| Kampala | |
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| Kampala | |
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Kampala
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| Coordinates: | |
| Country | Uganda |
| District | Kampala |
| Government | |
| • Lord Mayor | Erias Lukwago |
| Area | |
| • Total | 189 km2 (73 sq mi) |
| • Land | 176 km2 (68 sq mi) |
| • Water | 13 km2 (5 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 1,190 m (3,904 ft) |
| Population (2011 Estimate) | |
| • Total | 1,659,600 |
| • Density | 9,429.6/km2 (24,422.6/sq mi) |
| Time zone | EAT (UTC+3) |
Kampala is the largest city and capital of Uganda. The city is divided into five boroughs that oversee local planning: Kampala Central Division, Kawempe Division, Makindye Division, Nakawa Division and Lubaga Division. The city is coterminous with Kampala District.
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Mutesa I, the Kabaka (king) of Buganda, had chosen the area that was to become Kampala as one of his favorite hunting grounds. The area was made up of hills and wetlands. It was an ideal breeding ground for various game, particularly a species of antelope, the impala (Aepyceros melampus).
The city grew as the capital of the Buganda kingdom, from which several buildings survive, including the Kasubi Tombs (built in 1881), the Lubiri Palace, the Buganda Parliament and the Buganda Court of Justice. Severely damaged in the Uganda-Tanzania War, the city has since then been rebuilt with constructions of new buildings including hotels, banks, shopping malls, educational institutions, hospitals and improvement of war torn buildings and infrastructure. Traditionally, Kampala was a city of seven hills, but over time it has come to have a lot more.
The main campus of Makerere University, one of East and Central Africa's premier institutes of higher learning, can be found in the Makerere Hill area of the City. Kampala is also home to the headquarters of the East African Development Bank, located on Nakasero Hill.
Kampala is said to be built on seven hills, although this is not quite accurate.
The city spread to Nakasero Hill where the administrative centre and the wealthiest residential area is. Nakasero is also the location of the most upscale hotels in the city including:
There is also Tank Hill, where the water storage tanks that supply the city are located. Mulago Hill is the site of Mulago Hospital, the largest hospital in Uganda. The city is now rapidly expanding to include Makindye Hill and Konge Hill. Makindye Division incorporating Kibuli, Tank Hill and Makindye now has over 300,000 residents. Medical provision in this part of town, being more recently developed, is limited. Hospitals include Kibuli Hospital, St. Francis Hospital Nsambya and the International Hospital Kampala (IHK). Philanthropic health services are provided by Hope Clinic Lukuli situated between Tank Hill, Makindye and Konge.Kololo Hill to the east of Nakasero, is the highest hill in the city, at 1,300 metres (4,300 ft) above sea level. The Uganda Museum is located at the foot of Kololo Hill in the neighborhood called Kamwokya.
In 2001, the city limits were substantially expanded to include many of the surrounding communities within the city; including: Namirembe, Naakulabye, Kasubi, Bwaise, Kawempe, Kikaaya, Mpererwe, Lubaga, Nateete, Busega, Mutundwe, Ndeeba, Katwe, Kibuli, Kabalagala, Ntinda, Kiwaatule, Kisaasi; Najjanankumbi; Nakawa, Kyambogo, Nagulu, Bugoloobi, Mbuya, Luzira, Port Bell and Butabika.
The eastern and northeastern suburbs of Banda, Kireka, Bweyogerere, Namanve Kirinnya, Namugongo, Kyaliwajjala, Bulindo and Nsasa, among others, were carved out into a separate municipality called Kira Municipality. Today, Kira Municipality is the second largest town in Uganda with an estimated population of about 180,000 in 2011.[1]
Other features of the city include the Uganda Museum, Ugandan National Theatre, Nakasero Market and St. Balikuddembe Market (formerly Owino Market). Kampala is also known for its nightlife, which includes several casinos, notably Casino Simba in the Garden City shopping center, Kampala Casino and Mayfair Casino. Entebbe International Airport is located at Entebbe, 35 miles (56 km) away, while Port Bell on the shores of Lake Victoria is 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) away.
Also to note is that Kampala hosts one of only seven Bahá'í Houses of Worship in the world. It is known as the Mother Temple of Africa and is situated on Kikaya Hill on the outskirts of the city. Its foundation stone was laid in January 1958, and was dedicated on January 13, 1961. See Bahá'í Faith in Uganda.
The Ahmadiyya Central Mosque in Kampala is the central mosque of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, which has 6 minarets and can hold up to 9,000 worshippers.[2]
Kampala going westwards has Kabaka's Lubiri, the palace of the King of Buganda. Buganda is one of the oldest kingdoms in Africa, dating back to the late 13th Century. Other landmarks include the Kasubi tombs, the magnificent mosque at old Kampala, Namirembe and Rubaga Cathedral, at the very edge there is Kasumba Square Mall at the intersection of Northern Bypass and Busega roundabout.
In early 2007, it was announced that Kampala would remove commuter taxis from its streets and replace them with a comprehensive city bus service. (It should be noted that in Kampala the term "taxi" refers to a 15-seater minibus used as public transport.) The bus service was expected to cover the greater Kampala metropolitan area including Mukono, Mpigi, Bombo, Entebbe, Wakiso and Gayaza. The decision is yet to be implemented.[3]
Boda-bodas (local motorcycle transportation) are a popular mode of transport that gives access to many areas with in and outside the city. Standard fees for these range from UGX 500 to 1,000 or more. Boda-bodas are useful for passing through rush-hour traffic although they are usually poorly maintained and often dangerous. [4]
In January 2007, the mayor of Kampala City announced plans to introduce a congestion fee of Sh30,000 per vehicle per day when the bus network is launched.[5] This decision is also yet to be implemented.
Having successfully completed the Northern Bypass, the Government, in collaboration with its stakeholders, now plans to introduce the Bus Rapid Transit(BRT) system in Kampala by 2014. .
Kampala features a tropical wet and dry climate, however due to city’s higher altitudes, average temperatures are noticeably cooler than what is typically seen in other cities with this type of climate. Kampala seldom gets very hot during the course of the year; the warmest month is January.
Another facet of Kampala’s weather is that it features two distinct wet seasons. There is a lengthy rainy season from August through December and another shorter rainy season that begins in February and lasts through June. However, the shorter rainy season sees substantially heavier rainfall per month, with the month of April typically seeing the heaviest amount of precipitation at an average of around 175 mm of rain.
| Climate data for Kampala | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 33 (91) |
36 (97) |
33 (91) |
33 (91) |
29 (84) |
29 (84) |
29 (84) |
29 (84) |
31 (88) |
32 (90) |
32 (90) |
32 (90) |
36 (97) |
| Average high °C (°F) | 28 (82) |
28 (82) |
27 (81) |
26 (79) |
25 (77) |
25 (77) |
25 (77) |
25 (77) |
27 (81) |
27 (81) |
27 (81) |
27 (81) |
26 (79) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 18 (64) |
18 (64) |
18 (64) |
18 (64) |
17 (63) |
17 (63) |
17 (63) |
16 (61) |
17 (63) |
17 (63) |
17 (63) |
17 (63) |
17 (63) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 12 (54) |
14 (57) |
13 (55) |
14 (57) |
15 (59) |
12 (54) |
12 (54) |
12 (54) |
13 (55) |
13 (55) |
14 (57) |
12 (54) |
12 (54) |
| Rainfall mm (inches) | 46 (1.81) |
61 (2.4) |
130 (5.12) |
175 (6.89) |
147 (5.79) |
74 (2.91) |
46 (1.81) |
86 (3.39) |
91 (3.58) |
97 (3.82) |
122 (4.8) |
99 (3.9) |
1,174 (46.22) |
| Source: BBC Weather [6] | |||||||||||||
Kampala has a diverse ethnic population, although the Baganda - the local ethnic group - make up over 60% of the greater Kampala region. The city's ethnic makeup has been defined by political and economic factors. During the rule of Milton Obote and Idi Amin, who were both from northern Uganda, a significant number of northern Ugandans moved into Kampala from the 1950s until the mid 1980s. Most served in the armed forces and the police. Most settled arounod the areas where the Military and Police barracks were located - Ntinda, Naguru, Bugolobi and Mbuya. With the overthrow of Milton Obote in 1986, many northern Ugandans left the city. At the same time a large number of western Ugandans, particularly the Banyankole, moved into the city, reflecting the large proportion of western Ugandans in the new government of Yoweri Museveni.[7]
The mismanagement of Uganda's economy during the 1970s and 1980s meant that there were fewer employment opportunities outside Kampala. This encouraged many people from around the country to move into the city, and some have not moved back to their home districts after the revitalization of the economy in the 1990s and 2000s.
Inter-tribal marriage in Uganda is still rare, and although many Kampala residents have been born and bred in the city they still define themselves by their tribal roots. This is more evident in the suburbs of the city, where local languages are spoken widely alongside English, Swahili and Luganda. Apart from the Baganda and Banyankole, other large ethnic groups include the Basoga, Bafumbira, Batoro, Bakiga, Alur, Bagisu, Banyoro, Iteso, Langi and Acholi.[8]
Air Uganda has its head office in Kampala.[9]
The national census in 2002 estimated the population of the city at 1,189,142. The Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) estimated the population of Kampala at 1,420,200 in 2008. In 2011, UBOS estimated the mid-year population of the city at 1,659,600.[10] The population of the city is Christian, Muslim, Methodist and African religious beliefs. Anglicans are the majority (65%). Muslims are estimated to make up about 10% of the religious population of Kampala.[11]
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