Thousands of Bagisu boys are to face the knife this august during the Imbalu season,this website has learnt.
The Imbalu circumcision season is an ancestral rite of passage for the Bamasaaba (Bagisu) people of eastern Uganda that takes place every even-numbered year. The official launch occurs on August 1, with the main festivities and public circumcisions running for several months across the Bugisu sub-region
During the season, young men aged 16 and older are initiated into manhood and are paraded through the streets. The event is highly celebrated and features: Kadodi Dance the traditional rhythmic drumming and dancing to prepare the boys mentally and physically for the blade and public rituals without anesthesia, testing the boy’s bravery as a sign of strength.
The development kickss following the Umukuka III of Bugisu, Jude Mike Mudoma, meeting 26 Bamasaba clan heads, known as Bebikuka, to discuss preparations for the official launch of the 2026 Imbalu circumcision season.
The meeting at the Bugisu Cultural Institution headquarters in Mutoto brought together cultural leaders, hundreds of subjects of the Umukuka, and members of the public who gathered to witness the engagement.
Bugisu Cultural Institution spokesperson Steven Masiga urged well-wishers and members of the public willing to support the renovation of clan shrines to channel their contributions through recognized clan leaders. Masiga cautioned the public against fraudsters who may take advantage of the preparations to solicit money illegally.
The Bugisu Cultural Institution is expected to officially launch the 2026 Imbalu season on August 1, marking the beginning of one of Eastern Uganda’s most celebrated cultural traditions. Imbalu, a public circumcision ritual practiced by the Bamasaba, is held every even-numbered year and symbolizes the transition of boys into manhood.
The imbalu festivities are prominent across the districts of Mbale, Bududa, Manafwa, Namisindwa, Sironko, and Bulambula districts.
Despite modernisation foru primary tribes in Uganda practice traditional male circumcision, each with distinct cultural rituals marking the transition to manhood. Bagisu (Bamasaaba) located around Mount Elgon in Eastern Uganda, they are the most famous for this practice. They perform Imbalu, a bi-annual or annual rite of passage where initiates are celebrated in the community and must endure the knife without showing pain
Sebei residing in the mountainous areas of Eastern Uganda near the Bagisu, they also practice traditional male circumcision as a vital cultural rite,Baamba located in the Bundibugyo District in Western Uganda near the Rwenzori Mountains and Bakonzo residing predominantly in the Rwenzori region of Western Uganda
