The Heritage of Bukusu Forts: A Pride of Yesterday’s Life

 

The rich Bukusu cultural heritage, which has not been cared for as it deserves, rests in the fortified monuments that spread all through the Bukusu lands. With most of the forts now untraceable, faded from the face of the earth, these sites were a buzz of life for our foregone ancestors. The forts, chingoba in local dialect, also protected the people from adversaries for they were extremely fortified. For example, oral tradition has it that it took dozens of skilled warriors about four days to breach the Fort of Chetambe!

Well if you thought Lumboka and Chetambe were the only forts, you are wrong! These two are the hallmark of Euro-Bukusu clashes that happened in the sunset years of 19^th C. The history of living in fortified villages goes back into time when Babukusu migrated together as bands of clans. They would build strong walls around their villages as a safety measure to keep out traditional enemies like Bakwabi (Maasai), Barwa Balaku, Bakinisu, Bakisila, Bakamulyungu and Bakoloyonjo (Kalenjin raiders) as well as notorious Bamia Bapala, Bakhumana and Bamatola (the Iteso).

Babukusu, traditionally referred to as the Thigh of the Elephant, have always prospered in as a united people. Forts were also epitome of cohesion and coexistence which supported communal living. Life flourished when resources were pulled together such as communal herding of cattle and livestock in outer meadows (chikewa) and returning them to sleep in safety of the forts. 

Besides, inter-clanal ties between forts also allowed for intermarriages. Also, intertribal trading, barter trade, also occurred in forts involving livestock, swords, grain and buffalo hides among others. There was a warmth of life within forts with social and political interests well adhered to. Beware, these chingoba were not small to fit just few houses, like modern day homesteads, but quite vast. A typical fort was led by a headman with a population of about several hundred people. Within the forts, it was common to have specific clan/clusters (chibololi) living in different areas like Bayemba in Westerly direction and Babuulo in the North etc. 

 

 

About their size, large forts such as Mayeku fort in Mabanga had a diameter of 120M. Also, the ditches around the fort of Muliro (Omukokho) along Kimilili-Lugulu road suggest a diameter of 250 M. Smaller forts such as Wachana (in Kibabii), Namawanga (in Myanga) and Kulumbana (eNambuyusi) had smaller diameters from 50m to 80m. Permanent walls of stone and murram ran along these oval/circular forts measuring about 0.25 m to 1.5m in thickness and up to 3m in height. 

Outside of these walls, dry ditches were dug up to 4m wide with a depth of not less than 2.5m to keep enemies at bay. These big stone enclosures has a single entrance with a warrior’s barracks at the mouth for swift response in case of an attack. Lastly, there were small holes (biibili) in the walls to shot arrows and track the movement of the enemy. Often times, beehives hang on the inner wall, ready to be poured outward to any enemy that seemed to breach the fort.

The following are some of the fort sites, as traced by Bukusu anthropologists in the last century;

1.       Kibabii-Mayanja Fort Sites

-       Namawanga fort, about 2 km North of Kibabii Mission overlooking Namawanga River as it feeds into Khalaba. This oval fort with a moat around was headed by two headmen, Wachana & Nabutola.

-       Kalaba fort- 85m in diameter, a section of the wall still preserved in the N.E section of the fort.

-       Nabutola II fort- (his second fort about 70m in diameter) located 1.5 m from Myanga.

 

2.       Bokoli-Kimilili Forts

-          Songai, Masaakha & Makheti forts headed by Nambu (Omukwangwa)

-          Lukamula fort by Wanambuko Omusamba

-          Kabachanga fort (Barefu), Wambaloba (Babuuya) and Nato forts (by Sipeto Omukembe)

-          Kitayi fort (coffee factory occupying northern section)- completely destroyed by Bakwabi (Maasai morans)

-          Temba fort (Baliuli) & Muliro fort (near Misikhu Primary Sch., occupied by Bakokho)

-          Nalondo & Siuna forts.

 

3.       Bungoma/ Mabanga fort sites

-          Wayong’o & Wanyongo-Nadende forts, North of Mabanga Agric. School

-          Lukala fort- A large fort (200m)near Lwanda Primary school (eastern section of the fort lies the school compound)

-          Mayeku fort in Mabanga

-          Nambuyusi fort headed by Wayong’o.

-          Chetambe fort led by Chetambe (Omuyumbu)

-          The fort of Lumboka – where Mukisu Wakoli, the father of Pascal Nabwana, led a ferocious resistance to the British led by Sir Fredrick Jackson. Nabwana would later in 1959 would be awarded  Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) by Her Majesty the queen for an outstanding political career

 

 4.       Kuywa-Lukhome Forts

-          Kilui and Mamisi forts (Babasaba), Bukekhe (Basonge), and Wangili forts (headed by Siranjofu Omulunda)

-          Sirengo and Masungo forts belonging to Batukwiika.

 

5.       Kimalewa-Teremi forts

-          Mukhono & Khafwafwa forts (Bameme)

-          Kapchanga & Wanasi forts (Barefu)

-          Munyole (Bakwangwa), Chambuni (Bamalicha &Barefu), Kasile (Babuuya) and Kulabusia forts (Bakibeti)

-          Sikuche forts headed by Namwikholo Omukhoone.

 

6.       Other forts:

-          Wangusi and Bokoli forts (not in present day Bokoli)

-          Wekhobale, Babuya and Walusaka forts

 

*Note: These forts existed before 1900 and names of some of these places have changed or lost in memory.

Importantly, forts were cherished social spaces that protected people and supported communal living. In places where most of them stood, there are cultivated land that would only need archeological digging to reveal them. On the other hand, names of places like Lumboka, Nalondo and Namawanga were inspired by the presence. Dig deeper into the name of your village, you may just find answers to the questions you haven’t asked yet!

 

A story is good, until another is told.

 

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