Kabaka’s lake

Kabaka’s lake : This is the largest man-made lake in Uganda located in Ndeeba, Rubaga Division Kampala City, Uganda. It is between Ring Road and Nabunya Road. The lake is a few minutes’ drive from Bulange and about 5 km from the Kampala City centre. It is adjacent to Pope Paul Community Centre in Rubaga and opposite St.Lawrence University. The lake occupies an area of about 2 square kilometers and is about 200 feet deep on an average.

The Kabaka’s lake is a made-made lake constructed from 1885 to 1888 by the people of Buganda for their King during the reign of Sekabaka Mwanga the second. The lake was constructed by the 52 clans of Buganda as an escape route/corridor of Kabaka Mwanga II in the event of armed conflict with the British. Kabaka Mwanga also had 3 other reasons for the construction of the Lake which are;

The lake was constructed in a way that it’s channel wide enough for Kabaka Mwanga to travel by boat to connect to Lake Victoria.
The Kabaka wanted to access Lake Victoria for fishing and swimming activities.
He also wanted to stay at another palace he had built at Mulungu hill near Lake Victoria that was in Bunyonyi built by his father Mutesa before he dead.

Kabaka Mwanga II was known for his notorious, aggressiveness, pride and ruthless holocaust behaviour. During his regime, despite the Kabaka’s aggressiveness and ambitious, plans towards the Kabaka’s lake were still carried on by the 52 tribes of Buganda until the 2^nd August 1888 when the construction was shortly disrupted and stopped before the channel could reach Munyonyo because of the religious war which broke out in the kingdom. Thus making the construction incomplete.

Also at the beginning of the construction, the prince, princess and the parish chiefs had refused to take part in the digging of the lake, so they were reported to the Kabaka. This annoyed him and decided to take up the tusk by himself and joined other people who had obeyed to dig. By doing this, the prince and princess plus the parish chiefs got ashamed and they joined in the digging along with the Kabaka.

There is no Inflow and outflow of water in the Kabaka’s lake nor visible rivers either to bring in or take out water and yet the water levels of the lake remain almost constant throughout the year as a result to the underground springs whether in dry or wet seasons.

Today the Kabaka’s lake covers an area of about 1.8 square kilometers and approximately 200 feet in depth and has become one of the tourist attractions within Kampala city and a significant conservation site jewel to the Kingdom of Buganda. The lake is still under renovation and improvement for tourism and one of the future plans is to construct a five-star hotel accommodation close to it so as to encourage a lot of tourists to visit it

Visitors who enjoy Uganda birding safaris, the lake is one of the birders paradises filled with numerous bird species for instance little egrets. The Kabaka’s lake has got nice picturesque views which is backed the awesome surrounding environment. When you visit Kabaka’s lake you will get a chance to explore Kabaka’s palace too which is just adjacent to the lake.

During the annual Buganda tourism Expo which takes place in August. The king of Buganda takes courtesy with his subjects to be of the officiate water sports on the lake. The Kabaka is escorted with his soldiers known as Abambnowa, dressed smartly in their traditional clothing well-armed with shields and the spears together with the ministers as well as dignitaries and security convey.

The Kabaka’s lake is also a recognized important conservation area frequently visited by many tourists because of its fascinating features and attractions such as;

The Lake consists of two small islands. They have vegetation on it, these islands have tress which are home to bird nests which create a beautiful scenery.
The Kabaka lake offers canoeing. Enjoy a canoe ride operated by the locals when you visit.
The Kabaka’s lake is also a beautiful relaxing spot as you get to enjoy the beautiful scenery of the islands in the middle of the lake, birds and fresh air.
It’s a home for many bird species. Many are seen floating on the water vegetation, bird species which can be seen include; Egrets, crested crane and many more.