Bugisu local leaders together with Business Owners , locals have asked government to swiftly intervene in the situation of lack of pit latrines at the Mutoto Cultural Site in Mbale Industrial City Division.
Mutoto cultural site located along Mbale-Tororo road at Mbale industrial city division and is the Bamasaba cultural site facing this challenge yet imbalu is a public circumcision ceremony practiced by the Bamasaba people of Uganda. It takes place at the Mutoto cultural site (also called Mutoto cultural ground) near Mbale in eastern Uganda.
It is mostly active in the 8th month of every even year. The ground is believed to be the place where the first Mugisu (Mumasaba) was circumcised. This community affair is characterized by dance and food.
The ceremony has been heavily promoted as a tourist attraction, and tens of thousands of people attend with not even single latrine since 1984 when the farewell blessing for candidates which used to take place every year at Maluku was transferred to Mutoto cultural clan.
Saudat Nabugwere Restaurant owner told this publication that instead of the organisers putting up latrines, they have gone ahead selling plots to the Bamasaba operating the businesses at UGX 300,000 -500,000 and spend most of their time demanding money from the Bamasaba operating at the cultural site but they have no latrines in order to overcome the bad smell of human excretion scattered everywhere at the dark corners.
This has brought fears amongst the Bamasaba revellers and business operators because they might end up failing to celebrate this year’s Imbalu after contracting diseases.
Another business owner Emmanuel Kibeti resident of Sironko district but currently operating at site expressed his dissatisfaction saying the pit latrines are limited to the population and if nature calls definitely one has to pay 500 uganda shillings , those previous latrines were dismantled due to bad smell.
He added most revellers and other business Community on this cultural site are disappointed about the state of hygiene.
Zaid Wandulu, the area councilor told this reporter that the latrines are badly needed at the cultural sites and put the blame on the organisers for failure to construct new ones .
Similarly, the councilor promised to address the challenges since the Inzu ya masaba is in preparations for the imbalu event set for August, 3, 2024.
However, Mutoto cultural site contains a large crowd of Bamasaba and non Bamasaba from the districts of Bulambuli, Sironko, Mbale city, Manafwa, Namisindwa, Bududa, Mbale and the diaspora.
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