Just on the outskirts of Kampala Town lies a deep and circular Ditch where Royal Prisoners were physically tortured and starved during the upheavals of 1888 to 1889 during the reign of Kabaka Kalema. This former King is said to have killed 30 of his brothers and sisters within this site (in 1889) due to his desire to keep the throne because his siblings were a threat to his authority. Historically, it was said that the Kingdom underwent a political turmoil in 1888 where some people overthrew Kabaka Mwanga and was later succeeded by King Kiwewa but his reign was also short-lived, and was later succeeded by King Kalema.
A trip to this site introduces tourists to the tragic, violent and brutal story of Uganda’s past, especially Buganda Kingdom. The dig was dug during the 19th Century on orders of then King-Kabaka Kalema and currently extends for a diameter of 70 meters as well as depth of 10 meters (from bottom to top) and currently shows some of the violent incidences and instabilities that characterized the Buganda Kingdom. King Kalema was deemed unfit to rule by other Princes and Princesses because he reportedly killed his own brother over a dispute because of a woman.
After ascending the throne, Kabaka Kalema felt insecure about his power over the throne and the people but mostly feared that his sisters and brothers would dethrone his at anytime and this fear kept on eating him up hence the reason he ordered his servants to dig a deep ditch in which he threw his own sisters and brothers. Even those that managed to escape were re-captured and returned to the Prison Ditch and killed by burning and inside the deep circular trench is surrounded by thorns to keep the prisoners from escaping from the ditch. However, he feared his siblings but forgot there was Mwanga who was in exile by then and then succeeded Kabaka Kalema as the King of Buganda Kingdom but even after imprisoning them, he still felt his life and throne was being threatened thereby ordering his them to be killed and this created fear among the people.
Katereke Ditch of about 70 meters diameter is today one of the most spectacular cultural sites in the Kingdom with several alters, each of them comprising of a number of Royal regalia such as Calabashes, pots, pieces of broken pots and smoking pipes used for rituals. Kabaka Kalema was accidently killed by his grandson through clubbing on the head while hunting. Besides its cultural significance, the Katereke Prison Ditch is also a birding hot spot with over 100 species of birds and the common ones are Hadada Ibis, Grey Parrot, Superb Sunbirds, Speckled Mouse-bird, Ross Turaco, Green-throated sunbirds, Grey-headed Negro-finch, Red-shouldered Cuckoo-shrike, Yellow-billed Kite, African green Pigeon, Woodland Kingfishers, the Scarlet-chested sunbirds, Brown-throated Wattle-eye, Olive-bellied sunbirds, Black and White Casqued Hornbill, the African pygmy, Lizard Buzzard, White-headed Saw-wing, common bulbul, Eastern grey Plantain eater, African blue Buzzard, Black and White shrike Flycatchers, Red-bellied Paradise, Splendid-glossy Starling, Marabou stork, the Yellow rumped Tinkerbird, Red-chested sunbirds and many others.
How to get to Katereke Prison Ditch
The Katereke Prison Ditch is only 1.7 kilometers from Nsangi Town off the Buddo-Masaka road and approximately 30 minutes drive from Kampala, the Capital City where you will continue with the highway ride to Nsangi where you will branch off to the dusty murram road before stopping at the verdant and serene environment.
Besides the Katereke Prison Ditch, tourists exploring Buganda Kingdom can get the chance to visit other outstanding sites such as the Kasubi Royal Tombs (a UNESCO World Heritage site and burial place for four of the Kingdom’s former Kings), Naggalabi Coronation site Buddo (place where Kings are coronated since the 13th Century), the Wamala Tombs where King Suuna II was buried and was the first King for welcome Arab traders into the Kingdom).