Page 68 - Oct-Dec 2024 Edition

Kampala City
Kampala City

Kampala: The City of Seven Hills • Average Temperature: 21°C
Written by: Charlotte Beauvoisin – Diary of a • Climate: Tropical rainforest with two rainy
Muzungu Uganda & East Africa Travel Blog seasons (March-May and September-
(diaryofamuzungu.com) November)
Kampala, the capital and largest city of Uganda, • Elevation: 1,190 meters above sea level
is the country’s political, cultural, and economic
heart. Founded on the rolling hills of the Buganda • Latitude and Longitude: 00 19N, 32 35E
Kingdom, Kampala has grown from a humble • Population (2024 estimate): Over 1.6 million
royal hunting ground into a bustling, metropolis
(with the traffic jams to match). Known for its Monarch: Kabaka Ronald Edward Frederick
vibrant nightlife and rich historical background, Kimera Muwenda Mutebi II is the 35th Kabaka of
Kampala is known as “the city that never sleeps.” Buganda Kingdom
Location History and Background:
Situated in the central region of Uganda, Kampala Kampala’s history is deeply intertwined with the
is just a few kilometers from the shores of Lake Buganda Kingdom. The city traces its origins
Victoria. Spread across over 20 hills, the city to the 19th century when Mutesa I, the Kabaka
covers an area of around 189 square kilometers. (king) of Buganda, chose the area as one of his
Its strategic location as the commercial and favorite hunting grounds due to its abundant
administrative hub of Uganda makes Kampala wildlife, particularly the impala antelope. The
easily accessible from all parts of the country. British colonialists later arrived and named
one of the hills “The Hill of the Impala,” which
Kampala District lies within the Kingdom of the Baganda people translated into Luganda
Buganda, in Central Uganda, close to the as “Akasozi K’empala.” Over time, “K’empala”
shores of Lake Victoria. The city is divided into evolved into “Kampala,” the name the British
five divisions: Kampala, Kawempe, Makindye, rulers later adopted for the city. (The Luganda
Nakawa, and Rubaga. language often incorporates English words, such
Quick Facts as “emotoka” for “motor car.”)
• Distance from Entebbe International Airport: Originally built on seven hills, Kampala has
34 km expanded significantly over the years to cover
more than 20 hills, each with its own unique
• Approx. Drive Time from Entebbe: 45 minutes character and history. The annual Seven
to 1.5 hours (depending on traffic) Hills race is a 21km event that celebrates Old
Kampala.

66
66