Located in Rukungiri District, Western Uganda is Kisiizi Falls little known by many but has a very mysterious tale that has for many years been told to the natives.
The Beautiful Rukungiri district boarders the ever green Kabale district found in Southern Western Uganda
The falls lie on Kyabamba River, 27 meters high from Kisiizi hospital.
The falls are at their best during the rainy season but on a good sunny day you can see a beautiful rainbow from side to side.
The Mysterious History
According to the natives the falls contributed to the good morals of the youthful Bakiga girls however, it was an abomination for unmarried girls to get pregnant.
When an unmarried girl got pregnant her brother and father would escort her to the cliff of the falls and release her to meet her death.
This was done to scare off the girls from engaging in premarital sex that led to the pregnancy.
The men that made these girls pregnant were always left unpunished.
One day a young girl got pregnant but since she knew her fate, she began thinking of a solution on the day of her execution, her father and brother took her to the cliff.
On getting there, the father and brother pushed her as they usually did punish girls who got pregnant yet they were unmarried but this time she held unto them.
The three fell and all lost their lives. This made the locals rethink about the practice because they had lost two men and agreed to stop it.
The Kisiizi Monuments
The Kisiizi Monument is an artistic structure that has the dramatic portrayal of the transformation taking place in the area.
It clearly shows how the falls have come from a place of death to a place of birth, healing and healthy life.
The monument has men throwing a girl over a cliff, then a lady with a happy child standing near a nurse and a mother.
It also has a book and a hospital which perfectly represent Kisiizi hospital and the Kisiizi school.
Activities you can do at the falls
Kisiizi Falls is surrounded by a hospital, school and market which one can visit and learn more about the local people.
For Birders this is a spot you should not miss because its more to many birds like the Yellow Backed Weaver, Grey Crowned Crane, African Pygmy Kingfisher, African Black headed Oriole, Pied Wagtail.
It’s also a very nice spot to take photos which will always remind you of your visit.
You can also go for a forest walk in the forest surrounding the falls and for those that love picnics and camping this can be a nice place to do it all.
Others like to hike up to the top of the falls and watch how powerful they are from the top.
If you are lucky to get a local guide use the change to know more about their culture why the elders decided to take such extreme measure on the girl child and how they live today.