Namirembe
Encyclopedia
Namirembe is a hill in 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. It is also a common name given to girls in several Baganda
Baganda
The Ganda are an ethnic group native to Buganda, a subnational kingdom within Uganda. Traditionally comprising 52 tribes the Ganda have a rich history and culture...
clans. Namirembe comes from the Luganda word “mirembe” meaning “peace”. Namirembe loosely translates into Full of Peace. Legend has it that this hill was a gathering place for celebrating peace or war victory.
Location
Namirembe is bordered by MakerereMakerere
Makerere is a neighborhood in the city of Kampala, Uganda's capital city. The name also applies to the hill on which this neighborhood is perched; one of the original seven hills that constituted Kampala at the time of its founding.-Location:...
to the northeast, Old Kampala to the east, Mengo
Mengo, Uganda
Mengo is a hill in Lubaga Division, Kampala, Uganda's capital and largest city.-Location:Mengo is bordered by Kampala Hill to the north, Nsambya Hill to the east, Kibuye to the southeast, Ndeeba to the south, Lubaga Hill to the west and Namirembe Hill to the northwest. The coordinates of Mengo Hill...
to the southeast, 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...
to the southwest, Lungujja
Lungujja
-Location:Lungujja is bordered by Lubya to the north, Mengo to the east, Lubaga to the southeast, Nateete to the south and Busega to the west. This location is approximately , by road, southwest of Kampala's central business district....
to the west, Kasubi
Kasubi Tombs
The Kasubi Tombs in Kampala, Uganda, is the site of the burial grounds for four kabakas , and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.On 16 March 2010, some of the major buildings there were almost completely destroyed by a fire, the cause of which is under investigation...
to the northwest and Naakulabye
Naakulabye
Naakulabye is a neighborhood within the city of Kampala, the capital of Uganda and its largest metropolitan area.-Location:Naakulabye is located in Lubaga Division, in northwestern Kampala...
to the north. The coordinates of Namirembe Hill are:00 18 54N, 32 33 34E (Latitude:0.3150; Longitude:32.5595). The distance, by road, from the central business district
Central business district
A central business district is the commercial and often geographic heart of a city. In North America this part of a city is commonly referred to as "downtown" or "city center"...
of 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...
to Namirembe is approximately 2 kilometres (1.2 mi).
Anglican Churches and Cathedral
Namirembe Hill has been the location of the main Anglican place of worship in BugandaBuganda
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...
since Bishop Alfred Tucker established the offices of the Diocese of Eastern Equatorial Africa in 1890. Tragedy befell the first four church structures:
- The first church building, constructed in 1890, with a capacity of 800 people, was abandoned in 1891 because it was located in a swampy area at the base of Namirembe Hill. Also, a bigger building was needed to accommodate the ever-growing congregation.
- The second church building was constructed between July 1891 and July 1892, with a seating capacity of more than 3,000. In October 1894, strong winds during a thunderstorm blew the roof off the church and it was ruined.
- The third church building was built between 1894 and 1895. It had a seating capacity of about 4,000 worshippers. That building, constructed with traditional African materials, was abandoned in the early 1900s due to fear that termites would destroy it.
- The fourth church building was constructed with earthen brick walls and a thatched roof, between 1900 and 1904. At the opening ceremony, on Tuesday 21 June 1904, an estimated 10,000 people were in attendance. The congregation included Kabaka Daudi Chwa II, then aged seven. On the afternoon of Friday 23 September 1910, the roof was gutted by a fire which started when lightning struck the building. Within less than thirty minutes, the entire roof was destroyed and the church was ruined.
- The current St. Paul's Cathedral was constructed between 1915 and 1919 using earthen bricks and earthen roof tiles. The cathedral is still standing, while needing repairs from time to time.
The Organ in St Paul's Cathedral Namirembe (The Mother & Provincial Cathedral of the Church of Uganda, Anglican Communion) was built in 1931 by The Positive Organ Co. (1922) Ltd. After twenty years of service the organ was in need of an overhaul and this work was entrusted to Alfred E. Davis of Northampton in 1952. The organ gave a further twenty years of service, but after Idi Amin
Idi Amin
Idi Amin Dada was a military leader and President of Uganda from 1971 to 1979. Amin joined the British colonial regiment, the King's African Rifles in 1946. Eventually he held the rank of Major General in the post-colonial Ugandan Army and became its Commander before seizing power in the military...
seized power in 1971 it deteriorated seriously during the years of unrest and there was little chance of any reparation. Eventually in 1998 Peter Wells from England was sent for to inspect what remained and advise on the rehabilitation. Several schemes were considered and the organ today operates to a specification drawn up with the late Michael Sozi (then Chairman of the Organ Committee) in 1999:
Great:
Bourdon 16,
Open Diapason 8,
Dulciana 8,
Clarabella 8,
Principal 4,
Mixture 15:19/12:15 II,
Swell:
Viola da Gamba 8,
Gedeckt 8,
Gemshorn 4,
Piccolo 2,
Contra Oboe 16,
Trumpet 8,
Pedal:
Open Diapason 16,
Bourdon 16,
Octave 8,
Trombone 16,
Due to limited funds, it was decided to stagger the work of restoration. The first phase commenced after Easter 1999 when Peter & Ann Wells travelled to Uganda to install new manual keyboards and action to the manual soundboards. The full scheme was realised in 2006/7 with the installation of the Great Mixture and Pedal Trombone.
Overview
The hill rises 4134 feet (1,260 m) above sea level. It stands adjacent to Mengo HillMengo, Uganda
Mengo is a hill in Lubaga Division, Kampala, Uganda's capital and largest city.-Location:Mengo is bordered by Kampala Hill to the north, Nsambya Hill to the east, Kibuye to the southeast, Ndeeba to the south, Lubaga Hill to the west and Namirembe Hill to the northwest. The coordinates of Mengo Hill...
, the seat of the Buganda Government
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...
. The history of the two hills is intertwined, geographically, politically and religiously.
Namirembe is the location of St. Paul's Cathedral, the main place of worship of the Anglican Church in Uganda, from the time of its construction (1915 to 1919), until the 1960s when the Cathedral became the seat of the Diocese of Namirembe. At that time, the headquarters of 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....
moved to All Saints Church in Nakasero
Nakasero
Nakasero is the hill where the central business district of Kampala is located. Kampala is Uganda's capital and largest city.-Location:Nakasero is bordered by Mulago to the north, Makerere to the northwest, Old Kampala to the west, Namirembe and Mengo to the southwest, Nsambya to the south, Kibuli...
. The Anglican Faith
Anglicanism
Anglicanism is a tradition within Christianity comprising churches with historical connections to the Church of England or similar beliefs, worship and church structures. The word Anglican originates in ecclesia anglicana, a medieval Latin phrase dating to at least 1246 that means the English...
is the religion most closely associated with the Buganda Monarchy
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....
since the end of the religious wars of the 1890s.
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...
(also known as Namirembe Hospital), the first hospital in Uganda, was started by Sir Albert Ruskin Cook
Albert Ruskin Cook
Sir Albert Ruskin Cook, CMG, OBE, MD was a British born medical missionary in Uganda, and founder of Mulago Hospital and Mengo Hospital. Together with his wife, Katharine Cook , he established a maternity training school in Uganda....
in May 1897. At the northwestern base of Namirembe Hill are the Buganda royal burial grounds known as Kasubi Tombs
Kasubi Tombs
The Kasubi Tombs in Kampala, Uganda, is the site of the burial grounds for four kabakas , and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.On 16 March 2010, some of the major buildings there were almost completely destroyed by a fire, the cause of which is under investigation...
. It is here, that the kings of Buganda are buried.
The Bulange, Buganda’s parliament building is also situated on Namirembe Hill, just across from Mengo hill. The Mengo Palace on Mengo Hill
Mengo
Mengo can refer to:*Mengo, Uganda*Clube de Regatas do Flamengo...
is connected to the Bulange on Namirembe Hill by a straight road, about a mile long, called Kabaka Anjagala Road (The King Loves Me). About halfway, the straight road is intersected by Lubaga Road. There is a roundabout for the use of ordinary travelers. However, there is a strait-way through the roundabout with a gate. That is for the exclusive use of the Kabaka when moving between the palace and the parliament building.
Tradition forbids the king from going round the roundabout. He must travel straight when moving between the two locations.
Landmarks
Landmarks on Namirembe Hill or near the hill include:- St. Paul's Cathedral - The most prominent place of worship in the Anglican Church in Uganda
- Residence of the Archbishop of the Church of UgandaChurch of UgandaThe 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....
- Residence of the Bishop of Namirembe Anglican Diocese
- Sanyu Babies Home - An Orphanage managed by a private NGO
- Mengo HospitalMengo HospitalMengo 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 300 community hospital affiliated with the Church of Uganda - The Bulange ComplexBulangeBulange , is a building in Uganda. It houses the Lukiiko of the Kingdom of Buganda. The Kabaka of Buganda also maintains offices in the building...
- The parliamentary building that houses the parliament of BugandaBugandaBuganda 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...
, known as the Lukiiko and the offices of the Kabaka of BugandaKabaka of BugandaKabaka 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....
.