Karambi Tombs

Karambi is the royal cemetery of the Toro kingdom, a few kilometres from Fort Portal, where several Omukamas are buried including Kyebambe III Kasagama, who founded the modern kingdom in the 1890s, and Rukidi III, who ruled until 1965. The site includes both a grass-thatched traditional tomb house and later brick structures, along with royal drums and regalia kept by custodians from the clans responsible for the graves. The Toro kingdom broke away from Bunyoro in the 1830s and is the youngest of the Ugandan kingdoms, which is why its royal cemetery holds fewer generations than those of its neighbours.

Highlights

• The royal graves - the burials of several Toro kings including Kasagama and Rukidi III.
• The thatched house - the traditional structure alongside the later brick tombs.
• The regalia - drums and royal objects kept at the site.
• The custodians - the clan families responsible for maintaining the graves.

When to go

Year round; the site is open in daylight with a custodian. Weekdays are quiet. Kingdom ceremonies can close it.

Practical notes

The site is small and the visit brief. Photography is restricted and shoes are removed. Maintenance is uneven and some structures are deteriorating.

Nearby

Fort Portal is northeast, and the crater lakes are south.