Mu 1862, Ssekabaka Muteesa I Yalagira Abaganda B’ettike Capt. James Grant.
James Augustus Grant
Ono nno, naye yali musajja mekete. Yali Lieutenant-Colonel mulamba, okwo nga kwogasse okuba n’ebitiibwa ebilala eby’omugaso ebisukka ebitaaano, ebyeeyo ewaabwe mu Bungereza.
Naye, Colonel Augustus Grant nzaalwa za Scotland, ela mukulengela, tulaba nga bamukubawo nga 11 April 1827. Yalekulira ensi eno nga February 1892 ela n’ajja aziikibwa mu kanisa gaggade eli ewaabwe mu Warwick, mukibuga London, ekya Bungereza. Eno ye ssimu yabwe – +44 20 7236 4128. Bakubileko bwoba olina kyobabuuza. (Ate on’ogamba nti omusajja esimu yagigaanila? Yiiyo.)
Grant yalinga Hanning Speke mungeli zonna. Yali munamajje ela nga mukugu mukutindigga engendo okuzuula n’okuvumbula kino nekili. Yali muwandiisi ng’ela munonnyereza. Yaweleeza mu Indian Army eli gyetwayogeddeko, ela mu lutaro lwebatuuma ‘Sikh War’, yali omu kwaabo abalwaana.
Ffe wano ewaffe, tuyinza okumujjukila munsonga eno enkulu ennyo. Ono yemwaami eyawandiika ekitabo kyeyatuuma: “A Walk of Africa” munne Alexander Makayi kyeyasoma okwongela okutegeela ensi mweyaali agenda okubeela’nga, ensi Buganda. Mu kitabo ekyo, Mw. Grant alaga obuzibu, embeela, eneeyisa n’enkola ey’obulamu bwabannansi ba Afrika mubitundu ebyenjawulo. Okwo n’agatako ebyenfuna ebisobola okuva mwebyo ebitundu.
Grant yali mukessi ow’ekyaama, ela wano mu Afrika asinga kujjukilwa nga omu kwaabo abaabega mu lutaro olwe Ethiopia, lwebatuuma ‘Ethiopian Campaign’, bweyali nga aweeleza wansi w’omukulembeze, Lord Napier, mu 1868. (Intelligence Department of the Abyssinian Expedition).
Mw. Grant yemwaami gwetwayogeddeko bakigyaana ba Buganda gwebetikka ku mutwe okumujja emmanga eli mu Tanganyika, nebamuleeta e Rubaga, okusisinkana musajjawo, Hanning Speke, eyali akyadde mu Lubiri, ewa Ssekabaka Mutesa I.
Twakilengedde nti okugulu’kwe okwaddyo kwaalwala ekika ky’akawuka (mycobacterium ulcerans) nekukalambala okuva wansi mpaka waggulu mukiwato. Ela yali awangaalila mubulumi naye nga ekilubililwa’kyaabwe nga tebakivaako.
Grant akugamba nti bakigyaana Ssekabaka Mutesa I beyamusindikila bamukime, yagezaako okubagamba, nti mukumwettika, babeeko engeli gyebawunzikamu akatandaalo kwebaali bamuzazise, mbu asobole okulaba gyebaali balaga.
Baali bamutunnuza waggulu, nga alengela ggulu lyoka. Ate nga nekilala, mukumwebasaako eky’obugazi, omutwe’gwe baali bagutunnuza mabega. Grant agamba nti bweyabasaba bamukyuseemu, abaganda nebagaana. Nebagamba awo weyali azazzikiddwa waali wamala. Ate mbu bbo nga balowooza nti teyalina kyamaanyi nnyo kyaali kimuluma. Wamma nga balinga abamukulubbisa obukulubbisa nga tebafaayo nti gwebetisse afa obulumi.
John Speke and James Grant. 1898 illustration of the British explorers John Hanning Speke (1827-1864, left) and James Augustus Grant (1827-1892). Speke and Grant were both African explorers who are best known for their 1860 expedition to find the source of the Nile.
Naye ndowoza wano wetutuuse kyelaga lwaatu nti obulwadde obwabuli langi bwabatulugunya’nga bonna abajja’nga eno ewaffe mu Africa. Eno yensonga lwaki eno ewaffe baayitangayo “kattilo”. Naye eky’omukisa omulungi, ono ye Grant, yawangaalila ddala bwomugelagelanya ne banne abalala.
Okugulu kuno nno kwamulumila ddala okutuuka okumulemesa okubelawo ku lunaku luli olweddenge evvanyuma — olunaku olusuubize, nga omwami Hanning Speke alinnya ekigele ekisooka ku nnyanja nalubaale awali ensulo y’omugga ogwo, River Nile.
Ne Grant atunyumiza kwooli omuvubuka okuva mu ggwanga lya Yao (Mu Malawi), gwebaayita’nga Sidi Bombay. Agamba nti abantu bonna baafuba’nga okumuyamba okumufunila eddagala naye nga okugulu kufuuse ejjute munkwaawa.
Nti ela lumu Bombay yatetenkanya awo obusa bwente, n’agatamu omunnyo n’ekika kyetaka kyebasima okuva wansi wennyanja, nebabitabula bulungi, nebabibugumya, oluvannyuma nebabiteeka ku kugulu kwa Mw. Grant. Naye wa! Okugulu nga kugaanye okuteleela.
Naye waliwo eddagala Sultan we Zanzibar lyeyali amuweleza buli luvannyuma lwe bbanga. Kati nga waliwo omukyaala okuva mu ggwanga lyebayita Wanyambo, awo e Karagwe, mu Tanzania, nga yaabaawo okumujjanjaba nalyo.
Grant katumuwunzikile awo. Tugenda kuddako omwaami omulala, Henry Morton Stanley, mukawefube waffe ono agezaako okusimila ddala mukutegeela ebyafaaayo byenkyuukakyuuka mu Buganda. Abasajja abo bonna baali basajja bikonge. Awo wetujja okuva okumanya obulungi engeli gyebaatuvubamu.
Ebya James Augustus Grant katubikomye’ko awo.
Omumbowa eyali owenjawulo ennyo, eyali omukessi ow’ekyaama ng’ela mulwaanyi atalojjeka yali Mesusera Kamya, Omukaabya. Ono y’omu kubazira abalwanilira kino ekitiibwa kya Buganda ekyaava edda.
Akatabo kano kafune kati, okawulirize, onyumirwe, oyige, ela ofumintilize.