Tradition: Uganda Mythology, Kenyan Mythology
Alternative Names: Balukwata
Category: Turtle
The Myth
The Lukwata is a gigantic aquatic monster from Lake Victoria, known in traditions around Uganda and Kenya. It is described variously as a sea serpent, a giant fish, or a cetacean. Accounts portray it with a dark, rounded, lizard-like or snake-like head, a long neck, flippers, a short tail, and a thick, soft, rubbery shell. It is associated with whirlpools and is said to attack fishermen’s canoes.
The Lukwata has been known around the lake since ancient times. The Baganda, Kavirondo, and Wasoga peoples once sacrificed livestock to it. When the creature disappeared around the time of a sleeping-sickness epidemic, some believed that foreigners had killed it and brought the disease upon the people as a result. Witnesses reported seeing it swimming in the lake, while others claimed to have heard its distant bellowing. Its battles with crocodiles were said to leave pieces of skin that could be made into powerful amulets.
In one Baganda folktale, the Lukwata befriends a monkey. When the king of the Lukwata falls ill, his wizard declares that eating a monkey’s heart will cure him. The Lukwata invites its friend across the lake, intending to take him to the king. Halfway across, it reveals the truth. The clever monkey claims that he has left his heart in a tree and asks to be taken back to retrieve it. The Lukwata believes him and returns to shore, allowing the monkey to escape into the trees. The monkey then mocks the creature for its foolishness.
Sources
“Lukwata.” A Book of Creatures, July 29, 2019. https://abookofcreatures.com/2019/07/29/lukwata/