Kampala Hill, commonly referred to as Old Kampala, is a hill in the centre of

Kampala Kampala (, ) is the capital and largest city of Uganda. The city proper has a population of 1,680,000 and is divided into the five political divisions of Kampala Central Division, Kawempe Division, Makindye Division, Nakawa Division, and Ruba ...

Uganda }), is a landlocked country in East Africa East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territor ...

's capital and largest city.

Location

Kampala Hill is bordered by

Makerere Makerere ( ) is a neighborhood in the city of Kampala, Uganda's capital city. The name also applies to the hill on which this neighborhood is perched; one of the original seven hills that constituted Kampala at the time of its founding, in the e ...

to the north,

Nakasero Nakasero is a hill and neighborhood in the centre of Kampala, the capital and largest city of Uganda. Nakasero is important to Uganda's economy and politics, as it is home to Kampala's central business district and several government offices, ...

to the east, Mengo to the south and

Namirembe Namirembe is a hill in Kampala, Uganda's capital and largest city. It is also a common name given to girls in several Baganda clans. Namirembe comes from the Luganda word "mirembe" meaning ''peace''. Namirembe loosely translates into ''Full of ...

to the west. When calculating distances between

and other places, Kampala Hill is often taken as the starting point. The coordinates of the hill are:0°18'55.0"N, 32°34'07.0"E (Latitude: 0.315278; Longitude: 32.568611).

Overview

Kampala hill was the nucleus of the city of Kampala. When the city expanded to other neighbouring hills, the place began to be referred to as

Old Kampala Kampala Hill, commonly referred to as Old Kampala, is a hill in the centre of Kampala, Uganda's capital and largest city. Location Kampala Hill is bordered by Makerere to the north, Nakasero to the east, Mengo to the south and Namirembe to ...

, a name that is still in use today, 120 years later. , the hill is a mixed commercial and residential neighbourhood with high-rise apartment complexes, shops, restaurants, bars, cafes, bed-and-breakfast establishments and several motels. The neighbourhood is a beehive of activity, both during the week and on weekends.

History

Before the arrival of the British, Kampala Hill, along with the neighbouring environs, was a favourite hunting ground of the

King of Buganda the kabaka Palace in kireka Kabaka is the title of the king of the Kingdom of Buganda.Stanley, H.M., 1899, Through the Dark Continent, London: G. Newnes, According to the traditions of the Baganda they are ruled by two kings, one spiritual and ...

. The area was particularly rich with game, especially

impala The impala or rooibok (''Aepyceros melampus'') is a medium-sized antelope found in eastern and southern Africa. The only extant member of the genus '' Aepyceros'' and tribe Aepycerotini, it was first described to European audiences by Germa ...

, a type of African

antelope The term antelope is used to refer to many species of even-toed ruminant that are indigenous to various regions in Africa and Eurasia. Antelope comprise a wastebasket taxon defined as any of numerous Old World grazing and browsing hoofed mammals ...

. The word Impala, most probably comes from the

Zulu language Zulu (), or isiZulu as an endonym, is a Southern Bantu language of the Nguni branch spoken in Southern Africa. It is the language of the Zulu people, with about 12 million native speakers, who primarily inhabit the province of KwaZulu-Natal o ...

. 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 Frederick John Dealtry Lugard, 1st Baron Lugard (22 January 1858 – 11 April 1945), known as Sir Frederick Lugard between 1901 and 1928, was a British soldier, mercenary, explorer of Africa and colonial administrator. He was Governor of Hong ...

, a British mercenary in the pay of

Imperial British East Africa Company The Imperial British East Africa Company (IBEAC) was a commercial association founded to develop African trade in the areas controlled by the British Empire. The company was incorporated in London on 18 April 1888 and granted a royal charter by Q ...

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 Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya bo ...

. The completed mosque was opened officially in June 2007.

Points of interest

The following points of interest are located on or near Kampala Hill: * The site where St. Matiya Mulumba was murdered on 30 May 1886 - One of the

Uganda Martyrs The Uganda Martyrs are a group of 22 Catholic and 23 Anglican converts to Christianity in the historical kingdom of Buganda, now part of Uganda, who were executed between 31 January 1885 and 27 January 1887. They were killed on orders of Mwang ...

* The Uganda Moslem Supreme Council Mosque, which is also known as the Gaddafi Mosque - the largest mosque in Uganda; seating capacity 15,000. * Fort Lugard - Built in the 1890s, by

Lord Lugard Frederick John Dealtry Lugard, 1st Baron Lugard (22 January 1858 – 11 April 1945), known as Sir Frederick Lugard between 1901 and 1928, was a British soldier, mercenary, explorer of Africa and colonial administrator. He was Governor of Hong ...

, the first

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

administrator of the

British East Africa Company The Imperial British East Africa Company (IBEAC) was a commercial association founded to develop African trade in the areas controlled by the British Empire. The company was incorporated in London on 18 April 1888 and granted a royal charter by Q ...

* Old Kampala Hospital - A private hospital * Old Kampala Senior Secondary School - A non-residential public high school * A branch of

Diamond Trust Bank (Uganda) Limited Diamond Trust Bank Uganda Limited (DTBUL), is a commercial bank headquartered in Uganda. It is licensed and supervised by the Bank of Uganda, the central bank and national banking regulator. Overview As at December 2018, the bank's total assets ...

* A branch of

Exim Bank (Uganda) Exim Bank (Uganda) (EBU), commonly known as Exim Bank, is a commercial bank in Uganda. It is one of the commercial banks licensed by the Bank of Uganda (BOU), the central bank and national banking regulator. EBU is a member of the Exim Bank Group ...

* Mukwano Shopping Arcade - A middle-class shopping mall * The headquarters and main store of

Quality Supermarkets Quality Supermarkets is a Ugandan supermarket chain. Location The head office of Quality Supermarket is located at 4 Martin Road, Old Kampala, Kampala Central Division, in the city's central business district. Overview The supermarket chain o ...

, a locally owned supermarket chain * Old Kampala Police Station * The Headquarters of the Uganda Muslim Supreme Council * Nakivubo Stadium - Seating capacity 25,000, located in the valley between

, Nakasero Hill and

Mengo Hill Mengo is a hill in Rubaga Division, Kampala, Uganda's capital and largest city. The name also applies to the neighborhood on that hill. Location Mengo is bordered by Kampala Hill, Old Kampala to the north, Nsambya, Nsambya Hill to the east, Kib ...

References

External links