This month's World Heritage Site

Tombs of the Buganda Kings at Kasubi
One of Uganda’s most active religious sites

By Toni Dabbs

Buganda is a kingdom within the south-central region of Uganda, a country in east-central Africa. Its subjects, known as the Baganda, are part of the Bantu people and constitute the largest ethnic group in Uganda. Their spiritual center is Kasubi, a hill situated five kilometers outside the capital city of Kampala. 

The 30 hectare site at Kasubi is mostly agricultural land, where herbs with medicinal uses and other plants are farmed by traditional methods. But it also includes buildings and cemeteries. At its core is a squat thatched conical hut 14 meters in diameter and 12 meters high. Originally built in 1882 as the palace of the Kabakas (kings) of Buganda, it was converted to house their royal tombs in 1884. 

As a major example of architectural achievement using organic materials (principally wood, thatch, reed, and wattle and daub), the Tombs of Buganda Kings at Kasubi was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001. However, to the Baganda, the site’s main significance lies in its intangible values of spirituality, continuity and identity.  

The circular palace, Muzibu Azaala Mpanga, was built by Muteesa I, the 30th Kabaka of Buganda, who reigned from 1856 to 1884. Upon his death, he was entombed in the building, where he has since been joined by three of his successors: Mwanga II, who ruled from 1884 to 1897; Ccwa II, 1897 to 1939; and Muteesa II, 1939 to 1966. 

Guides at Kasubi lead visitors around the area and into the building, explaining the history of the Baganda and the cultural traditions associated with the tombs. 

The Muzibu Azaala Mpanga sits on a courtyard bordered by a series of smaller circular huts inhabited by people who perform rituals or maintain the site. It is entered through a gate guarded by men wearing yellow garments. These guardians are members of the Nalinga clan, descendants of the original wardens of the site. They must remain on their side of the gate, where they also live, and are forbidden from crossing to the other side. 

Beyond the entrance to the Muzibu Azaala Mpanga, a huge curtain of tree bark cloth screens the “sacred forest,” where the four tombs are. Only widows of the kings and members of the royal family may approach the tombs, which are adorned with symbols of power, such as drums, spears, shields and medals, and photographs of the kabakas. The tombs are tended by the widows themselves (or daughters or granddaughters), who live in some of the smaller huts in the compound. 

However, upkeep of the Muzibu Azaala Mpanga is the responsibility of two clans: the Ngeye, who maintain the thatch roof, and the Ngo, who keep the bark cloth curtain in good repair. These jobs, like those of the guardians, have been handed down by ancestors of the clans to ensure that the building retains its authenticity. 

Unfortunately, the Baganda have found traditional methods of maintenance too expensive or difficult to apply to all buildings in the compound, so some smaller structures now have corrugated iron roofs. The government provides no funding for the site, which is supported solely by rents and entrance fees. 

A stop at the Tombs of Buganda Kings at Kasubi is included on many tours of Uganda. The site is located on the Kampala/Hoima Road just off the Masindi Road. 

Canadian travel writer Toni Dabbs is a regular contributor to The Cultured Traveler.