Uganda and their Bukusu brothers in Kenya is always accompanied by traditional practices that precede the cutting of the initiates at the peak of the ceremony.
At the Imbalu launch, the Bamasaba had their prospective initiates play the bells known as Chinyimba, Bichenje in some of the sub-clans and sticks in other sub-clans depending on where they reside and other traditional practices that the boys are subjected to before undergoing the all-important initiation ceremony that ushers them from boyhood to manhood.
The Bamasaaba people who inhabit the Eastern part of Uganda have different sub-communities right from Lwakhakha border through Butilu, Magale, Bugobero up to Mbale town through to Bungokho, Sironko and Manafwa districts among other where they settled and have adopted slightly different practices as far as Imbalu is concerned.
Some of them have their boys play Chinyimba with beads thread on strings known as Bibyiuma while others have some well crafted iron metals tied around their legs from the knees upwards known as Bichenje where they jump in the air and hit their legs hard on the ground wherever they are dancing.
Prior to the launch several business operators, companies and parastatals also set up their tents at the venue in readiness to take advantage of the huge crowds of people turning up at the function to reap in their business ventures by selling their goods and services.
Companies exhibit their goods and services in different stands and makeshift kiosks that see them record high sales during the season.
To most business operators, the Imbalu launch is like a business trade fare where they sell the goods at their peak and reap a lot of profit during the season of circumcision.
The business is said to continue throughout the month as more people flock the venue with some bringing their initiates to play from there and thus business also continues throughout the period.
Mutoto is a historical site found among Bamasaaba people who are found in both Kenya and Uganda. Bamasaaba people estimated to be about seven million have settled in Eastern Uganda, parts of Western Kenya especially in Bungoma and Trans Nzoia Counties with others extending up to sections of Kakamega, Uasin Gishu.
Every even year Bamasaaba from all over the world turn out in large numbers to celebrate Imbalu at Mutoto Cultural Centre where they observe all the key stages pertaining circumcision.
Mutoto is believed to be the place where the first Omumasaaba, Fuya was circumcised around 1616.
Fuya came from Babangokho clan among Bamasaaba people and he was lured into circumcision by a Kalenjin lady, Omukhana Murwa, Nabarwa.
Bamasaaba elders say Fuya went out hunting for animals in the wild but on while on the mission, he met, interacted and fell in love with a Kalenjin lady, Omukhana Murwa. Fuya was strongly attracted to the lady and because of that love, he quickly proposed to the lady.
It is documented that the lady did not turn down Fuya’s proposal only that there was a stumbling block, Fuya was uncircumcised. Omukhana Murwa gave Fuya a condition of ensuring he gets circumcised before she could start the married life with him.
Because Fuya was deeply in love with the lady, he accepted to face the cut, Bamasaaba people documenting that Fuya was circumcised around 1616, an act that paved the way for his marriage with Omukhana Murwa.
Remember, when Fuya was circumcised Bamasaaba people were not circumcising their boys, therefore, Fuya was initiated in relation to Barwa’s culture.
After his circumcision, Bamasaaba people did not start circumcising people immediately until after some time.
Mzee Situma Manyasi says, after Fuya’s marriage, they gave birth to children although, among those children, boys were not strong. In fact, they were very sickly, and this led to a life of total fear for Fuya and his wife Omukhana Murwa.
However, when their uncle, Mrs Fuya’s brother visited his sister’s place, he observed his nephews keenly and revealed that they were weak and sickly because they were not circumcised. He, therefore, advised his sister to take the boys to their grandfather’s place to be circumcised which she did and truly after their circumcision, the boys were healed, became strong and continued expanding the clan and by extension the Bamasaaba community.
From that time, Bamasaaba people started circumcising their men, most of them aged above 20 years with many married men undergoing circumcision.
It is important to note that initially, Bamasaaba people were circumcising their men during odd years until 1920 when the practice shifted to even years.
Elders say, in 1919, there was severe famine that made Bamasaaba people not to circumcise their men until 1920 changing it from odd years to even years until now.
The Bamasaaba people take their boys every even year to Mutoto which has now been recognized by the Uganda Government as a cultural centre for circumcision.
Bamasaaba people always set a specific date for the launch of Imbalu before anyone else starts circumcising boys. That means until the launch has taken place, no one among Bamasaaba people can be allowed to circumcise their boys.
Note that it’s the Babangokho clan that first circumcises boys from their clan at Mutoto Cultural centre before any other clan. Also worth remembering is the fact that the Bamasaaba forefather of Imbalu, Fuya came from Babangokho clan and therefore his clan has to lead in appeasing his spirit plus other forefathers before circumcision kicks off among Bamasaaba people.