Kampala City is the capital of Uganda and at the same time is a district located in South Central part of the country in the Kingdom of Buganda. Kampala City is divided into five divisions such as Kampala Central Division, Kawempe Division, Makindye Division, Nakawa Division and Lubaga Division.
Kampala covers an area of 184 kilometers squared with a density of over 7,928 square kilometers. In 2002 Kampala’s total population was 1,507,800 people and between 2014 and 2011 the population increased to over 2 million.
Before, Kampala was a hunting ground that was chosen by Kabaka Mutesa I, the king of Buganda kingdom by then. The area was made up of hills and wetlands with various species of impala and antelopes. When the British arrived in an area they called one of the hills “The hill of Impala” due to large variety of impalas in an area. The native Buganda used this reference in local language “Akasozi K’empala”, & K’empala formally became “Kampala “with repeated usage. That’s how it came to be Kampala. Kampala is the city of seven hills and the original hills include Mengo, Rubaga, Namirembe, Makerere (On which Makerere University is located), Kololo, Nakasero, and Kampala (Old Kampala Hill).
Kampala city of Uganda has a historic site of Buganda Kingdom known as Lubiri Palace where the King of Buganda and his servants sit. It also has the Buganda court of Justice, Buganda parliament, the Kasubi Tombs which were built in 1881. The Kasubi Tombs were built to protect the dead bodies of the previous Kings and also to leave behind their histories which has also impact on the tourism of Uganda. The city has got its mother tongue languages namely Luganda. There are also other tribal languages spoken such as Kiswahili, Luganda and English. In addition, there are also other tribes like the Banyakore, Basonga, Bafumbira, the Alur, Bagisu and Batoro who all travel to the city to do their business.
In 1922 Uganda got its first institute which was known as Makerere Technical institute that started as the first institution both within Kampala and the British colonies on the East coast of Africa. As per now its known as Makerere University which is the best university in East Africa for stimulating the highest standards.
Uganda got its independence in 1962 and it was Milton Obote who led the country to this achievement. Milton Obote became the nation’s first prime minister and later he turned out to be the first president of Uganda in 1966 and he was in power until 1971 when Idi Amin Dada led the military coup that overthrew Uganda’s president Milton Obote while he was at commonwealth meeting in Singapore. The coming of Idi Amin Dada was to expel all Asians out of Kampala city because by that time Asians had took over the city with big businesses. Uganda & Tanzania started war in 1978 which destroyed the building of Kampala.
Kampala now is rebuilt with strong buildings such as hotels, hospitals, education institutions, shopping malls, parking grounds, over 25 commercial bank fully licensed to support the economy of Uganda. The city also has improved infractures such as Commercial markets with fresh fruits. Kampala City is the famous destination with very many attractions like the Uganda Museum, Namugongo Shrine, National theater, Uganda craft village and many more.
Kampala is the 13th fastest growing city in the world and is located close to the equator. Kampala’s weather is warm throughout the year. The hottest months of the year in Kampala are October and February with the average temperature of about 80°F and the coldest months throughout the year is are June and July. During this time, the daily temperature will generally reach lower at 80°F. This temperature comparison shows that there is little variation from month to month with in the city.
Kampala is coordinated by an Executive director and the Lord Mayor.
The Uganda museum is where the history of Uganda is protected from like the first driven car in the country, the traditional dressing code, long ago early mans sculptures, the chair which the president of Uganda first sat on when he had just come into power in 1986 and also the cultural materials.
Namugongo shrine is where the 45 pillars were burnt from and this has made Uganda to be a tourist hub every year that normally occurs on 3rd– June. This day was named Uganda Martyrs day that collects thousands of people from the neighboring countries and also the European countries to come in unity with national prayers.
Kampala is home of religious places like the Kibuli Mosque and Gaddafi Mosque which act as tourist attractions. It has Cathedrals like Namirembe church and Rubaga cathedral and both of them have suitable climate and beautiful buildings. The Bahai Temple has a conducive climate that is suitable for the visitors, and the tourists can enjoy the beauty of this place through guided nature walks and also to know more about its history. This temple was built in January 1961 to teach about the religious intellectuality.
Kampala is also the location to the Kabaka’s palace & while you’re at the palace you can be able to visit to the torture chamber where Amin killed a number of people during those ancient days. Visiting the king’s known as the Kabaka’s Lake which was dug in the middle of Kabaka’s land.
There is wide variety of food available in Kampala hotels, restaurants and bars with a lot of drinks and eats that can range from cheap to expensive.
Kampala has very many luxurious hotels where tourists can sleep in and these include Serena hotel, Sheraton hotel, Golf course apartments, Grand Global hotel, Acacia apartment, Hill view Apartment, Speke apartments, Protea Apartments and many more others depending on the budget of the guests.
On how to reach different places in Kampala, you can use taxis or Boda Bodas but you first have agree on the fares before the ride or drive starts. Special hire cars are also available but a bit expensive. Uber, Safae Boda, Taxify, Quick Taxi all are commercial transport companies that make transportation easier and cheaper.
