9 Must visit: Kampala City

Kampala is only known as the political capital of Uganda to most people around the world, while to some, it is one of the best hangouts in the whole of Uganda.

Whatever view you take, you can agree that Kampala is also the religious capital of Uganda with headquarters of the Catholic, Anglican, Pentecostal, Muslim, and Bahai among other religions.

Namugongo Uganda Martyrs Shrine

According to the 2014 Uganda census, 84% of Uganda’s total population are Christians distributed in mainly three Christian sects; Catholics, Anglican, and Pentecostal or Born again.

Though the born-again faith does not have a history of more than 100 years in Uganda, the Catholic and Anglican faith has been in Uganda for over 100 years.

With a history of more than 100 years, there are a number of milestones in regard to the Anglican and Catholic faith that is worth being reckoned with. One of these milestones is the Uganda martyrs who were bartered to death; some were burnt alive while others were butchered to pieces because of their faith in Jesus.

It was during the reign of Kabaka Mwanga II, the king of Buganda that upon his decree almost 50 of his servants were killed because of their faith. 23 of the Uganda martyrs were Anglicans while 22 were Catholics. There are other silent records of those who die because of their faith including the Muslims.

A deeper story about the Uganda martyrs is also shared in the martyrs’ museum in Namugongo about two kilometers from the Uganda martyrs shrine located along the Nalya-Namugongo road.

Uganda Museum

The Uganda Museum is located on Kitante hill a few meters away from the British council. It offers a detailed in-depth history of Uganda’s culture, political and military history, agriculture, and the biodiversity of Uganda at large.

Anyone who has been to several international museums will advise not to raise your expectations when visiting the Uganda museum; not because it does not have much to offer but because it would be a miss-match to expect international museum standards.

The Museum opens Monday to Monday from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm. The museum gardens are often used for several events. Thus you are likely to find all kinds of events at the Uganda museum more so on weekends.

Kabaka’s Palace

Uganda has a long history with the Kingdom of Buganda; in the recent past, 2009 to be specific. The country was thrown into a civil political instability that can never be forgotten. But this wasn’t new in the eyes of the older people because when you trace Uganda’s past, you are likely to find similar uproars related to the central government and the Buganda Kingdom.

That aside, Uganda has a long history of influential kings whose history will amaze you; the architecture, Buganda parliament, and some for entities to reckon with when you visit Kabaka’s main palace in Mengo.

Kabaka’s Lake

Kabaka’s lake is one of the easiest tourist attractions to get to in Kampala; however without the help of a guide; it is simply something that isn’t that scenic to draw your attention unless you are interested in birding. Many photos that were taken from different angles might not attract much of you compared to other water sceneries such as Ssezibwa falls, Sipi falls, and Lake Victoria among several other water sceneries.

So why should you visit Kabaka’s lake? The lake is one of its kind; it is the only manmade lake in Uganda. It has a number of facts that rotate around Kabaka Mwanga’s love for fishing and swimming. But that aside, how was this lake made?

This is usually the most interesting part of your Kabaka lake tour because it takes you back as far as 1884 to explore the four years journey that saw the birth of this lake; looking into the tools they used, the challenges they faced among several other interesting facts.

However, without a guide, you can also go and simply have a gaze around this beautiful lake; but binoculars might be an important tool to explore in detail some of the features of this lake.

Namirembe Cathedral

Namirembe is a compound word formed by the word “Na” to mean “mother of” or “queen of” and the word “mirembe” to mean peace. Therefore the name Namirembe would literally mean “mother of peace” or “Queen of peace” or the most peaceful among all who are peaceful. This is a rich description covered in what may seem to be a simple name.

In other words, you can rightly call it the cathedral of the most peaceful among all who are peaceful. It is the headquarters of the Anglican faith in Uganda located on Namirembe hill near Old Kampala hill. Its history goes as far as 100 years ago

Visiting this cathedral will give you insight into the history of the Anglican faith not forgetting the architecture that also has a long history worth being heard.

Rubaga Cathedral

The catholic faith is the biggest religion in Uganda, though over time it seems to be losing its ground to the Muslim and born-again faith.  But its architecture and history are worth any visitor’s exploration.

The cathedral is the pinnacle of the catholic faith in Uganda. It is from this place that the highs, the lows, future, and history of the catholic faith come to the climax.

National Theatre

Theatres are known for plays, drama, and music. This also applies to Uganda’s national theatre apart from two exceptions: the theatre has art and crafts shops just outside the main building.

The theatre also has a world music studio. World music is a fusion of cultural music with urban beats. In this place, therefore; you will be exposed to Uganda’s best educational and inspirational drama, art, music, and crafts

Bahai Temple

It would be wrong to assume that everyone knows about the Bahai faith. It might even be your first time hearing of the Bahai temple after all the only temple on the African continent is found in Uganda.

It is for this very reason that you should make it a point to visit this place; it is one of the quietest places in the heart of Kampala. If you are a religious kind, you will learn something new about what people view in this life, their hope in life after death, and a lot more.

Besides the faith tales, the temple architecture is exceptionally unmatched compared to all religious places in Uganda. In simple terms, it is a place to discover and explore religious secrecy on the African continent.

National Mosque

The Muslim religion is one of the fastest-growing religions in Uganda. Though it has a number of rival sects; the groups seem to agree about the main Islam public holidays annually.

The national mosque is officially managed by the so-called “old Kampala” sect. Apparently; it is the biggest mosque in Uganda