Sacred Tree and Ancestral Spirits Halt Multi-Million Road Project in Mukono
MUKONO DISTRICT – A much-anticipated infrastructure project, the Ntenjeru–Bule Road, has ground to a halt just weeks after its launch, entangled in a cultural and spiritual dispute that pits modern development against ancient traditions.
The construction has stalled in Mpata Village following strong objections from the Lugave (Pangolin) clan, who hold a sacred tree known as Namuzikiza as a central ancestral site directly in the road’s path.
According to clan leaders, the spirit inhabiting the tree has issued a demand through its caretakers: a payment of 650 million Ugandan Shillings (Shs650M) to facilitate a peaceful and ritually proper relocation. The clan warns that failing to appease the spirit could lead to misfortune, suffering, or even death for those who use the road if it is constructed without the necessary ceremonies.
At the heart of the impasse is the revered Namuzikiza tree, a spiritual epicenter for the Lugave clan. Clan officials insist that the tree cannot be simply cut down or disturbed without performing elaborate and costly rituals to secure the spirit’s consent and guide it to a new home.
The road’s challenges extend beyond the single tree. Masiko Mulo, the caretaker of the Lugave clan heritage site, revealed that the project’s trajectory also threatens three sacred wells: Nakagga, Namagulu, and Mpakanya.
“Each of these wells is believed to host ancestral goddesses,” Mulo explained. “Specific ceremonies must be performed at each well before any construction machinery can pass. We cannot allow our heritage to be desecrated.”
The Ntenjeru–Bule Road is a long-awaited development for the area, promising to improve connectivity, boost local trade, and ease transportation for residents. Its sudden stoppage has created a tense standoff between the urgency for development and the preservation of cultural identity.
Local authorities and the road construction agency are now faced with a complex dilemma: find a way to accommodate the significant financial and ritual demands of the clan or navigate the delicate task of proceeding with construction at the risk of inflaming community tensions and disregarding deeply held beliefs.
For now, the future of the road remains uncertain, resting on the resolution of a dispute where the cost of concrete and machinery is weighed against the price of ancestral peace.
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