Umukuuka III of the Bamasaaba, Uwelukoosi Jude Mike Mudoma, has actively engaged United States businesses to participate in the development of tourism at the world’s largest intact caldera, located on Mt. Elgon in Uganda. This mountain, which is shared with Kenya in the East African Community (EAC), ranks as the 7th highest in Africa at 4,321 meters and has the largest base of any volcanic mountain worldwide, covering approximately 4,000 square kilometers. The Elgon caldera, with a diameter of 8 kilometers, is also the widest in the world.
Despite the rich natural endowments of the Mt. Elgon region, tourism data indicates that far more visitors frequent Uganda’s other national parks, such as Murchison Falls, Queen Elizabeth, and Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, than Mt. Elgon National Park in Eastern Uganda. According to the Annual Report on Visitation to Uganda National Parks for 2019 and 2020, published by the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife, and Antiquities (MTWA), Murchison Falls National Park received 103,665 visitors in 2019, Queen Elizabeth had 77,995, Bwindi hosted 36,341, while Mt. Elgon only attracted 3,519 tourists. Even during the Covid-19 lockdown in 2020, Murchison still managed to receive 33,194 visitors, Queen Elizabeth had 24,362, Bwindi hosted 9,829, yet Elgon only received a mere 1,006.
During his visit to the United States to attend events marking the inauguration of Donald J. Trump as the 47th President, Umukuuka Mudoma met with business leaders and interested them in investment opportunities in Eastern Uganda’s tourism sector, particularly around the Mt. Elgon caldera. According to Umukuuka III’s Information, Media, and Communications Minister, Uweshirifa Alfred Geresom Musamali, some US businesses have now proposed to send delegations to meet with the Umukuuka and the Bamasaaba people to further explore partnerships with the Government of Uganda (GoU) and the Bamasaaba community for tourism development.
“When Uwelukoosi Mudoma was in Washington DC, he engaged major players in the hospitality industry, encouraging them to invest in the caldera’s tourism sector and other areas in Bugisu,” said Musamali. “We are sitting on a potential goldmine, and we would certainly welcome US business involvement in developing tourism products around the caldera and beyond. If well marketed through cultural heritage documentation, advertising, and promotional campaigns—including in the US—Bugisu’s tourism potential could transform the region.”
The Umukuuka has emphasized the need for investments in infrastructure, transport, accommodation, dining facilities, and nature appreciation activities. He has proposed upgrading roads and trails leading to the caldera to enhance accessibility, introducing shuttle services from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Kenya and Entebbe International Airport in Uganda to provide direct connections to Mbale City on the southwestern slopes of Mt. Elgon. Additionally, he envisions training programs to equip guides with the necessary skills to handle high-value tourists.
The tourism development plan includes constructing eco-lodges and camping sites near the caldera, as well as fostering partnerships with local communities to establish sustainable and environmentally friendly homestay services. Local restaurants offering authentic traditional cuisine, picnic areas, and camping facilities with cooking amenities would also be set up to support local food vendors and community-led initiatives.
“Uwelukoosi Umukuuka III also envisions nature appreciation activities such as guided nature walks, hiking tours, birdwatching, wildlife spotting excursions, cultural performances, and community-led workshops,” Musamali added.
The Bamasaaba people, a Bantu ethnic group, inhabit the southwestern (Uganda) and southeastern (Kenya) slopes of Mt. Elgon, locally referred to as Masaaba. The Bamasaaba in Uganda are also known as the Bagisu due to their residence in Bugisu, one of Uganda’s founding districts at Independence in 1962. The cultural leader of the Bamasaaba, the Umukuuka, represents the community in Uganda, Kenya, and the diaspora.
Agriculture, particularly the cultivation of Arabica coffee, bananas, and various vegetables and fruits, is the primary economic activity of the Bamasaaba. One of their most significant cultural traditions is the “Imbalu” ceremony—a public, unanesthetized circumcision of adolescent males, signifying their transition into manhood.
The Imbalu ceremony is launched by Uwelukoosi Umukuuka at a grand event held on the first weekend of August in even-numbered years at Mutoto, the Bamasaaba heritage center near Mbale City. Subsequent initiation ceremonies take place across different sub-counties and are repeated in December for students. This event attracts thousands of visitors, many of whom take the opportunity to explore Mt. Elgon’s unique landscape, including caves, hot springs, waterfalls, and diverse wildlife. Tourists can also embark on hikes to Mt. Wagagi, the highest peak, traverse the caldera’s rim, or descend to the crater floor for an immersive nature experience.
Although Mt. Elgon has traditionally drawn tourists from Europe and China, American visitors have yet to arrive in significant numbers. If Umukuuka Mudoma’s tourism investment plan succeeds, local and foreign investors will have established adequate tourism infrastructure by August 2026, in time for the next Imbalu festivities. These 2026 celebrations will be the final ones overseen by Umukuuka III, who was installed in August 2023 to serve a five-year term.
By strategically promoting Mt. Elgon’s tourism potential and engaging international partners, Umukuuka Mudoma aims to unlock the region’s economic prospects, positioning Bugisu as a premier eco-tourism destination in Uganda and beyond.