Owiny Akullu
Lango warrior and ally of Kabalega
c. 1845 – c. 1947
Remembered as a Lango warrior who fought beside Bunyoro's Omukama Kabalega against the British until Kabalega was captured in 1899; a statue honours him in Kamdini.
A portrait will be added once a properly licensed photograph is confirmed.
Owiny Akullu was born at Acutanana, in Kamdini sub-county, Oyam District, to Ogwang Akota and his wife Akullu. Wikipedia gives his birth year as 1845 and his death as 1947, at the age of 102; as with many people of that time the dates are approximate.
Warrior and ally of Kabalega
- He is remembered as a military leader and as a very accurate javelin thrower. Wikipedia says he gathered a private force of more than 150 fighters.
- In the Battle of Minakulu he is said to have defeated the Acholi and taken the land between Kamdini and Bobi, in present-day Gulu District.
- He was a commander and ally of Omukama Kabalega of Bunyoro and fought beside him against the British until Kabalega was captured in 1899, a turning point in the colonial conquest of Bunyoro.
Remembered today
In 2019 a statue of Owiny Akullu was put up in Kamdini sub-county to honour his part in resisting colonial rule. He is celebrated locally as a hero.
His story rests on few written sources, so the details are best read as part of oral history. Elders and families are invited to add what they know through the contribution form.
Read and watch more
- Wikipedia Owiny Akullu · Wikipedia
- Article Owiny Akullu: Langi warrior who defended Kabalega to the end · Daily Monitor
- Article Exploring the tail end of Kabalega’s trail · Daily Monitor
These links open other websites, which are not ours. The story above is written in our own words from these sources; Wikipedia text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 licence.