The Tale of the Mayanja River

A story has been told of the Mayanja River located in central Uganda of how it is a magic river born of a woman called Nalongo (mother of twins).

A picture of the Mayanja River along Hoima road, Uganda

It’s been told that when it was her time to deliver, Nalongo gave birth to twins one called Mayanja and another called Nasabye and they immediately turned into rivers. Many people come from all over the place to drink from the Mayanja River because they believe that will receive blessings. They also fear this river so much that they do not encroach on it. This fear was reinforced in 1998 when a group of doctors died along the Mayanja bridge in an accident. Although the court ruled that actually, the accident was caused due to the bad condition of the bridge, local believe that Mayanja was very angry, possibly because the spirit mother was annoyed at something.

People walking over logs to cross the Mayanja river

The Mayanja River is one the most preserved cultural sites in Uganda because of the Nalongo story that has been handed down through generations.

A more realistic account of the formation of the Mayanja River is given that in 1967, a large torrent of water from a flood came pouring from a place called Kyadondo county and settled in along Hoima Road where the Mayanja River is. The length of River Mayanja is approximately 150 kilometres (93 miles) from source to end. It starts from the hills, northeast of the town of Wakiso, in Wakiso District, Central Uganda and flows in a northwestern direction to empty into River Kafu. There are no economic activities that take place around the river like fishing or transport because it has been eaten up by papyrus and other shrubs.

I believe that storytelling is very key ingredient in preserving and conserving our culture, heritage, and environment.