Kisingiri House on Mengo Hill, Kampala is one of the oldest houses in Buganda Kingdom. PHOTO BY BAMUTURAKI MUSINGUZI
In Summary
History. Kampala is rich with 51 buildings and sites that were constructed before 1969 reflecting Uganda’s socio-cultural, religious, political and economic history. The buildings have been identified by several organs as an important step towards preserving and promoting them. Bamuturaki Musinguzi writes.
Both the Chwa Building and Muteesa I Dormitory at Mengo Primary School in Kampala have cracked walls, crumbling plaster and rough cast, very old timber, doors and paint, and damaged verandas as a result of rainwater.
While taking Daily Monitor around the Muteesa I Dormitory, Mengo Primary School headteacher Festus Kirumira says the school has endevoured to maintain the dormitory’s veranda so that it is not damaged by rainwater. The lower end of the dormitory has been reinforced with hardcore stones in order to protect the walls from falling off as well.
“The gutters are rusting; the original timber and doors are old and need to be replaced, which is going to be our next project,” Kirumira says.
On the other hand the original timber and iron sheets on the Chwa Building are still strong. However, soft ceiling boards need replacing and veranda repaired.
Kirumira says because the sun-dried bricks were joined by mud in the construction of both buildings, termites find it easy to destroy the timber and soft boards on the walls. “We fumigate to control the termites.”
“Our biggest challenge is lack of funds to maintain these historic buildings. The situation is even made worse because we are a Universal Primary Education-funded school where funds are very minimal. The best we can do is to start by painting. We need to work on the verandas and general maintenance so that the buildings can last ages,” Kirumira adds.
“We should appreciate such buildings, technology and architecture of the people who lived before us. They serve as memory. We should thank Kabaka Chwa for his initiative to promote education in Buganda Kingdom,” he says.
Heritage
Christian missionaries established Kayanja Elementary School (later Mengo Primary School) in 1895. The Chwa Building was the first formal education building in Uganda, financed by the Buganda Kingdom and British donations. The muvule tree (Chlorophora exceisa) Kabaka Chwa planted on its inauguration still stands at the yard. This was followed by the Muteesa I Dormitory, both buildings having thick walls made of mud and grass bricks.
Chwa houses a small boy’s dormitory, the main school library and four classrooms. While the Muteesa I Dormitory houses big boys only. The mixed school that sits on about 7-acres currently has 971 pupils and 22 teachers.
These Mengo Primary School buildings are among the 51 buildings and sites in Kampala that were constructed before 1969 reflecting Uganda’s socio-cultural, religious, political and economic history.
The sites have been identified by the Cross-Cultural Foundation of Uganda (CCFU) in partnership with Uganda Tourism Board (UTB), Buganda Heritage and Tourism Board, Uganda National Museum and Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) as an important step towards the preservation and promotion of these assets.
Kampala is fast expanding and becoming a modern city, but it is also losing its historical and cultural identity, especially as historical buildings and sites get modified or even demolished.
Heritage preservation efforts in Uganda and the world over are, however, confronted with a number of challenges, the deputy commissioner for tourism development in the Ministry of Tourism, Rosemary Kobutagi, notes.
“In Uganda particularly, rapid population growth causes intense demand for space and resources for development. This, coupled with a lack of sufficient awareness of the significance of cultural and historical assets, places buildings and monuments at risk of being modified or demolished. In addition the limited investment in our heritage assets reduces their viability as tourism products, especially in a context where development is to a large extent equated to economic growth,” Kobutagi adds.
Challenges
According to Dr Fredrick Omolo Okalebo, a lecturer at the Department of Architecture and Physical Planning, Makerere University, the significant historic buildings are at risk because their owners or managers are unaware of their importance.
In his paper titled “Preserving Historical Buildings in Uganda,” Dr Okalebo, observes: many have been neglected and abandoned; some are being threatened or eyed for destruction (like the Uganda National Museum in Kampala); some have been altered (like State House in Entebbe); some destroyed (like the Kasubi Royal Tombs of the Buganda Kings, which are under reconstruction); many have been destroyed (like Fort Lugard Historical Museum and the Nakawa African Housing Estate in Kampala); and a few are preserved or under conservation (like Parliament Building and Makerere Main Building).
“The levels of preservation and conservation also leave a lot to be desired,” Dr Okalebo notes in the paper that he presented at the launch of the map titled “Kampala’s Historical Buildings and Sites – Our Valuable but Vanishing Heritage” in Kampala in November last year.
Dr Okalebo lists a number of challenges in the preservation of historical buildings in Uganda: there is limited national budget allocation to the sector (Kenya allocates about 2 per cent of its budget; Uganda 0.1 per cent); Uganda’s heritage legislation has been overrun by events and calling for its revision; limited expert or specialist conservation personnel; weak institutions; attitudes to and from government; and defragmentation of custodianship (ministry of Gender oversees the National Theatre and Nomo Gallery; others are under the department of antiquities and museums in ministry of tourism, trade and industry.
According to Dr Okalebo, a town or city in which old buildings stand alongside new buildings is, of course, a veritable, outdoor museum of history, as by studying the oldest to the most recent buildings, one gets an idea of what sort of people have resided there over the years, how prosperous the residents have been, what sort of technology and materials have been available to them.
“Unlike other objects of everyday life which when no longer suitable for their original use can either be discarded or stored, buildings can often outlive their original use. If the integrity of the architecture of the building is not diminished, and its character and setting safeguarded, then with the skills of a conservation architect new uses can often be accommodated satisfactorily,” Dr Okalebo says.
Most buildings are privately owned, meaning the onus of keeping the building in good shape or repair rests with the owner, Dr Okalebo observes.
“In instances where the owner is not able to or declines to attend to repairs, with the consequence that the building is at risk of being derelict or lost forever – such buildings should be bought by government,” he suggests.
Strategy
The map that was launched on November 19, 2015 at City Hall in Kampala by the cultural enthusiast and chairperson of UTB, James Tumusiime, includes a photo documentation of these buildings and also highlights their architectural merit, aesthetic quality, and unique design.
Through this initiative, it is anticipated that buildings and sites of cultural and historical significance in Kampala will be better known and preserved by policy makers, owners of these properties and the general public.
It is hoped that Uganda will be able to offer an enhanced tourism experience, for local and international tourists, who will discover the history of religions, cultures, education, health and political systems in Uganda.
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