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27-549: Kyambogo sits on Banda Hill , which rises to an altitude of 1,240 metres (4,070 ft), above sea level. The neighborhood is bordered by Kiwatule to the north, Banda to the east, Kinnawattaka to the southeast, Mbuya to the south, Nakawa to the southwest, Ntinda to the west and northwest. The location of the neighborhood is approximately 10 kilometres (6.2 mi), by road, east of Kampala 's central business district . The coordinates of Kyambogo are:0°20'54.0"N 32°37'49.0"E (Latitude:0.348334; Longitude:32.630275). Little

54-554: A break from tradition, the site in Kampala contains the royal tombs of four Kabakas of Buganda: Descendants of these four Kabakas are buried elsewhere on the site. The border of the ceremonial site were established in 1882 on Kasubi Hill, also known as the Ssekabaka's Tombs. The borders are still marked with bark cloth trees ( Ficus natalensis ), which have protected it from the low-rise residential development that now surround

81-793: A mixed, public non-residential secondary school is also located on the hill. On the higher reaches of the hill are located upscale residential homes. On the lower reaches of the hill, there are shops, small-scale industries, a stone quarry, warehouses and low-income rental residencies. The Somali entrepreneur Amina Moghe Hersi owns Kingstone Enterprises Limited, a cement distributorship, whose headquarters are located in Banda. The following points of interest lie on Banda Hill or close to it: 00°21′14″N 32°37′57″E  /  0.35389°N 32.63250°E  / 0.35389; 32.63250 Kasubi Tombs The Kasubi Tombs in Kampala , Uganda ,

108-421: A steel structure, concrete columns, and bricks, largely concealed behind traditional materials. A low wide arch leads to the sacred spaces within, separated by reed partitions, with bark cloth decorations, and mementos of the kabakas. The tombs are housed in a sacred forest ( Kibira ) within, concealed from public view by a barkcloth curtain. The floor is covered by lemon grass and palm leaf mats. The courtyard

135-522: Is Bandabalogo. Prior to the arrival of the Europeans, Kabaka Muteesa I Mukaabya Walugembe Kayiira , the 30th Kabaka of the Kingdom of Buganda , who reigned from 1856 until 1884, maintained a palace on the hill. It was at this palace that British explorer John Hanning Speke met Kabaka Walugembe Muteesa I in 1862. Muteesa detained Speke for some months before finally releasing him in his quest to look for

162-538: Is a hill that lies in Nakawa Division , within Kampala , the capital of Uganda . Banda also refers to the neighborhoods on the slopes of the hill and between Banda Hill and Kireka , extending all the way to the Kampala-Jinja Highway . The southwestern slopes of the hill are occupied by the neighbourhood known as Kyambogo , and is the location of the campus of Kyambogo University , one of

189-436: Is also bordered by several buildings of traditional construction, including several "wives houses" for the deceased kabaka's widows, who tend the family graves. Their houses are traditionally constructed of wattle and daub with straw thatched roofs, although over time some were rebuilt with bricks and metal roofs added, and tombs for royal relations. It is also the home of members of the royal family, and royal officials including

216-546: Is in mourning. There are no words to describe the loss occasioned by this most callous act. The remains of the kabakas are intact, according to Walusimbi, as the inner sanctum of the tombs was protected from total destruction. On 17 March 2010, His Majesty the Kabaka of Buganda , Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II , and the President of Uganda , Yoweri Museveni , visited the site of the tombs. Hundreds of people have also travelled to

243-622: Is known about the history of Kyambogo prior to 1958. That year, Uganda Polytechnic Kyambogo (UPK) which had been established on Makerere Hill in 1928, was transferred to Kyambogo. Its role was to train Ugandan technicians and artisans. In 1948, the Institute of Teacher Education Kyambogo (ITEK) was established. Its first home was in Nyakasura, Kabarole District . It was subsequently moved to Mbarara and finally to Kyambogo as well. In 1988,

270-477: Is located astride the border of the courtyard, on the edge opposite the entrance. 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 the Baganda people). Modern building materials were introduced in the last major renovation in 1938 by Kabaka Mutesa II of Buganda , including

297-543: Is the site of the burial grounds for four kabakas (kings of Buganda ) and other members of the Baganda royal family. As a result, the site remains an important spiritual and political site for the Ganda people , as well as an important example of traditional architecture. It became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in December 2001, when it was described as "one of the most remarkable buildings using purely vegetal materials in

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324-731: The Nalinya (spiritual guardian), her deputy the Lubuga (responsible for coordinating the farming on the site) and her administrative assistant the Katikkiro . It is also a centre for the traditional manufacture and decoration of bark cloth by the Ngo clan and for traditional thatching techniques of the Ngeye clan. The building was maintained and managed by the Buganda Kingdom, the largest of

351-660: The Uganda National Institute of Special Education (UNISE), originally a department at ITEK, was spun off as a separate institution. In 2003, the three institutions were merged to form Kyambogo University , the third public university to be established in Uganda. The points of interest in Kyambogo, include the following: 00°20′54″N 32°37′49″E  /  0.34833°N 32.63028°E  / 0.34833; 32.63028 Banda, Uganda Banda

378-509: The 35th Kabaka of Buganda, to replace a palace built by his built by his father, Ssuuna II in 1820. The new palace became a royal burial ground on his death in 1884. The site is one of 31 royal tombs across the Buganda kingdom since the kingdom was founded in the 13th century. Traditionally, the body of the deceased king was buried in one place, with a separate shrine for the deceased king's jawbone, believed to contain his soul. Unusually, in

405-589: The Kasubi Tombs were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. On 16 March 2010, at about 8.30 pm local time, the Kasubi tombs were destroyed by fire. The cause of the fire is as yet unknown. The Buganda kingdom has promised to conduct independent investigations into the fire, alongside the national police force. John Bosco Walusimbi, Prime Minister of the Buganda kingdom , stated on 17 March: The kingdom

432-575: The entire region of sub-Saharan Africa". Some of the major buildings there were almost completely destroyed by a fire in March 2010, the cause of which is under investigation. As a result, in July 2010 it was included in the list of World Heritage Sites in Danger . The Buganda Kingdom has vowed to rebuild the tombs of their kings and President Museveni said the national government of Uganda would assist in

459-575: The four ancient kingdoms of Uganda, until it was abolished by Prime Minister (then President) Milton Obote in 1966, and again after it was reinstated by President Museveni in 1993. It became a protected site under Uganda law in 1972, and the land is registered in the name of the Kabaka behalf of the Kingdom. The site remains an important spiritual and political site for the Baganda people. In 2001,

486-467: The government of Uganda and the Buganda kingdom, particularly in light of the September 2009 riots. Ahead of these riots, the king of Buganda Ronald Mutebi Mwenda was stopped from touring parts of his kingdom, and several journalists who were allegedly sympathetic to the kingdom and the rioters were arrested and are awaiting trial. The administration of the Buganda Kingdom has vowed (tofaali) to rebuild

513-626: The help of foreign aid. The Buganda government has now put emphasis on security measures during the restoration that will restrict entry to the tombs. In response to the incident, a mission was dispatched through the UNESCO Japanese Funds-in-Trust for the Preservation of the World Cultural Heritage to create a prevention scheme for reconstruction of the tombs. Based on the results of the mission,

540-491: The nine public universities in the country. Banda is bordered by Kiwaatule to the north, Kireka to the east, Kinnawattaka to the southeast, Mbuya to the south, Nakawa to the southwest, Ntinda to the west and northwest. The location of the hill is approximately 11 kilometres (6.8 mi), by road, east of Kampala 's central business district . The coordinates of Banda Hill are:0°21'14.0"N, 32°37'57.0"E (Latitude:0.353889; Longitude:32.632500). The full name of Banda

567-479: The restoration of the site. Reconstruction started in 2014, funded by the government of Japan. The World Heritage Site comprises around 26 hectares (64 acres) on the Kasubi hill in the city of Kampala , about 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) northwest of the city centre. Most of the site is open agricultural land that is farmed using traditional techniques. One corner contains a royal palace built in 1882 by Muteesa I ,

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594-460: The site on all sides. The main ceremonial area is located to the northwest of the wider site. A gatehouse ( Bujjabukula ) leads to a small courtyard and the drum house ( Ndoga-Obukaba ) which houses the royal drums, and then to a second main circular courtyard ( Olugya ) located on the hilltop, surrounded by a reed fence. The main central building ( Muzibu Azaala Mpanga ), some 31 metres (102 ft) in circumference and 7.5 metres (25 ft) high,

621-479: The site to help salvage any remains. Riots broke out during the President's visit. Security forces shot dead two (some reports say three) rioters and five were reportedly injured. The Ugandan soldiers and police also clashed with rioters in the capital city of Kampala . Forces used tear gas to disperse rioters of the Baganda ethnic group. The destruction occurred in the midst of an awkward relationship between

648-518: The source of the Nile River . At Banda, Muteesa faced many misfortunes, which he attributed to ill luck or witch-craft, thus the name Bandabalogo ("Wizards of Banda"). From the 1862 visit of John Speke to Kabaka Muteesa1 death in 1884 the kibuga (capital)/palace relocated Five times as follows from Banda to Nakawa hill then onto Lubaga hill then briefly at Namirembe hill and finally to Kasubi hill were in 1884 Muteesa 1 died. Kasubi hill that

675-434: The southern and southwestern slopes of the hill, in the neighborhood known as Kyambogo . The institutions were merged in 2001 to form Kyambogo University , the third public university established in the country. At the top of the hill is a military detach. Banda is also the location of Nabisunsa Girls’ School , a public residential all-girl high school, located north and east of the university. Kyambogo College School ,

702-423: The tombs and President Museveni said the national government would assist in the restoration. A commission was set up to determine the cause of the fire and the civilian deaths in the following days. This commission handed over a report to the Ugandan government in March 2011, but as of April 2012 it had not been released to the public. As of December 2012, a plan to restore the Kasubi tombs had been launched with

729-507: Was initially called Nabulagala but Kabaka Muteesa 1 renamed it Kasubi , after his mother's village in Kyaggwe County, which hosts Mukono District . Today, the great, great grandson of Muteesa I, Muwenda Mutebi II of the reigning Buganda monarch, maintains a palace at the summit of this hill with the entrance facing west, as is the tradition. Starting in 1958, the government of Uganda began establishing educational institutions on

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