Also known as, “Engabi ye Buwanda, engabi ennangira, engabi ensamba”

Totem Engabi Akabbiro Jjerengesa (type of savanna shrub) English Bushbuck Scientific Tragelaphus scriptus Runyankole Engabi Runyoro Engabi Lwo(Acholi) Ruda Ateso and Karamajong Aderit Kiswahili Mbawala Clan Leader Nsamba Estates Buwanda Ssaza Mawokota Omubala Clan motto Kalikutanda akalikutwaala mu b’Engabi abasambaganyi

The bushbuck is an antelope that man has hunted for many generations mainly for its meat but there are so many clans from Bunyoro, Ankole, Busoga and Buganda that have this shy ungulate as their totem and cannot therefore hunt it.
It is believed that Nsamba who heads this clan was son of Wannyana (Kimera’s mother) and naturally, step-brother of Kabaka Kimera. He came together from Bunyoro with Prince Kimera when he was brought to Buganda to ascend his grandfather’s (Ccwa Nabakka) throne. There was already ngabi clan in Buganda, but under the instructions of the new Kabaka Kimera, Nsamba was made sovereign clan-head of all the ngabi clans in Buganda.

There is a legend which says that the reason why the ngabi became totem to this clan is connected to the assassination of Kabaka Kimera during a bushbuck hunt by his grandson Ttembo. Kabaka Kimera once went hunting with his grandson who always wanted to avenge his dead father, Lumansi whose death was attributed to Kabaka Kimera’s orders to send him to war where he is believed to have died. The mother of the young boy (Ttembo) told him that his father had been killed by the king so one fateful day, the boy went out hunting a bushbuck (engabi)with Kabaka Kimera and he clubbed the Kabaka to death. From then on the bushbuck became a totem to all those in that lineage and no member of that clan was supposed to come close to a king.

Popular names for men:
Lubega, Iga, Matovu, Bukenya, Muyomba, Kasozi, Sebyala, Kagugube, Lubyayi, Muwonge, Muliika, Sseguya, Wamala, Katugga, Kaluuma, Mukumbya, Njuka, Kabito, Ssagala, Mateega, Mulindwa (ab’embwa balituuma) Saka, Jengo, Lubadde, Kasana, Lubogo, Mpuga, Bbombokka, Ssemuganyi, Mirimu, Kasaanya, Kamoga, Katalo, Mbazzi, Ssejjulu, Ssemaganye.

Popular names for women:
Namatovu, Nalubega, Nayiga, Nabunje, Nabukenya/Nabukekenyi, Namuyomba, Nabukeera, Lwensisi, Namaganda, Nakacwa, Nanjala, Ndibalekera, Nakanwagi, Namirimu, Nabiryo, Namuyiga

About the animal
In Uganda, most antelopes are commonly referred to as engabi or kob but the fact is that the kob and engabi are different animals although they are both antelopes. The kob is ensunu in Luganda while the ngabi (Lug) is the bushbuck.

A bushbuck is a small bovine and males change colour from rufous orange to coffee brown and dark brown as it ages. The face and neck are short haired while the rest of the body is covered by long fur. They have white stripes running down to the belly from the back and spots on the upper hind leg. The underpart of the the tail is woolly and white with special white markings on all the limbs.

Bushbucks which can easily be mistaken for sitatungas can be found in all parts of Uganda. They feed on shrubs, leguminous herbs shoots, pods and littered fruit.
Gestation is about twenty four weeks and usually one young is born. Maturity is one year but the males’ horns reach adult size after three years. Bushbucks are not generally territorial.

Although they are not endangered; they are vulnerable.