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The Soga (also called Basoga) are a Bantu ethnic group native to the kingdom of Busoga in eastern Uganda.[1][2] The Basoga live in Uganda's districts of Bugiri, Iganga, Jinja, Kamuli, and Mayuge (formerly known collectively as Busoga) though new districts were formed later like Luuka, Kaliro, Namayingo, Bugweri, Namutunba and Buyende. Situated in eastern Uganda immediately north of the equator, Busoga is bounded by Lake Kyoga to the north, the Victoria Nile to the west, the Mpologoma River to the east, and Lake Victoria to the south. Busoga is 3,443 square miles (8,920 square kilometers) in area, with a length of about 100 miles (160 kilometers) and a width of a little over 50 miles (80 kilometers). These natural boundaries have enabled Basoga to have a uniqueness of their own as a group.
Basoga | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Total population | |
| 2,960,890[3][4] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 Uganda | |
| Languages | |
| Soga language Olutenga, Olulamooji, Olusiki, Olukene | |
| Religion | |
| Predominately Christianity and Traditional African religions, Minority Islam | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Bagwere, Baganda and other Bantu peoples |
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (July 2024) |
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Early contact with European explorers
Busoga's written history began in 1862. On 28 July Royal Geographical Society explorer John Hanning Speke arrived at Ripon Falls (near Jinja, where the Victoria Nile flows from Lake Victoria and begins its descent to Egypt. Since Speke's route (inland from the East African coast) took him around the southern end of Lake Victoria, he approached Busoga from the west (through Buganda).[5][6] Having reached his goal (the source of the Nile), he turned northward and followed the river downstream without exploring Busoga. He records, however, being told that Usoga (Swahili for Busoga) was an island (it is bordered on all four sides by water). According to the 2002 Census of Uganda, 16.2% of Basoga are Roman Catholic, 46.2% are Anglican (Church of Uganda), 30.6% are Muslim and 3.7% are Pentecostal.[7]
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