Naggalabi Coronation Site

Naggalabi Buddo Hill southwest of Kampala is where every king of Buganda has been crowned since Kintu, the first Kabaka, defeated his brother Bemba here in the sixteenth century, and the coronation ceremony still takes place on the same ground. Structures on the hill include the Buganda Hall, the grass-thatched coronation house, and a mound representing Bemba. The kingdom manages the site and guides explain the ritual and the buildings.

What you actually see

• The coronation ground - the site used for every Buganda coronation since the sixteenth century.
• The thatched houses - the traditional structures used in the ceremony.
• The Bemba mound - the mound representing the defeated brother of Kintu.
• The Buganda Hall - the meeting building on the hill.

When to go

Year round; the site is open in daylight hours with guides. Coronation events are extremely rare and not scheduled. Weekdays are quietest.

Honest expectations

There is little physically to see beyond thatched structures and a mound; the meaning is in the explanation. Guide quality varies considerably. Photography of some structures is restricted.

Nearby

Kampala is northeast, and Kabaka's Lake is in the city.