Page 126 - Jan-March 2025

History and Background ● Nile Brewery: take a tour to taste one of
Uganda’s most popular beers.
Before the founding of the town by the Brit-
ish colonial government in 1907, Jinja was a ● Kyabazinga Royal Palace, Bugembe: histor-
small fishing village on a key long-distance ical seat of the Busoga Kingdom.
trade route.
● Railway Museum at Jinja Railway Muse-
The area near Ripon Falls was called the um: showcasing the history of Uganda’s
“Place of (Flat) Rocks” referring to the large railway with original artefacts.
rocks on both riverbanks, from where small
boats could safely launch and cross the river. ● Swaminarayan Temple: a colourful build-
These natural rock formations moderated ing and important cultural site.
the flow of water from Lake Victoria, making Out and About
it a strategic crossing point. Simply put, “Jin-
ja” means “rock,” derived from the word Ejjin- Jinja is renowned for its adventure activities.
ja / Amayinja for in Luganda, the language Visitors can choose from:
of the Baganda; and Edinda in Lusoga, the ● white water rafting, kayaking, canoeing
dialect of the Basoga people on the eastern and Stand-Up Paddle boarding (SUP) on
bank of the Nile. The British administration the Nile
adopted the local name “Jinja” for the town.
● bungee jumping over the Nile
From 2010, Indian traders moved into Jinja.
The Uganda Railway linked Kisumu, a Ken- ● quad biking and mountain biking
yan town on Lake Victoria, with Mombasa. ● horse riding along the riverbank
Between 1954 and the late 1970s, Jinja was
the industrial heart of Uganda, thanks to the ● sunset boat cruises
Nalubaale Power Station at the Owen Falls
Dam. In 1972, all Asians were expelled from ● 9-hole golf course
Uganda by Idi Amin and the abandoned local ● sports fishing on Lake Victoria
industries and much of Jinja’s architecture
fell into ruins as a direct result. ● bird watching with expert guides and
zip-lining through the canopy in Mabira
Attractions Forest
● Opened in 2018, the Source of the Nile or ● guided walking and biking tours of the
New Jinja Bridge, is an impressive addition town
to the city’s infrastructure.
Most activities take place in Bujagali and
● The Owen Falls Dam is the first in a series Kalagala. But don’t worry about staying on
of dams across the River Nile that gen- “the wrong side of the river,” boats and boda
erate electricity for Uganda and neigh- bodas make it easy to move between the
bouring Kenya. (It’s illegal to photograph two riverbanks and its wealth of activities.
infrastructure such as bridges).
How to get to Jinja
● Source of the Nile: take a boat ride to see
the source of the world’s longest river. A Avoid the heavily congested Jinja Road
viewing platform and visitor centre are through Mukono and take the longer (but
under construction at the site’s gardens. more relaxing) routes via Gayaza Road (ideal
See the monument dedicated to Mahatma for Kalagala and Kayunga) or Nyenga Road
Gandhi, some of whose ashes were scat- to the south.
tered in the Nile “for peace to flow along For more detailed information, refer to
its length.”
the pages on Jinja in The Eye Magazine.
● Main Street craft shops: some of the coun-
try’s best priced souvenir shops. Text credit: Charlotte Beauvoisin
(Diary of a Muzungu blog)

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