Banda Kampala is not only the business centre but its also the seat of the King of Buganda Kingdom. This page therefore is to guide you to the hot sports in Banda Area of Kampala. Banda is a hill that partly lies within the city of Kampala, Uganda’s capital and partly in neighboring Kira Municipality, Wakiso District, and central Uganda. Banda also refers to the neighborhoods on the slopes of the hill and between Banda Hill and Kireka, extending all the way to the Kampala-Jinja Highway.
Location of Banda Area in Kampala City in Uganda
Banda is bordered by Kiwaatule to the north, Kireka to the east, Kinnawattaka to the southeast, Mbuya to the south, Nakawa to the southwest, Ntinda to the west and northwest. The location of the hill is approximately 10 kilometres (6.2 mi), by road, east of Kampala’s central business district. The coordinates of Banda Hill are:00 21 18N, 32 37 53E (Latitude:0.3550; Longitude:32.6314).
Background and History of Banda
The full name of Banda is Bandabalogo. Prior to the arrival of the Europeans, Kabaka Muteesa I Mukaabya Walugembe Kayiira, the 30th Kabaka of the Kingdom of Buganda, who reigned from 1856 until 1884, maintained a palace on the hill.
It was at this palace that British explorer John Hanning Speke met Kabaka Walugembe Muteesa I, in 1862. Muteesa detained Speke for some months before finally releasing him in his quest to look for the source of the Nile River. At Banda, Muteesa faced many misfortunes, which he attributed to ill luck or witch-craft thus the name Bandabalogo (Wizards of Banda). He left Banda and built another palace at Nabulagala which he later called Kasubi, named after his mother’s village in Kyaggwe County (present-day Mukono District. Today, the great, great grandson of Muteesa I, Kabaka Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II, the reigning Buganda monarch, maintains a palace on the hill, with the entrance facing west, as is the tradition.
In 1958, Uganda Polytechnic Kyambogo (UPK) which had been established on Makerere Hill in 1928, was transferred to Banda Hill. Its role was to train Ugandan technicians and artisans. In 1948, the Institute of Teacher Education Kyambogo (ITEK) was established. Its first home was in Nyakasura, Kabarole District.
It was subsequently moved to Mbarara and finally to Kyambogo as well. In 1988, the Uganda National Institute of Special Education (UNISE), originally a department at ITEK, was spun off as a separate institution. In 2001, the three institutions were merged to form Kyambogo University, the third (3nd) of the five (5) public universities in Uganda
Town Life and General Overview OF Banda Area in Kampala City in Uganda
At the top of the hill is a military detach. Banda is also the location of Nabisunsa Girls’ School, a public residential all-girl high school, located north and east of the university. Kyambogo College School, a mixed, public non-residential secondary school is also located on the hill.
On the higher reaches of the hill are located upscale residential homes. On the lower reaches of the hill, there are shops, small-scale industries, a stone quarry, warehouses and low-income rental residencies. The Somali entrepreneur Amina Moghe Hersi owns Kingstone Enterprises Limited, a cement distributorship, whose headquarters are located in Banda.
Major Landmarks and Other Places to Visit in Banda Area Kampala City
The landmarks on Banda Hill or close to it include:
• Kyambogo University – One of the five (5) public universities in Uganda.
• Kyambogo College School – A mixed, non-residential public secondary school.
• Nabisunsa Girls Secondary School – An all-girl residential secondary school.
• A branch of Crane Bank- Located in Kyambogo University
• A branch of Equity Bank – Located in Kyambogo University
• A branch of Stanbic Bank – Located in Kyambogo University
• A palace of Kabaka Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II
• A military detach of the Uganda People’s Defense Force
• The headquarters of Kingstone Enterprises Limited, a cement distributorship; one of the companies of Amina Moghe Hersi.
• Banda Central Market – Administered by Kira Municipality