Kabaka’s Lake Kampala Uganda is the largest man-made lake in Uganda and this lake was constructed by the 52 clans of Buganda Kingdom from 1885 -1888 during the reign of Ssekabaka Mwanga 11. The plan of the King was to construct a channel wide enough for him to travel by boat to Lake Victoria for swimming and fishing and staying at another Palace he had built at Mulungu hill near Lake Victoria. The channel would also serve as an escape waterway in the event of armed conflict with the British.
The construction of the channel was however, abruptly disrupted and stopped on 2nd August 1888 before it could reach Munyonyo because of the religious war which broke out in the kingdom.
Today the lake occupies an area of around two square km and about 200 feet deep on an average and a home to many water bird species, and is recognized as an important conservation site.
History has demonized Kabaka (King) Danieri Basammula-Ekkere Mwanga II, Mukasa as a ruthless leader, mostly for murdering what the World knows as the Uganda Martyrs. A few kilometers from the city centre, in Rubaga, at the backdrop of one of Kabaka’s royal Palaces, Rubaga Miracle Centre and St Lawrence University lies a peaceful water body, Ssekabaka Mwanga’s brain child, the Kabaka’s Lake. It is one of Uganda’s and perhaps Africa’s longest-surviving man-made lakes.
It is said that the King liked fishing, swimming and other sports and whenever he wanted to participate, he would be carried about 11km from his (Lubiri) Palace to his Mengo Palace. One day as he was on his way, he got an idea of creating a channel to link the two Palaces. His idea of the lake was to create a channel which would ink his palace in Lubiri and Lake Victoria and his other Palace in Minyonyo. When Ssekabaka Mwanga was building his first Palace, it unfortunately caught fire and he left. So he went to stay with the missionaries in Nalukolongo. From there, he went to his Palace in Munyonyo which had been built by Ssekabaka Muteesa. The king did not like the Palace in Munyonyo and when Twekobe was constructed, he returned but would occasionally go to Munyonyo. He thus sought to get quicker means of transport between Lubiri and Munyonyo. That is when he called on his subjects to dig the lake since there were good springs in the area.
To set an example, the Ssekabaka Mwanga involved himself in the digging with his subjects. This was due to the fast that the princes and princesses as well as parish chiefs had refused to participate in the digging. Besides creating a link, the King also loved swimming and fishing. The digging was a hard work that lasted about 11 months of working out and many lives were lost due to fatigue, hunger, accidents and diseases. However, the work was abruptly brought to an unplanned end by a rebellion of Christian converts in1888. By then the lake had reached Najjanankumbi, 2km from the Mengo Palace, the basin then contracted and the current lake has maintained more or less the same state since 1888.
Apart from the unique history and tradition that is attached to this Kabaka’s Lake Kampala-Uganda and this lake attracts people as they go to relax there.