Itaaba Kyabanyoro

Ankole Kingdom in western Uganda was one of the most prominent Kingdoms in Uganda but was never revived after the re-instatement of abolished Kingdoms, but some of the cultural sites still exist in the Kingdom and one of them is the Itaaba Kyabanyoro.

The Itaaba Kyabanyoro is found on top of a hill in Kyabanyoro Village, within Kinoni Rwampara in Mbarara district along the Mbarara-Kabale highway therefore one of the significant historical and cultural sites in Ankole Kingdom and is said to be the site from where the last King of great Bachwezi Empire-Wamala crafted the Sacred Bagyendanwa Royal Drum. This Royal Drum was said to be the source of dominance, power and right to command.

The Sacred Bagyendanwa Royal Drum is also said to be one of the most important requirements for recognition of Kings of Ankole Kingdom. No King (locally referred as Omugabe) will be recognized by the people if he doesn’t possess this Sacred Royal Drum, and it is also cherished like a person who has blood in their veins and feelings of sorrow, despair and happiness in their hearts. When you see this drum, you might mistake it for an ordinary drum but it’s beyond what the eyes can see.

One of the most mind-blowing things about Bagyendanwa and other royal drums within Ankole Kingdom is that they can start beating themselves when something bad has happened in the Kingdom. Whether violations, abominations and discontent, the drums will start beating themselves and Kingdom officials will respond to find out what has happened and surprisingly, they wont stop beating until the major cause of the calamity is resolved by bringing to light and dealt with by the Kingdom Officials who may decide for traditional rituals and occasions from the Kingdom’s sacred sites. This place is also said to be the birthplace of the founder of Ankole Kingdom, also the first King-Ruhinda, the son of Wamala. Not only that, it is at this site that Ruhinda was crowned as the people transformed from Bachwezi to Banyankole. 

A visit to this cultural site will also introduce tourists to the tree stump from which this Royal drum was cut and the three stunning grass-thatched houses referred as Kairu, Kakama and Kahima to represent the original houses used by Omugabe Wamala. 

How to get to the Itaaba Kyabanyoro

This Sacred site is found in Kinoni Rwampara, at about 50 kilometers from Kamukuzi and only 10 kilometers from Mbarara Town along the Mbarara-Kabale highway. Visit this site and you will learn about other sacred objects of the Kingdom besides the Royal drums.

Besides the Itaaba Kabanyoro, there are other interesting cultural sites to be explored within Mbarara district and they include the Igongo Cultural Center, Nkokonjeru Royal Tombs (the burial site for royals in Ankole Kingdom) as well as the Ankole Kingdom Headquarters and Palace in Kamukuzi.