The Sezibwa River is a river in Central Uganda, in

East Africa East Africa, also known as Eastern Africa or the East of Africa, is a region at the eastern edge of the Africa, African continent, distinguished by its unique geographical, historical, and cultural landscape. Defined in varying scopes, the regi ...

. The name is derived from the

Luganda Ganda or Luganda ( ; ) is a Bantu language spoken in the African Great Lakes region. It is one of the major languages in Uganda and is spoken by more than 5.56 million Ganda people, Baganda and other people principally in central Uganda, includ ...

phrase "sizibirwa kkubo", which translates into "my path cannot be blocked".

Location

River Sezibwa is located in the south-central part of

Uganda Uganda, officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the ...

. It starts from the wetlands between

Lake Victoria Lake Victoria is one of the African Great Lakes. With a surface area of approximately , Lake Victoria is Africa's largest lake by area, the world's largest tropics, tropical lake, and the world's second-largest fresh water lake by surface are ...

and

Lake Kyoga Lake Kyoga or Lake Kioga (literally 'the place of bathing' in Runyoro language) is a large shallow lake in Uganda, about in area and at an elevation of 1,033 metres. The Victoria Nile flows through the lake on its way from Lake Victoria to Lake ...

, west of the

Victoria Nile The White Nile ( ') is a river in Africa, the minor of the two main tributary, tributaries of the Nile, the larger being the Blue Nile. The name "White" comes from the clay sediment carried in the water that changes the water to a pale color. ...

and flows in a general northerly direction to empty into Lake Kyoga. The source of River Sezibwa is located in

Buikwe District Buikwe District is a district in the Central Region of Uganda. It is named after its 'chief town', Buikwe, where the district headquarters are located. Location Buikwe District is bordered by Kayunga District to the north, Jinja District to ...

, near the town of

Ngogwe Ngogwe is a municipality in Buikwe District in the Central Region of Uganda. Location Ngogwe is approximately south of Buikwe, the site of the district headquarters and about southeast of Kampala, the capital and largest city of Uganda. The ...

, with coordinates: Latitude:0.2700; Longitude:33.0050. The Sezibwa enters Lake Kyoga in

Kayunga District Kayunga District is a district in Central Uganda. It is named after its chief town, Kayunga. Geography Kayunga District is bordered by Amolatar District to the north, Buyende District to the northeast, Kamuli District to the east, Jinja Distr ...

, near the town of Galilaya, with coordinates: Latitude:1.3700; Longitude:32.8150. The length of

River Sezibwa A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of its course if it run ...

is approximately from source to mouth. Between its source in Buikwe District, but before it enters Kayunga District, the river flows through

Mukono District Mukono is one of the districts in the Central Region of Uganda. The town of Mukono serves as the district headquarters and is home to the district's main commercial center. Location Mukono District is bordered by Kayunga District to the nort ...

Legend

According to legend, the Ssezibwa

River A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of ...

is not a natural phenomenon, but the progeny of a pregnant woman called Nakangu, who lived many hundreds of years ago and belonged to the Kibe (fox) clan. she was expected to give birth to twins, but instead what poured from her womb were twin rivers. The spirits of Nakangu's unborn children - Ssezibwa and Mubeeya are believed to inhibit the twin rivers for which reason it used to be customary for any

Muganda The Baganda (endonym: ''Baganda''; singular ''Muganda''), are a Bantu ethnic group native to Buganda, a subnational kingdom within Uganda. Traditionally composed of 52 clans (although since a 1993 survey, only 46 are officially recognised), th ...

passing the river's source at Namukono, some 20 km further east, to throw a handful of grass or stones into the river for good luck. Even today, a thanksgiving sacrifice of

barkcloth Barkcloth or bark cloth is a versatile material that was once common in Asia, Africa, and the Pacific. Barkcloth comes primarily from trees of the family Moraceae, including '' Broussonetia papyrifera'', '' Artocarpus altilis'', '' Artocarpus ...

, beer and a cockerel is made at the river's source every year, usually led by a Ssalongo (father of twins). Ssezibwa Falls1

Sezibwa Falls

The Sezibwa Falls are approximately , east of

Kampala Kampala (, ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Uganda. The city proper has a population of 1,875,834 (2024) and is divided into the five political divisions of Kampala Central Division, Kampala, Kawempe Division, Kawempe, Makindy ...

's capital, along the Kampala-Jinja Highway. The site is a

Buganda Buganda is a Bantu peoples, Bantu kingdom within Uganda. The kingdom of the Baganda, Baganda people, Buganda is the largest of the List of current non-sovereign African monarchs, traditional kingdoms in present-day East Africa, consisting of Ug ...

Heritage Site. It is marked with an out-span of sharp-edged rocks and the magnificent sound of soothing waters flowing down the steep ridged stones. The Falls are located in

. According to traditional legend, the two rivers named Ssezibwa and its brother Bwanda, were born by a woman on her way to Kavuma Bukunja. The woman, Nakangu Tebateesa, whose husband was called Nsubuga Ssebwaato, gave birth to twins in form of water, whereupon Sezibwa flowed west, passing many obstacles and deriving its name, while Bwanda flowed east, toward Nyenga. Many people come to the place for miracles as they believe the site has supernatural powers. The falls are high.

Rock climbing Rock climbing is a climbing sports discipline that involves ascending climbing routes, routes consisting of natural rock in an outdoor environment, or on artificial resin climbing walls in a mostly indoor environment. Routes are documented in c ...

and

bird watching Birdwatching, or birding, is the observing of birds, either as a recreational activity or as a form of citizen science. A birdwatcher may observe by using their naked eye, by using a visual enhancement device such as binoculars or a telescop ...

are the main activities at the site.

Geologist A geologist is a scientist who studies the structure, composition, and History of Earth, history of Earth. Geologists incorporate techniques from physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics, and geography to perform research in the Field research, ...

s and other

scientist A scientist is a person who Scientific method, researches to advance knowledge in an Branches of science, area of the natural sciences. In classical antiquity, there was no real ancient analog of a modern scientist. Instead, philosophers engag ...

s also frequent the site. Wildlife in the surrounding forest includes bush monkeys,

red-tailed monkey The red-tailed monkey (''Cercopithecus ascanius''), also known as the black-cheeked white-nosed monkey, red-tailed guenon, redtail monkey, or Schmidt's guenon, is a species of primate in the family Cercopithecidae. It is found in Angola, Central ...

s and other

primates Primates is an order of mammals, which is further divided into the strepsirrhines, which include lemurs, galagos, and lorisids; and the haplorhines, which include tarsiers and simians ( monkeys and apes). Primates arose 74–63 ...

and

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class (biology), class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the Oviparity, laying of Eggshell, hard-shelled eggs, a high Metabolism, metabolic rate, a fou ...

s.The Hidden Treasures of Sezibwa Falls

References

External links

Detailed Description of Sezibwa FallsRivers and Lakes of Uganda

Photo of Sezibwa Falls
Rivers of Uganda Buganda Mukono District Kayunga District {{Rivers of Uganda

Location

Legend

Sezibwa Falls

See also

References

External links