A History of the Ndrukpa (Lendu): The Invisible Ethnic Minority Community in Uganda

Abstract

This paper documents the history of the Ndrukpa (Lendu) people; an invisible ethnic minority community in the West Nile region of Uganda. Ndrukpa is an indigenous ethnic community and the first inhabitants of the West Nile and parts of the Acholi subregion. The Ndrukpa – often known as the Lendu - belong to the Sudanic ethnic groups of Uganda and are one of the country's marginalised groups. Ndrukpa population in Uganda is approximately 18,000, and the global population stands at 1,411,000 people, with the majority living in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The central thesis of this paper is that contemporary social exclusion of ethnic minority communities such as the Ndrukpa is a historical manipulation and a colonial legacy often tracing their roots to the colonial divide and rule structure. These structures continue to be evoked and used by contemporary ethnic and political stakeholders to their advantage. Social exclusion is often aggravated as in the case of the Ndrukpa people, when their history remains undocumented. Documenting the history of a socially excluded ethnic minority community can be used as a tool and strategy to end social exclusion