BUGANDA KINGDOM- KASUBI TOMBS
Location:
3.50 km (2.18 mi) North West of city centre.
Coordinates: 0.3289497, 32.5535685
The Kasubi Tombs on Kasubi hill is the burial grounds for four of the kings of Buganda and other members of the Buganda royal family. The 64 acres’ site is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and an important spiritual and political site for Buganda.
The Buganda kingdom was founded in the 13th century. The borders of the ceremonial site are marked with omutuba tree trees (Ficus natalensis) planted in 1882. Kasubi, is one of 31 royal tombs across the Buganda kingdom. Traditionally, the Kabaka (king) was buried in one place, with a separate shrine for the deceased king’s jawbone which was believed to contain his soul.
Kasubi was a royal palace built in 1882 by the 35th Kabaka of Buganda Mutesa I, which replaced the one built by his father, Ssuuna II in 1820. Mutesa was buried in his new palace in 1884.
The structures at Kasubi are a great manifestation of traditional architecture using purely vegetal materials in sub-Saharan Africa.
The site has a gatehouse called Bujjabukula, and a drum house known as Ndoga-Obukaba that houses the royal drums. A second courtyard called Olugya is located on the hilltop.
The main central building is called Muzibu Azaala Mpanga. It was originally constructed from wooden poles, reed wattle and daub, topped by a thick thatched dome, with straw resting on 52 rings of palm fronds representing the 52 traditional clans of Buganda.
The tombs are within Muzibu Azaala Mpanga and are concealed from public view by bark cloth curtain. The Muzibu Azaala Mpanga and other structures were destroyed by a fire in March 2010.
The Kings buried at Kasubi are: Muteesa I (1835–1884). Mwanga II (1867–1903). Mwanga died in exile in the Seychelles Islands but his remains were returned in 1910.
Daudi Chwa II (1896–1939). Sir Edward Muteesa II (1924–1969). Muteesa died in exile in London but his remains were returned in 1971. Some descendants of these four Kabakas are also buried on the site.
- KISINGIRI HOUSE
Location:
2.60 km (1.61 mi) West of city centre.
Coordinates: 0.3097909, 32.5583026 (Bulange building)
It is Kampala’s oldest known building.
At 100 years, it still looks magnificent and beautiful.
Its walls are intact.
It is a grand storied house – between Mengo court and Bulange.
It’s called Kisingiri house.
And some of its residents – giant tortoises, are more than 100 years old.
The three stored Kisingiri house was built in 1896 by Miller and Stanley, two reputable European masons for their client Zakaria Kizito Kisingiri who was one of the three Regents to the young King Daudi Chwa. Kisingiri later became Buganda’s Treasurer.
The house sits on three acres and is built of sun-dried mud bricks and stones. It has 70 rooms, two sitting rooms and an indoor is a swimming pool. It has bath tubs, sinks and toilets with running water and wooden staircases.
The most popular residents at Kisingiri House since the1940s are giant tortoises brought by a one Stanley Kitaka, son to one of the Chiefs of Buganda from the Seychelles when they were already decades old.
- LUBIRI – THE KABAKA’S PALACE
Location:
2.50 km (1.55 mi) South West of city centre.
Coordinates: 0.3019778, 32.5662929
The Kabaka’s Palace also known as Olubiri at Mengo was the official residence of the King of Buganda. Enclosed inside the walls of the palace is the Kabaka`s official house called Twekobe.
Mengo Palace was first constructed by Kabaka Mwanga II in 1885 who ascended to the throne aged 18.
Mwanga had always admired the site where members of the Nvubu clan kept their grinding stones known as Emmengo. Mwanga decided to construct his palace there and the grinding stones were shifted. It`s from these grinding stones- Emmengo, that the name Mengo was adopted.
The Mengo Palace covers about four square kilometres with four gates at different points of the palace. Each gate has a name.
A straight road, lined with old candle nut trees locally known as Kabaka Anjagala- meaning the king loves me, connects the Palace to Bulange – the Buganda parliament.
The trees lining the road represent the 52 clans of the Kingdom. Halfway through the road is a roundabout called Lukoma Nantawetwa which means “the king doesn’t go round in a roundabout. The roundabout has a towering long drum, split into two to create a way in between. Below the drums is a gate that is always locked. The Kabaka is the only one allowed to go through the gate in a straight line to his palace.
Inside the Palace is a live fireplace. The fire can only go off when the Kabaka dies.
The current Kabaka, Ronald Muwenda Mutebi does not reside in the Lubiri.
In 1966, the then Prime Minister of Uganda Milton Obote attacked the palace to oust Kabaka Mutesa II. The attack was led by Idi Amin. After several days of fighting, Mutesa was forced to flee and live in exile in the UK from where he died.
Obote thereafter abolished all the Kingdoms in Uganda until they were restored by President Museveni’s government in the early 1990s.
- THE KABAKA’S LAKE
Location:
2.84 km (1.76 mi) South West of city centre.
Coordinates: 0.2976005, 32.5615937
The Kabaka’s lake is the largest man-made lake in Uganda. The lake has no inlet rivers that supply it with water. The lake is in Ndeeba between Nabunya road and Ring Road. The lake was constructed between 1885 and 1888 by Kabaka Mwanga II as an “escape route” to Lake Victoria and a shorter route to his second palace in Munyonyo.
Kabaka Mwanga’s grand plan never materialised due the religious wars that broke out around that time.
The lake covers about two square kilometers and annually hosts canoe paddling contests during the Buganda Tourism Expo.
- SSEMAGULU MUSEUM
Location:
5.86 km (3.64 mi) South West of Kampala City.
Coordinates: 0.2888351, 32.5348842
Ssemagulu Museum is a private museum in Kampala, Uganda, covering the rich history and culture of Uganda from prehistoric to modern times. The museum is named after Ssemagulu, the eight-legged stool throne used Buganda’s first Kabakas that reigned before 1555. The museum is located Mutundwe at the mid-19th century Arab slave collection center that derived its name from Kabaka Ssuuna II’s directive as he offered criminals and convicts to Arabs, saying, “Mugende Mutundwe” meaning, go get sold. Mutundwe is a hill in Lubaga Division, Kampala.
Ssemagulu Museum has over eighty sculptures of major historical personalities in Uganda’s history. It’s the only place in the world where one can take selfies next to Idi Amin Dada, Milton Obote, Kabaka Muteesa II, Nuhu Mbogo, Mukajanga, Allidina Visram, Hesketh Bell, Kabalega, Kunsa, Kabaka Kyabaggu among others.
The museum also has over 100 real-life chronologically-arranged paintings of major moments that define Uganda’s history such as the 1900 agreement, Bunyoro-Buganda wars among others. In addition, the museum has over one thousand artefacts that help tourists understand and appreciate Uganda’s rich heritage. At the museum, tourists can see the vintage Mercedes Benz that belonged to Uganda’s first Prime Minister Ben Kiwanuka, archaeological materials such as Stone Age tools, items used during slave trade, Missionaries’ items, former Ugandan Presidents’ items, cultural items, among others.
The museum has a collection of hundreds of unique videos for tourists to see and understand special moments in Uganda’s history.
Ssemagulu Museum receives, welcomes and serves the lifelong educational needs of foreign tourists, Ugandans, thousands of school-going learners and pupils through its sculptures, paintings, publications, collections, videos and annual inter school culture competition.
Ssemagulu Museum was founded by John Ssempebwa, a former Deputy Chief Executive Officer at Uganda Tourism Board. The Museum was opened in 2018.
- THE UGANDA MUSEUM
Location:
4 km from City Centre.
Air: 2.49 km (1.55 mi) North of Kampala.
Coordinates: 0.3365080, 32.5822091
Located in the northern part of Kampala on Kitante hill about 5 km away from the city centre, the Uganda Museum was founded in 1908 to exhibit ethnological, natural-historical and traditional life collections of Uganda’s cultural heritage. Among the collections are musical instruments, hunting equipment, weaponry, archaeology and entomology items.
The museum started in a small Sikh Temple at Fort Lugard on Old Kampala Hill. The museum at Fort Lugard become too small to hold the specimens, and the museum was moved to the Margret Trowel School of Fine Art at Makerere University College in 1941. In 1954, the museum was moved to its current location on Kitante Hill.