Kampala, Uganda 4

September, 2024

I also ventured 291 km to the west of Kampala, to Fort Portal in Kabarole District in the foothills of the Rwenzori Mountains. The photos are not mine, but these are the dramatic landscapes I might have observed and the experiences I might have had, had I the courage to venture further uphill.

Uganda has turned out to be my favourite country in Africa, and not only for its natural beauty, although the natural beauty itself is truly remarkable. The variety of landscapes in this single country is astonishing. From papyrus wetlands, to hilly landscapes; from lush tropical rainforest, to savannah grassland with abundant wildlife; from pretty lake islands on Lake Victoria to beautiful littoral environments in Entebbe, Kampala and all along the lake shore; from busy cities and highways, to multiple scenic lakes, breath-taking waterfalls, and an entire mountain range with year-round snow-capped mountains and serene foothills. It's simply amazing, there is no other country like it in Africa.

South Africa might come in second place, with mountain ranges like the Drakensberg and others, as well as the veld, and the scenic coastal landscapes of the Eastern Cape and Western Cape. But all these, even if larger in scale, do not come close to the sheer variety of Uganda.

The Rwenzori Mountains, previously called the "Ruwenzori Range", is a mountain range of eastern equatorial Africa, located on the border between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

"The Rwenzori Mountains are the highest and most permanent sources of the River Nile, and constitute a vital water catchment. Their multitude of fast flowing rivers, magnificent waterfalls and stratified vegetation make the property exceptionally scenic and beautiful." (UNESCO)

These mountains reach heights up to 5,109 metres (16,762 ft). The highest Rwenzori peaks are permanently snow-capped. The Rwenzori Mountains National Park and Virunga National Park are located in this range.

Environmentalists have expressed a lot of concern over the high melting rate of the glaciers atop this mountain range due to climate change.

See more here: https://www.brilliant-uganda.com/rwenzori-mountains...

The Kitandara lakes of the Rwenzori Mountains, which were formed by retreating glacier ice Credit: Hugh Kinsella Cunningham

The Rwenzori mountains are of cultural importance for two of the ethnic groups inhabiting the region Credit: Hugh Kinsella Cunningham

Trekking guides Gilbert Kule and Remigio Thembo observe the terminus of the Margherita glacier on Mount Stanley Credit: Hugh Kinsella Cunningham

Destroyed buildings caused by a series of floods between 2013 and 2020 along the Nyamwamba river, Uganda Credit: Hugh Kinsella Cunningham

Trekking guide Gilbert Kule walks across the 4000 metre Afromontane zone of the mountains Credit: Hugh Kinsella Cunningham

Kampala, Uganda 3

September, 2024

Kabaka's Lake

Kabaka's Lake is a man-made lake located in Kampala. It is one of the prominent landmarks in the city and holds great historical and cultural significance. It is the largest man-made lake in Uganda.

This lake was created during the late 19th century on the orders of Kabaka (King) Mwanga II of Buganda. The construction of the lake was a result of a power struggle between Mwanga and his Christian subjects. The lake was dug to serve as a water source and a defensive barrier for the king's palace.

Kampala, Uganda 2

12 September, 2024

My Thoughts About Uganda

Of all the African countries I have visited, Uganda has emerged at the very top of the favourability rankings. On this trip I did not stay long enough in Rwanda to form a substantive view on the place. What I did see in Rwanda though, was not the warm conviviality that greeted me in Uganda. Cool calm polite efficiency could easily be superficial.

Uganda is warm, friendly and genuine, in my experience, and I find those whom I have met to be articulate and well informed, regardless of their status or station in life. And they are not conceited. Also, they are understated, as exemplified by their top notch tourism industry that hardly ever makes the headlines and usually gets featured only in passing in popular tourism literature.

At 69% Nigeria's adult literacy rate is significantly lower than Uganda’s 80.59%. In Nigeria we are intelligent too, but our intelligence seems not always to be directed collectively towards the common good. Uganda is not perfect by any reckoning either, nowhere is. But it has clean streets, clean marketplaces, which speaks about the people and their attitudes. Things are better regulated and more tightly controlled than in Nigeria. In Uganda it is less likely that I would get food poisoning from drinking bottled water that I had bought on the street, as I did when I visited Kano, Nigeria, earlier this year and ended up sick and in a hospital bed.

Kampala, Uganda, is a genuinely pleasant city to be in. I prefer Kampala to Nairobi, Kenya, for example, for its authenticity, and the perceptible sense of self-assuredness and pride in its own identity. I think Nairobi (and Kenya in general) tries too hard to please foreign tourists. Kampala does no such thing, and has the self confidence to just be itself.

While political leaders across the continent can be rightly accused of leadership failure, and I am no lover of autocratic rule, credit must be accorded where it is due. The current political leadership in Uganda are largely responsible for the stability that makes this country such an attractive place. The proof of this is in the relatively large number of foreign nationals who come here to settle. This year foreign direct investments in Uganda have increased to 3.01 billion dollars, up from 2.8 billion dollars in 2023.

Postscript: I had started writing this before my time ran out and I had to start making my way to the airport. I concluded it after I had arrived back this morning. Cheers.— in Kampala, Uganda.

Uganda’s Independence Monument at Nile Avenue in Kampala

At the Namugongo Martyrs' Shrine

At the shore of Lake Victoria at Entebbe. The landscapes in and around Kampala are an interesting combination of hills and extensive papyrus swamps, wetlands. In that sense it is quite unique. Uganda, although landlocked, has a maritime feel nonetheless, with sea breezes from Lake Victoria and lakefront views in Entebbe and Kampala to rival any beachfront area anywhere in the world, even if calmer, more natural, and less touristy. I liked it a lot.  

Saint Paul's Cathedral Namirembe, commonly and locally referred to as Namirembe Cathedral, is the oldest Anglican cathedral in Uganda

Kampala, Uganda

 I was here.

"Tombs of Buganda Kings at Kasubi

The Tombs of Buganda Kings at Kasubi constitute a site embracing almost 30 ha of hillside within Kampala district. Most of the site is agricultural, farmed by traditional methods. At its core on the hilltop is the former palace of the Kabakas of Buganda, built in 1882 and converted into the royal burial ground in 1884. Four royal tombs now lie within the Muzibu Azaala Mpanga, the main building, which is circular and surmounted by a dome. It is a major example of an architectural achievement in organic materials, principally wood, thatch, reed, wattle and daub. The site's main significance lies, however, in its intangible values of belief, spirituality, continuity and identity."

The above description is by UNESCO https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1022/