Going about Kampala for a city tour got interesting spotlights that shade the city under the interesting backgrounds of rich and legendary stories. One of the much Kampala city tourist destinations is the royal mile trail. It’s composed of different spot attractions amazingly great, with spoken narrations very impressive for your city exciting experience and broadening your travel daily.
Royal mile associated to the great Buganda Kingdom the strongest ancient Kingdom in East and Central Africa. The Royal mile located in southwestern Kampala in Rubaga division, Mengo a suburb in Kampala city. The road is a great treasure of the greatest hereditary monarchies in the country. While reaching the road maybe ever existed in Scotland just thinks of the prince road in Edinburg Scotland.
The royal mile experiences crosses boarders and fashioned with interesting narrative, locally the road is called Kabaka Anjjagala meaning the king loves me. However, in actual sense is the other way round, around this road in the ancient generations would stop someone walking along this road and would not stop but only saying beene anjjagala, the master (king) needs me soon. Along this road people were always on early to meet the king and the hardly stopped for any case.
Buganda Royal mile road is exactly one mile connecting from the beautifully British fashioned Mengo palace (olubiri) and the giant Bulange building, designed with two roundabouts with a straight path which are deliberate for only the King to pass. Along the royal mile there planted 52 trees which represent the 52 Buganda clans that forms the great Buganda kingdom. Besides the trees the road is farther redecorated by clan monument as every clan posses a plot at the royal mile road.
History of the royal mile.
Kabaka Anjjagala as locally known was designed during the reign of King Daudi Chwa II who always would ride his bicycle to Namirembe church from his palace at Mengo. People could stand by the road to see their king riding as he went to St. Paul Namirembe church the King always waved to his subjects as passed by them, these royal subjects always rejoiced saying “the king loves see even he waved at me”.
In 1953 King of Buganda Sir Gorge Edward Fredrick Luwangula Walumbe Mutesa II commonly known as King Freddie was exiled by Sir Cohen to England. While in exile King Freddie toured most of the countries in Europe, when he went in Scotland Edinburg he saw prince’s royal mile road and admired it. coming back from exile King Freddie decided to reconstruct the road into the admirable fashion of Prince’s road.
Like in Scotland he also admire the architecture of Newziland parliament and in the same architecture he constructed the Bulange Building parliament of Buganda kingdom. The Royal mile road stretches exactly one mile from Mengo palace to Bulange parliament, two roundabouts one with a drum monument which closed with two small gate which are only pen when the king is passing, alongside 52 planted tree.
Kampala city tour along the royal mile trail draws closer more explorations spotting every single item the trail can offer. Interesting attractions to encounter here are the Bulange parliament, Meng palace, Amin’s torture chambers, Monuments and the kings’ lake.
Things to see on the royal mile trail
Bulange parliament
It’s one of the oldest buildings still amazingly exciting to see, it’s the administrative headquarters for Buganda kingdom. The architecture of the Bulange building copied from the parliament of Neawziland, the seating arrangement looks like the one in England and inside the parliament gallery decorated with former King’s photages and the walls inside just as you enter into the building are designed by all the 52 clans of the kingdom.
Mengo palace
Is the official palace for the kingdom though the king has a number of palaces where he stays. The palace was first built in 1885 and renovated by 1922 under the support of the England government during the era of King Daudi Chwa II. It remained empty since 1966 when Obote’s army attacked the palace to overthrow the king from president seat in the dramatic attack which left no monarchy standing in Uganda.
The palace was partly destroyed during the struggle, after abolition of monarchies by Obote and declaration as the president of the republic of Uganda. The palace turned into a military barracks until 1997 when it was turned to Buganda kingdom subsequent to monarchy restoration in 1993.
The Mengo palace is among the special architectural amusing historical building in Uganda. The Mengo palace is the capital of Buaganda kingdom and at the same time holds the reach history of Uganda as the country dates before the independence of Uganda. If happened to enter the palace you realize the authentic historical rich place ever. however, for tourist its hard to have the chance of entering into the palace
Amin’s torture chambers
Before it was built as an armory by the Israelis who Amin had contracted, however the armory last just few month while keeping arsenals and Amin turned it into a torture chambers where many of his political rivals where tortured and killed. It’s believed Amin killed over 19000 people from the torture chambers and Obote two after overthrowing Amin’s regime also believed to have used the same chambers and claimed levies of over 6000 people totaling to 25,000 people believed were killed using the same torture chambers.
Amin’s dungeon shares the same fence with and the palace, it was build in 1971. The dungeon was designed with five cells where political rivals where torture with electrified waters and hung to death.
Kabaka’s lake
The wanders of Uganda still continues with the royal mile trial. The lake is the biggest man-made lake in east and central Africa surprisingly was dug using free hands. The lake was dug under the orders of King by 1885, Mwanga wanted to create a channel connecting to great Lake Victoria, the process lasted for one years. The lake has an island where the king could seat, currently it’s one of birders mystery around Kampala where birders spend some of their day exploring some certain species.
among the bird species to explore here include the Marabou stork, pied crow, cattle egrets, African Open Billed Stork, Long tailed cormorant, Yellow billed stork, Common Moorhen, Sacred Ibis, Black headed weaver, Great blue starling, Piapiac among others
