The Banyoro occupy the southern and southeastern perimeter of the conservation area across Masindi, Hoima, Buliisa, and Kiryandongo districts.
Their language, Runyoro, belongs to the Bantu language family and shares significant lexical and tonal overlap with Rutooro and Runyankole.
Masindi town, approximately 21 kilometers from the Kichumbanyobo gate, serves as the primary southern access point to the park.
Language: Runyoro (Bantu)
Primary districts: Masindi, Hoima, Buliisa, Kiryandongo
Political institution: Bunyoro Kitara Kingdom (restored 1993)
Seat of the Omukama: Hoima
The Bunyoro Kitara Kingdom is one of the oldest centralized states in the Great Lakes region, with oral genealogies tracing its founding to the 14th century.
The Ugandan government restored the kingdom under a constitutional monarchy framework in 1993, and the Omukama currently seated at the royal palace in Hoima is Solomon Gafabusa Iguru I.
His cultural institution administers customary affairs across four districts and oversees clan leadership appointments and mediates land disputes.
The Empaako naming tradition is the most widely documented Banyoro cultural practice and was inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2013.
Every Munyoro child receives one of twelve Empaako names, such as Akiiki, Abwooli, or Adyero, alongside a personal name to signal clan affiliation and social standing.
Bark cloth production from Ficus natalensis trees remains an active craft in Hoima district, and the Mparo Tombs serve as the royal burial ground and a site for seasonal rituals.
The Bunyoro Kitara Kingdom controlled the territory that now forms the park’s southern sector, including the Budongo Forest region, before 19th-century fragmentation reduced its boundaries.