In a community of rats, hunger and death reigned. The inhabitants of the village of Katembo had managed to drive all the rats out of their homes, and no rat could find food anymore.
A group of five rats, the sole survivors of their species, came up with the idea of consulting a sorcerer who could help them find a solution for their predicament. The Sorcerer was kind and compassionate, and he took pity on these poor five rats and presented them with a solution:
"Here is what you must do: choose one among you, someone strong and trustworthy, whom I can transform into a human. This person will marry a beautiful woman and create a household, where you will all be sheltered. You will no longer die of hunger and will live your lives in peace. However, you must always remain united, and the chosen person must not side with the humans, who tend to despise rats and seek to crush them, forgetting that they are living beings created by Nyamuhanga."
The sorcerer's words echoed in their rat minds. Finally, they chose a rat who was worthy of their trust and had always shown altruism. He was always ready to share his food with others, and during expulsions, he had rescued some rats who were almost crushed by humans.
The next day, the rats returned to the sorcerer, who transformed the chosen one into a man, a very handsome man who would appeal to all the young women in the village. The rats were all happy and expressed their gratitude to the sorcerer.
One of the rats, however, the most malicious and greedy of them all, picked up their transformed friend's tail, which had fallen on the ground during the transformation, and hid it from the sight of the others.
Days went by, and the rat turned human stirred envy and desire in the hearts of young girls. Everyone was curious to know this stranger whom no one had seen before.
"Who is he?"
"Where does he come from?"
"Oh, he is so handsome!"
"What a magnificent physique!"