Kisubi Mwoleke,inset, the traditional healer at Nendha hill prays to the spirits requesting their permission to allow a visitor tour the site. Photos by Yazid Yolisigira
You cannot lose your way to Nendha hill once you reach Iganga Town. Not after the Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga visited it last week! Located about 30Kms from Iganga Town, the hill is well-known to many residents as a cultural centre for the Baise Igaga clan. And to boda boda cyclists on Nakigo Road that heads to the hill, it is a place of spiritual healing.
Bakali Bisusa, a boda boda cyclist, first inquired whether I had problems and needed a traditional healer. “I know the hill. We always take customers who have problems there.”
Huge rocks and bushes surround the hill which is managed by Kisubi Mwoleke, a traditional healer. He informs me that the hill belongs to spirits.
At the top, there is a house and a number of huge rocks with caves.
Before touring the hill, the healer first wore a white Kanzu (tunic) and bark cloth. He also put a cowrie shells necklace around his head after which he picked a spear and a stick and we headed to the shrine of Mabone, the leader of spirits and the owner of the hill.
On reaching there, mwoleke knelt down and went silent for about four minutes while he smoked a pipe. On asking him about the silence, he revealed that he was introducing me to the spirits such that I execute the assignment smoothly without encountering problems.
We encounter a big rock with a cave and a big tree surrounded by shrubs and thickets. “This is the main shrine where people come and make their requests. It is the centre for all spirits,” Mwoleke explains.
At the cave there are bottles and calabashes containing local brew [omwenge bigele] which I learnt was left for the spirits.
There is also a stick [mukomyo] which Mwoleke said possessed spiritual powers and no one seeking help could leave the hill without holding it. A small tree [mulamula] and an anthill for spirits also stand in the vicinity and Mwoleke said people with problems visit them too.
Mabone is a male spirit and one of his wives is called Nendha. After Mabone’s spot, we headed to Nendha’s after which the hill is named. The place has a big rock with a cave which Mwoleke says serves the same purpose as the first rock.
The hill has more than 20 spirits. Others include Nambaga, Buwalakyi, Nabalongo, Kayizi, Waibango and Musisi.
According to the Mwoleke, other than the area being a cultural site for the Baise Igaga clan, it is also a centre where people from different places seek divine intervention.
“Most of the people who come here want spiritual powers to get wealth, political positions, jobs, promotions at work and children, among other issues,” Mwoleke said.
But for anyone to be helped, they carry dry coffee beans which they use to perform the rituals.
“Those who need blessings and promotions at work, carry 24 coffee beans.”
The coffee beans serve as a tool of communication with the spirits. Whoever goes to the shrine must pledge what they will offer back when their request is granted.
Mwoleke says those whose prayers get answered return to the hill and thank the spirits by carrying what they pledged such as money, goats, cows and many more. It is believed that spirits send misfortunes to those who refuse to return as punishment.
When asked why the hill was named Nendha instead of Mabone the leader of spirits, Mwoleke said Nendha was more interactive and popular at the village.
To date, the hill remains the centre for Baise Igaga clan with Steven Kisubi Igaga as the cultural leader. By the help of the Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kagada who serves as the clan’s patron, plans are underway to turn the area into a tourist site.
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