Visit the Ten Hills of Kampala on a Self-Drive Trip – car rental Kampala

Kampala is the capital city of Uganda was built on seven hills  that make your Kampala city tour a memorable experience while tracing the roots of Kampala:

1.     Kasubi Hill, site of the Kasubi Tombs, the tombs of the Kabakas of Buganda.

Kasubi is bordered by Kawaala to the north, Makerere to the east, Naakulabye to the southeast, Lusaze to the southwest, Lubya to the west, and Namungoona to the northwest. The hill is approximately 5.5 kilometres (3.4 mi), by road, northwest of Kampala's central business district.

Before 1856, Kasubi Hill was known as Nabulagala. Sometime after that date, Muteesa I of Buganda, having met misfortune at Banda Hill, where he had built his first palace, relocated to Nabulagala. He renamed the hill Kasubi, after the ancestral village of his mother, located in then Kyaggwe County, what today is known as Mukono District. Today, Buganda traditionalists refer to the place interchangeably as Kasubi or Nabulagala or Kasubi-Nabulagala.

After his death in 1884, Kabaka Muteesa I was buried at Kasubi, the first Kabaka to be buried there. Since then, Kasubi has become the official royal burial site of the Buganda monarchy. The Kasubi Royal Tombs are recognised as a World Heritage Site and are of very high significance in the culture of the Baganda.

Kasubi Hill is a royal cultural site of the Kingdom of Buganda, one of the constitutional traditional monarchies in 21st century Uganda

The Kasubi Royal Tombs are the official burial place of the Kings of Buganda. As of June 2014, four consecutive Kings of Buganda are buried at Kasubi  namely; Muteesa I in 1884, Mwanga II  who died in exile in 1903 who was re-buried at Kasubi in 1910, Daudi Cwa II of Buganda in 1939 and Muteesa II who also died in exile in 1969 and re-buried at Kasubi in 1971.

2.       Mengo Hill, site of the present Kabaka's Palace and the Headquarters of the Buganda Court of Justice.

Mengo is bordered by Old Kampala to the north, Nsambya Hill to the east, Kibuye to the south-east, Ndeeba to the south, Lubaga Hill to the west, and Namirembe Hill to the north-west. This location is approximately 2.5 kilometres (1.6 mi), by road, directly south of the central business district of Kampala.

Mengo Hill is the location of the main palace (known as Lubiri or Mengo Palace) of the Kabaka (King) of the Kingdom of Buganda, a monarchy that dates back almost 800 years. Mengo has been the main palace since it was first constructed in 1885 by Mwanga II of Buganda, the 31st Kabaka of Buganda. Measuring 4 square miles (10 km²), the palace is ringed by a six-foot brick fence and has a small airstrip within its walls.

Mengo Hill has played an important role in Ugandan political and religious history. "Mengo" is a Luganda word for grinding stones. According to legend, ancient migrant communities from the Ssese Islands who settled on the hill used these stones to grind their food. It is here that the Buganda Agreement of 1900 was signed between the Kabaka of Buganda and British colonial officials establishing the Uganda Protectorate.

The history of Mengo Hill is also entwined with that of adjacent Namirembe Hill, the seat of the Anglican Church of Uganda, because of the monarchy’s close association with the Church of England. The Bulange, which houses offices for the Kabaka and the Lukiiko (Buganda Parliament), is at the base of Namirembe Hill. The building was constructed between 1953 and 1958 by Muteesa II of Buganda at a cost of US$5 million, which was a colossal sum at that time. Also located on Namirembe Hill is Mengo Hospital, a private, non-profit community hospital administered by the Anglican Church in Uganda.

Places to visit on Mengo Hill or near the hill include:

§     The main palace of the King of Buganda, the Lubiri.

§     Bulange, the Parliament Building of the Buganda Parliament (the Lukiiko). Moved outside of the palace to the adjacent Namirembe Hill, to accommodate the size of a modern building in 1958. The building also houses the offices of the Kabaka of Buganda

§     The Kabaka's Lake, a man-made lake approximately 5 acres (2.0 ha), for the personal use and enjoyment of the Kabaka; located just outside the main palace entrance.

§     Mengo Hospital - A 300-bed private hospital, affiliated with the Church of Uganda; located at adjacent Namirembe Hill

§     The Joint Clinical Research Center - Located adjacent to the palace, the medical research center is housed in the Butikkiro, the former official residence of the Prime Minister of Buganda (Katikkiro). This building is one of Buganda's assets that have yet to be returned to the Kingdom.

§     The main campus of St. Lawrence University (Uganda) - Located close to the Kabaka's Lake.

§     The Buildings of the Uganda Supreme Court

3.       Kibuli Hill, home to the Kibuli Mosque.

Kibuli is regarded as the home for Muslims. A Buganda royal and colonial collaborator Prince Badru Kakungulu owned most of the hill. He donated the land atop the 3,973 feet hill where the Kibuli mosque and hospital stand today. These are the main landmarks of the hill.
Other notable features on this hill are the police headquarters and training school, several secondary schools and a teacher training collage. At the base of the hill are the old Industrial Area and the oil depots of the major oil companies Shell, Total, and Caltex

4.       Namirembe Hill, home to the Namirembe Protestant Cathedral.

Namirembe is bordered by Makerere to the northeast, Old Kampala to the east, Mengo to the southeast, Lubaga to the southwest, Lungujja to the west, Kasubi to the northwest and Naakulabye to the north. The distance, by road, from the central business district of Kampala to Namirembe is approximately 1 mile (1.6 km).

Namirembe Hill has been the location of the main Anglican place of worship in Buganda since Bishop Alfred Tucker established the offices of the Diocese of Eastern Equatorial Africa in 1890.

The hill rises 4,134 feet (1,260 m) above sea level. It stands adjacent to Mengo Hill, the seat of the Buganda Government. The history of the two hills is intertwined, geographically, politically and religiously.

Namirembe is the location of St. Paul's Cathedral Namirembe, the main place of worship of the Anglican Church in Uganda, from the time of its construction (1915 to 1919), until the 1960s when the Cathedral became the seat of the Diocese of Namirembe. At that time, the headquarters of the Church of Uganda moved to All Saints Church in Nakasero but later on moved back to Namirembe. The Anglican Faith is the religion most closely associated with the Buganda Monarchy since the end of the religious wars of the 1890s.

Mengo Hospital, also known as Namirembe Hospital, the first hospital in Uganda, was started by Sir Albert Ruskin Cook in May 1897. At the northwestern base of Namirembe Hill are the Buganda royal burial grounds known as Kasubi Tombs. It is here, that the last four kings of Buganda are buried.

The Bulange, Buganda’s parliament building is also situated on Namirembe Hill, just across from Mengo hill. The Mengo Palace on Mengo Hill is connected to the Bulange on Namirembe Hill by a straight road, about a mile long, called Kabaka Anjagala Road translated as "The King Loves Me". About halfway, the straight road is intersected by Lubaga Road. There is a roundabout for the use of ordinary travelers. However, there is a strait-way through the roundabout with a gate. That is for the exclusive use of the Kabaka when moving between the palace and the parliament building. Tradition forbids the king from going round the roundabout. He must travel straight when moving between the two locations.

5.       Rubaga Hill, site of the Rubaga Catholic Cathedral, headquarters of the White Fathers.

Lubaga is bordered by Mengo to the east, Namirembe to the northeast, Kasubi to the north, Lubya to the northwest, Lungujja and Busega to the west, Nateete to the southwest Mutundwe to the south and Ndeeba to the southeast

The hill served as location of one of the palaces of the King of Buganda from the 18th century. Kabaka Ndawula Nsobya, the 19th Kabaka of Buganda, who ruled from 1724 until 1734, maintained his capital on Lubaga Hill. The palace on Lubaga Hill was used to plan military expeditions by Buganda's generals. However, during the late 19th century, during the reign of Muteesa I Mukaabya Walugembe Kayiira, who reigned from 1856 until 1884, the palace caught fire and was abandoned. When the Catholic White Fathers came calling in 1879, they were allocated land nearby. Eventually they were given land on Lubaga Hill itself where they built a cathedral, beginning in 1914 which was completed in 1925.

Lubaga hill was the location of the main palace of Kabaka Muteesa I who ruled Buganda between 1856 and 1884. The palace was struck by lightning and burnt to the ground. The replacement palace was rebuilt on neighboring Mengo Hill. The first Roman Catholic missionaries to arrive in Buganda were Frenchmen, Father Pierre Lourdel Monpel and Brother Amans, who settled near the hill in 1879

As the Catholic Church took root in the country, the missionaries were allocated land on Lubaga Hill. The construction of St. Mary's Cathedral on Lubaga Hill took place between 1914 and 1925, with the assistance of monetary contributions from Roman Catholic congregations abroad. Later, the missionaries also built a hospital and a nursing school on the hill.

Today, Lubaga remains the seat of the headquarters of the Catholic Church in Uganda. It is the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kampala. The remains of the first African Catholic bishop in Uganda, Bishop Joseph Nakabaale Kiwanuka and those of the first African Catholic Cardinal, Cardinal Emmanuel Kiwanuka Nsubuga are kept in the Catholic Mission on the hill.

6.       Nsambya, site of the Nsambya Hospital.

The 4,010 feet high Nsambya hill is more known as home for the Mill Hill Fathers.
In 1895, a group of five Mill Hill Fathers, led by Bishop Henry Hanlon arrived in East Africa to establish the Vicariate of the Upper Nile.

Uganda, where the White Fathers had arrived in 1879, had become a British Protectorate in 1894, so English rather than French Catholic presence was thought desirable.

The first mission station was built at Nsambya. Like many missionaries, they established a church and several schools. The hill also boasts of Nsambya Hospital, one of the best in the country.

Atop Nsambya hill, one has a great view of down town Kampala and the shores of Lake Victoria, including Ggaba landing site.
Several furniture and crafts shops selling unique African chairs, beds, curios and crafts line the road.

7.       The little hill of Impala, once the hunting grounds of the Ugandan kings

Kampala Hill is bordered by Makerere to the north, Nakasero to the east, Mengo to the south and Namirembe to the west. When calculating distances between Kampala and other places, Kampala Hill is often taken as the starting point.

Kampala hill was the nucleus of the city of Kampala. When the city expanded to other neighboring hills, the place began to be referred to as Old Kampala, a name that is still in use today, 120 years later. As of June 2014, the hill is a mixed commercial and residential neighborhood with high-rise apartment complexes, shops, restaurants, bars, cafes, bed-and-breakfast establishments and several motels. The neighborhood is a beehive of activity, both during the week and on weekends.

Before the arrival of the British, Kampala Hill, along with the neighboring environs, was a favorite hunting ground of the King of Buganda. The area was particularly rich with game, especially Impala, a type of African antelope. The word Impala, most probably comes from the Zulu language. The British referred to the hill as the Hill of the Impala. The Luganda translation comes to Akasozi K'empala. Through repeated usage, the name of the place eventually became Kampala. The name then came to apply to the entire city.

Frederick Lugard, a British mercenary in the pay of Imperial British East Africa Company arrived in Uganda in the 1890s, built his fort on top of the hill. The original fort was relocated to a different site on the hill in 2003, to accommodate the largest mosque in Uganda, with a seating capacity of 15,000 people, built with monetary assistance from Libya and it was completed in June 2007.

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