Mengo, Uganda
Encyclopedia


Mengo is a hill in Lubaga Division
Lubaga Division
Lubaga Division is one of the divisions that makes up the city of Kampala, Uganda. The division takes its name from Lubaga, where the division headquarters are located...

, Kampala
Kampala
Kampala is the largest city and capital of Uganda. The city is divided into five boroughs that oversee local planning: Kampala Central Division, Kawempe Division, Makindye Division, Nakawa Division and Lubaga Division. The city is coterminous with Kampala District.-History: of Buganda, had chosen...

, Uganda
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...

's capital and largest city.

Location

Mengo is bordered by Kampala Hill
Kampala Hill
Kampala Hill, commonly referred to as Old Kampala, is a hill in the center of Kampala, Uganda's capital and largest city.-Location:...

 to the north, Nsambya Hill
Nsambya
-Location:Nsambya is located approximately south-southeast of the central business district of Kampala, along the road to Ggaba, a suburb of the city. The coordinates of Nsambya Hill are: 00 17 57N, 32 35 17E.-Landmarks:The landmarks on Nsambya Hill include:...

 to the east, Kibuye
Kibuye, Uganda
-Location:Kibuye is bordered by Katwe to the north, Nsambya to the east, Makindye to the south, Ndeeba to the west and Mengo to the northwest. This location is approximately , by road, from the Kampala's central business district...

 to the southeast, Ndeeba
Ndeeba
-Location:Ndeeba is located on the southwestern edge of the city of Kampala. It is bordered by Mengo to the north, Katwe to the northeast, Kibuye to the east, Makindye and Najjanankumbi to the southeast, Kabowa to the south, Mutundwe to the west and Lubaga to the northwest...

 to the south, Lubaga Hill
Lubaga
Lubaga is a hill in Kampala, Uganda's capital and largest city. Its comes from the Luganda word okubaga, a process of "planning" or "making a structure stronger" while constructing it...

 to the west and Namirembe Hill
Namirembe
Namirembe is a hill in Kampala, Uganda's capital and largest city. It is also a common name given to girls in several Baganda clans. Namirembe comes from the Luganda word “mirembe” meaning “peace”. Namirembe loosely translates into Full of Peace...

 to the northwest. The coordinates of Mengo Hill are:00 18 06N, 32 33 58E (Latitude:0.3015; Longitude:32.5660). The peak of the hill is at 1210 metres (3,969.8 ft) above sea level.

Overview

Mengo Hill is the location of the main palace (known as Lubiri
Lubiri
Lubiri is the royal compound of the Kabaka or king of Buganda, located in Mengo, a suburb of Kampala, the Ugandan capital. The original Lubiri was destroyed in the May 1966 Battle of Mengo Hill, at the culmination of the struggle between Mutesa II and Milton Obote for power....

 or Mengo Palace) of the Kabaka
Kabaka of Buganda
Kabaka is the title of the king of the Kingdom of Buganda. According to the traditions of the Baganda they are ruled by two kings, one spiritual and the other material....

 (King) of the Kingdom of Buganda
Buganda
Buganda is a subnational kingdom within Uganda. The kingdom of the Ganda people, Buganda is the largest of the traditional kingdoms in present-day Uganda, comprising all of Uganda's Central Region, including the Ugandan capital Kampala, with the exception of the disputed eastern Kayunga District...

, a monarchy that dates back almost 800 years. Mengo has been the main palace since it was first constructed in 1885 by Danieri Mwanga II Mukasa
Mwanga II of Buganda
Danieri Basammula-Ekkere Mwanga II Mukasa was Kabaka from 1884 until 1888 and from 1889 until 1897. He was the thirty-first Kabaka of Buganda.-Claim to the throne:...

, the 31st Kabaka of Buganda. Measuring 4 mi2 in size, the palace is ringed by a six-foot brick fence and has a small airstrip within its walls.

Mengo Hill has played an important role in Ugandan political and religious history. "Mengo" is a Luganda word for grinding stones. Legend has it that ancient migrant communities from Ssese Islands
Ssese Islands
The Ssese Islands are an archipelago of eighty-four islands in the northwestern part of Lake Victoria in Uganda. The islands are coterminous with the Kalangala District in southern Central Uganda, which does not have any territory on mainland Uganda....

 who settled on the hill used these stones to grind their food. It is here that the Buganda Agreement of 1900 was signed between the Kabaka of Buganda
Kabaka of Buganda
Kabaka is the title of the king of the Kingdom of Buganda. According to the traditions of the Baganda they are ruled by two kings, one spiritual and the other material....

 and British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 colonial officials establishing the Uganda Protectorate.

The history of Mengo Hill is also entwined with that of adjacent Namirembe Hill
Namirembe
Namirembe is a hill in Kampala, Uganda's capital and largest city. It is also a common name given to girls in several Baganda clans. Namirembe comes from the Luganda word “mirembe” meaning “peace”. Namirembe loosely translates into Full of Peace...

, the seat of the Anglican Church of Uganda
Church of Uganda
The Church of the Province of Uganda is a member church of the Anglican Communion. Currently there are 34 dioceses which make up the Church of Uganda, each headed by a bishop....

, because of the monarchy’s close association with the Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...

. The Bulange, which houses offices for the Kabaka and the Lukiiko (Buganda Parliament), is located at the base of Namirembe Hill
Namirembe
Namirembe is a hill in Kampala, Uganda's capital and largest city. It is also a common name given to girls in several Baganda clans. Namirembe comes from the Luganda word “mirembe” meaning “peace”. Namirembe loosely translates into Full of Peace...

. The building was constructed between 1953 and 1958 by Sir Edward Muteesa II, at a cost of US$5 million; a colossal sum at that time. Also located on Namirembe Hill is Mengo Hospital
Mengo Hospital
Mengo Hospital, also known as Namirembe Hospital, is a hospital in Kampala, the capital city of Uganda.-Location:The hospital is located on Namirembe Hill, in Lubaga Division, in the northwestern Kampala, Uganda's capital and largest metropolitan area. The travel distance, by road, from the city's...

, a private, non-profit community hospital
Community hospital
A Community hospital can be purely a nominal designation or have a more specific meaning. Specific mention of Community hospitals is encountered in the following countries:-- Thailand :...

 administered by the Anglican Church in Uganda.

Landmarks

Landmarks on Mengo Hill or near the hill include:
  • The main palace of the King of Buganda
    Kabaka of Buganda
    Kabaka is the title of the king of the Kingdom of Buganda. According to the traditions of the Baganda they are ruled by two kings, one spiritual and the other material....

    , the Lubiri.
  • Bulange, the The Parliament Building of the Buganda Parliament (the Lukiiko). Moved outside of the palace to the adjacent Namirembe Hill
    Namirembe
    Namirembe is a hill in Kampala, Uganda's capital and largest city. It is also a common name given to girls in several Baganda clans. Namirembe comes from the Luganda word “mirembe” meaning “peace”. Namirembe loosely translates into Full of Peace...

    , to accommodate the size of a modern building in 1958. The building also houses the offices of the Kabaka of Buganda
    Kabaka of Buganda
    Kabaka is the title of the king of the Kingdom of Buganda. According to the traditions of the Baganda they are ruled by two kings, one spiritual and the other material....

  • The Kabaka's Lake, a man-made lake approximately 5 acres (2 ha), for the personal use and enjoyment of the Kabaka; located just outside the main palace entrance.
  • Mengo Hospital - A 300-bed private hospital, affiliated with the Church of Uganda
    Church of Uganda
    The Church of the Province of Uganda is a member church of the Anglican Communion. Currently there are 34 dioceses which make up the Church of Uganda, each headed by a bishop....

    ; located at adjacent Namirembe Hill
  • The Joint Clinical Research Center - Located adjacent to the palace, the medical research center is housed in the Butikkiro, the former official residence of the Prime Minister of Buganda (Katikkiro). This building is one of Buganda's assets that have yet to be returned to the Kingdom.
  • The main campus of St. Lawrence University (Uganda)
    St. Lawrence University (Uganda)
    St. Lawrence University is a private university in Uganda.-Location:The University campus is located in Mengo, Rubaga Division, in central Kampala, Uganda's largest city and capital...

     - Located close to the Kabaka's Lake.
  • The Buildings of the Uganda Court of Appeal
  • Namirembe Hill
    Namirembe
    Namirembe is a hill in Kampala, Uganda's capital and largest city. It is also a common name given to girls in several Baganda clans. Namirembe comes from the Luganda word “mirembe” meaning “peace”. Namirembe loosely translates into Full of Peace...

     - Adjacent to and immediately northwest of Mengo Hill. It is the location of St. Paul's Cathedral, the most prominent Anglican place of worship in Buganda
    Buganda
    Buganda is a subnational kingdom within Uganda. The kingdom of the Ganda people, Buganda is the largest of the traditional kingdoms in present-day Uganda, comprising all of Uganda's Central Region, including the Ugandan capital Kampala, with the exception of the disputed eastern Kayunga District...


External links


Photos


See also

  • Kampala
    Kampala
    Kampala is the largest city and capital of Uganda. The city is divided into five boroughs that oversee local planning: Kampala Central Division, Kawempe Division, Makindye Division, Nakawa Division and Lubaga Division. The city is coterminous with Kampala District.-History: of Buganda, had chosen...

  • Kabaka of Buganda
    Kabaka of Buganda
    Kabaka is the title of the king of the Kingdom of Buganda. According to the traditions of the Baganda they are ruled by two kings, one spiritual and the other material....

  • Lubaga
    Lubaga
    Lubaga is a hill in Kampala, Uganda's capital and largest city. Its comes from the Luganda word okubaga, a process of "planning" or "making a structure stronger" while constructing it...

  • Lubaga Division
    Lubaga Division
    Lubaga Division is one of the divisions that makes up the city of Kampala, Uganda. The division takes its name from Lubaga, where the division headquarters are located...

  • Battle of Mengo Hill
    Battle of Mengo Hill
    The Battle of Mengo Hill refers to the successful 1966 assault upon the residence of the Kabaka of Buganda by the army of Uganda.In February 1966, Prime Minister Milton Obote had changed the constitution, taking the powers of the presidency, formerly held by the Kabaka, for himself...

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