Historic Sites of Bunkeya

During Msiri’s time, Bunkeya was not a village where the inhabitants were piled up randomly. Bunkeya was divided in districts, each one was administered by a queen or a favourite. Among these districts, we are going to briefly describe to you four of them. These districts are: Nkuru, Kimpata, Kaleba and Munema.

1. Nkuru
   Heart of the Capital of the empire of Garaganza and residence of the Mwami Mutemi Msiri Mwenda Bantu, Nkuru alone was as important in terms of surface area and the number of inhabitants, as Bunkeya was in the 1980s. It is in Nkuru that the high court of Justice of the empire rendered capital punishment for high crimes, which only the Mwami Msiri could impose.

   In Nkuru were found warehouses containing the wealth of the country, such as lingots of copper, ivory tusks, and blocks of salt. It is in these warehouses that other goods, such as pieces of cloth, pearls, black powder, among others were stored.

   Starting in 1885, on the northern slope of Mount Nkuru, lived Mahanga, a young Luba lady who oversaw the proper functioning of this district. Mahanga is the mother of Mafinge, who will later become King Mulongo.

2. Kimpata
   Before arriving in Bunkeya, on the right-hand side of the hill, there is a dike, and it is there that Nihanga (that is the first wife of the Mwami Wihala Msiri) resided. The Mugoli Kapapa, as such had a prominent place compared to other queens of the empire. She had formerly come with Msiri when he was only Ngelengwa. She was also the mystical symbol of the country, and for these reasons, it is in her district, named Kimpata, that resided groups of young people called the Ruga-Ruga. They were fearless warriors who were prone to fighting. As a result, Msiri and his generals had to call them to order and re-channel their hasty streak.

   Her palace was a big oblong house, the tracks of which, including the foundation, were still visible up until some years ago. The palace had a surrounding wall with a pit, and all around it settlements has sprung up. Her residence had a dug well built with fixed stones. The whole formed a big agglomeration, something that is hard to imagine today, because of the fact that some new settlers have built their houses on the same grounds. From Kimpata, caravans would leave towards Mwanshya, and to this day, the wear of stones is noticeable.

3. Kaleba
   This district is situated between the river of Kaleba and the hills of Kyowe. Presently, on this site, we find the hospital and the nuns monastery. Kaleba was also a big district that was administered by the favourite Maria Da Fonseca, a Portuguese of mixed heritage from Angola. It is by virtue of this caracteristic that Maria Da Fonseca would welcome in her district all of the caravans that were led by ‘whites’. It should also be said that because of the location of her district and the many caravans that were coming to Bunkeya, there was always sufficient space for guests. Maria Da Fonseca had been given the name of Mushota, because her arrival coincided with the victory of Msiri over a leader named Mushota.

   The captain Bodson entered in this district from the southern side. His expedition, which was led by the captain Stairs, found refuge inside Maria Da Fonseca’s district. That is why when Bodson got wounded to the stomach, he was taken back to this compound, where he passed away in the evening. He is buried there to this day.

4. Munema
   This was the residence of Nihozyo, also known as the Mugoli Kanfwa, the second wife of the Mwami Wihala Msiri. She too had come with Ngelengwa to Bunkeya. She was a prominent queen throughout the reign of Mwenda Msiri. It is in her district that Msiri often came to discuss the major problems of the Kingdom. She symbolized the peace and tranquility in the country, and it is in her residence that a large number of young princesses came, from all the corners of the empire, to learn the customs of the Court. Her district had a surrounding wall with a pit with several big oblong houses, among which one has been rebuilt. Furthermore, there were watch towers, which provided a view of all the surrounding plains of Bwatobongo.

   From Munema there were roads that led to the village of Dikuku and Kipamira, eldest brother and son of Msiri, respectively.

   It is in Munema that Mwami Msiri was cowardly assassinated by the captain Bodson. But nobody, even an emperor, can avoid what is written by “Linze”, Fate. Today, Munema has become the royal cemetery.

   Near the Mugoli Kanfwa, was the district of the third wife known as Shikeme, the Mugoli Kamama. Principally, she was in charge of the relationships with ancestors.

   We have only spoken about some districts, for in 1886, there were at least 43 distinct ones. The districts sometimes were separated by some small fields of manioc and sorghum. These cultivated plots were those found in hollow grounds and areas unfit for conctruction.