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Kampala (, ) is the Capital city and largest city of Uganda. The city proper has a population of 1,797,722 (2024 census) and is divided into the five political divisions of Kampala Central, Kawempe Division, Makindye, Nakawa Division, and Rubaga Division.
Kampala's metropolitan area consists of the city proper and the neighboring Wakiso District, Mukono District, Mpigi District, Buikwe District and Luweero District. It has a rapidly growing population that is estimated at 6,709,900 people in 2019 by the Uganda Bureau of Statistics Kampala Population 2019 in an area of . Other estimates put the size of the metropolitan area at around four million people.
In 2015, this metropolitan area generated an estimated nominal GDP of $13.8 billion (constant US dollars of 2011), which was more than half of Uganda's GDP for that year, indicating the importance of Kampala to Uganda's economy.
Kampala is reported to be among the fastest-growing cities in Africa, with an annual population growth rate of 4.03 percent, by City Mayors. American consulting firm Mercer has regularly ranked Kampala as East Africa's best city to live in, ahead of Nairobi and Kigali.
Before the British construction of Fort Lugard, the hill was a hunting reserve of the Kabaka (King) of Buganda Kingdom and had several species of antelope, especially the impala. As a result, when the British colonial officials were allocated this hill by the then Kabaka of Buganda, they referred to it as "The Hill of the Impala".
The natives, in whose territory this British settlement was located, then translated "Hill of the Impala" as Akasozi k’empala. This was then shortened to k'empala and finally, the name ‘ Kampala’ was brought to life. Kasozi means "hill", ke "of", and empala the plural of "impala". Hence the name "Kampala" came to refer to this initial British colonial settlement that would later on spread out from the occupied Old Kampala hill near the pre-existing Kibuga (capital) of the Buganda.
In 1862, when explorer John Speke arrived in Buganda, the Kibuga (capital) was at Bandabarogo, present-day Banda Hill, and the reigning Kabaka (King) was Mutesa I.
In 1875, explorer Henry Morton Stanley reported the capital as being at present-day Lubaga Hill, where he met the same Kabaka, During this visit, Stanley wrote a letter that was published in The Daily Telegraph, inviting Missionary to come to Buganda. He also described the Kibuga in his 1870s dispatches to The New York Herald, thus:
In 1877, the first missionaries from the Church Mission Society, who were of the Protestantism faith, arrived from the United Kingdom and were allocated Namirembe Hill. Two years later, in 1879, the Catholic White Fathers also arrived, first settling at the present-day village of Kitebi near Lubaga; subsequently, they would be allocated Lubaga Hill. The arrival of these two missionary groups laid the ground for the religious wars of 1888 to 1892 between their new converts and forced the missionaries from Great Britain to then lobby for the British government to take over Buganda/Uganda as a protectorate.
In 1890, Frederick Lugard, an agent of the Imperial British East Africa Company, arrived in Buganda during the reign of Kabaka Mwanga II, with whom he signed a treaty of protection by the British government over Buganda, and the Kibuga (capital) was located at Mengo Hill. Captain Lugard would, later on, be allocated the Kampala hill that would soon be known as Old Kampala, and on which he built a fort.
In 1895, Mengo Senior School, the first school offering Western education in Kampala, was opened by the Church Missionary Society at Namirembe hill, where mostly the children of chiefs and pages of the royal palaces were students.
In 1897, Mwanga launched a rebellion but was defeated and was subsequently captured and , in 1899, to the Seychelles alongside Omukama Kabalega, and his 3-year-old son was made Kabaka by the combined forces of the European officers leading Nubian and Baganda Colonial troops. This state of affairs later culminated in the signing of the Buganda Agreement (1900) that formalised British colonial rule in Buganda.
Also in 1897, Kampala's first Western-style health facility, Mengo Hospital, was opened on Namirembe hill by British doctor and missionary Sir Albert Ruskin Cook. In addition, Sir Albert Ruskin Cook founded Mulago Hospital, the current National Referral Hospital, at Mulago hill in 1913.
In 1899, the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Africa founded Lubaga Hospital on Lubaga Hill.
The land in Buganda's Kibuga (capital), including Mengo Hill and Makerere Hill, was allocated to the young Kabaka, the Baganda colonial collaborators, etc., under mailo and freehold. The religious missions were also formally allocated land they were previously occupying. Thus, the Catholic Church White Fathers got Lubaga Hill, the Protestant Church Missionary Society got Namirembe Hill, the Muslims under Prince Nuhu Mbogo's leadership received Kibuli Hill, the British Catholic Mill Hill Missionaries received most of Nsambya Hill. The Uganda Protectorate government obtained land classified as Crown lands in the area such as Old Kampala Hill, Nakasero Hill, etc.
To legalise the above changes, the following laws and ordinances were subsequently passed: The Crown lands Ordinance of 1903, The Land Law of 1908, The Registration of Land titles ordinance of 1922, and the Busulu and Envujo law of 1928.Mukwaya, A.B (1953). "The Land Tenure System in Buganda: Present day Tendencies". The Eagle Press. pp.1–22.
In 1906, the Crown lands consisting of Old Kampala, Nakasero hills etc. and covering was consolidated and gazetted as Kampala Township.
In 1912, Kampala Township received its first land-use plan and had a European and Asian population of 2,850.Nyakwebara, C (2010). "Chronology of Planning in Kampala: Implications for Future Structure Planning". The Urban Planning Magazine. No. 1. pp. 3–6.
In 1922, Kampala's oldest university, Makerere, was founded as the Uganda Technical College at the present Makerere Hill and initially offered carpentry, Construction, mechanics, The arts, education, agriculture, and medicine.
In 1930, the first sewerage plan was prepared to target a population of 20,000 people in the Nakasero and Old Kampala areas of the Kampala township. This plan guided sewerage development from 1936 to 1940 in planned urban areas of the Kampala Township and excluded the Kibuga area occupied by the Baganda and other natives.
In 1931, the Uganda Railway line reached Kampala, connecting Kampala to Mombasa Port, thirty-five years after the commencement of its construction.
In 1938, The East African Power & Lighting Company was granted a licence for thermal electric power generation and distribution for the towns of Kampala and Entebbe, and in the same year Sir Philip Mitchel, the Governor of Uganda, switched on Kampala and Uganda's first electric street lights.
In 1945, Ernst May, a German architect, was commissioned by the Uganda Protectorate Government to design a new physical plan for Kampala. Ernst May's plan of 1947 was intended to extend Kampala eastwards covering Kololo Hill and Naguru Hill, and with the commercial centre on the southern slopes of Nakasero Hill, an industrial zone in the southeast of Kampala, and, for the first time, a planned residential zone for the Ugandan natives. The plan was never fully implemented, and in 1951 the third physical plan by Henry Kendall was instead adopted, though it incorporated some elements of Ernst May's 1947 plan.Folkers, Antoni S. et al. (2019). "Modern Architecture in Africa: Practical Encounters with Intricate African Modernity". Springer. 1st Ed. p. 61. Henry Kendall's 1951 plan expanded Kampala from the area of the 1930 plan to an area of incorporating areas like Kololo Hill, and the Industrial Area. However, like the first two planning schemes, the 1951 plan failed to achieve many of its stated objectives.
On 9 October 1962, Uganda gained independence; subsequently the capital city was transferred from Entebbe to Kampala and in the same year, Kampala was granted city status.
In 1968, six years after Uganda attained independence, the boundaries of Kampala were expanded incorporating the Kibuga (then known as Mengo Municipality), Kawempe and Nakawa Townships, and areas including Muyenga and Ggaba. This increased the administrative area of Kampala from to the current .
In 1972, the fourth physical plan for Kampala was made covering the newly incorporated areas of Kampala's boundary extensions of 1968, but the subsequent political and economic turmoil of the 1970s and 1980s meant the plan was never implemented.
The Battle of Kampala during the Ugandan Bush War occurred in January 1986. It resulted in the capture of the city by the National Resistance Movement, led by Yoweri Museveni and the subsequent surrender of the Ugandan government.
Similarly, the fifth physical plan for Kampala, made in 1994, like the 1972 plan, was also never implemented.
On 11 July 2010, suicide bombers affiliated with al-Shabaab, a Sunni Islamism group based in Somalia, carried out two nearly simultaneous bombings in Kampala, killing 74 people. After eleven years of relative calm, on 16 November 2021, the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), an Islamist group based in eastern Congo with ties to the Islamic State, carried out two suicide bombings near the central police station and parliament, killing three people and injuring 36.
Kampala is a hilly place with its filled with sluggish / . The highest point in the city proper is the summit of Kololo hill at , located in the center of the city and the lowest point at the shores of Lake Victoria south of the city center at altitude of .
The original seven hills are:
A facet of Kampala's weather is that it features two annual wet season. While the city does not have a true dry season month, it experiences heavier precipitation from August to December and from February to June. However, it is between February and June that Kampala sees substantially heavier rainfall per month, with April typically seeing the heaviest amount of precipitation at an average of around of rain.
Pre-primary education is offered only by private entities which are located in the various neighbourhoods of Kampala and is lightly regulated by the Ministry of Education and Sports and starts from age of 6 weeks. Education in Kampala city is provided by a vast number of public and private institutions offering a wide range of educational training that includes pre-primary, primary, secondary, vocational, technical undergraduate and post-graduate education.
Primary and secondary education in Kampala
Kampala has a number of both Primary school and in every parish that are mostly privately owned and a handful that are state-owned and are also lightly regulated by the City Education directorate and Ministry of Education and Sports.
Some of the private institutions:
Vocational and technical education in Kampala
Kampala has a number of both private and state institutions offering training in a broad range of fields as indicated in the table below:
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| 1971 | ||
| 1995 | ||
| 1989 | ||
| St Mbaaga Major Seminary | Ggaba | Private | 1976 |
According to the 2024 Uganda Population and Housing Census, Kampala had a population of 1,797,722 residents, consisting of 1,004,884 males and 792,838 females. The average household size in the city was 2.9 persons.
Kampala, being the capital city and economic engine of Uganda, has a diverse ethnic population drawn from all parts of the country and also from neighboring countries such as Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, South Sudan, Eritrea, Somalia, and even from countries as far away as India and China.
Cross-cultural intimate relations in Kampala and even Uganda as a whole is still unusual. Although many of Kampala's residents live and work in close contact, they still define themselves by their ethnic origins. This is more evident in the native languages (alongside Luganda and English) that are used at home, workplaces, and public spaces. In addition to the Baganda and Banyankole, other large ethnic groups include the Basoga, Kisoro, Toro Kingdom, Bakiga, Alur people, Bagisu (better known as Bamasaba), Banyoro, Iteso, Lango people, and Acholi people.
Historical population data for Kampala
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!Year !1948 !1959 !1969 !1980 !1991 !2002 !2014 !2019 !2024 | |||||||||
| Kampala (city proper) | 62,264 | 107,058 | 330,700 | 458,503 | 774,241 | 1,189,142 | 1,507,080 | 1,650,800 | 1,797,722 |
One of the most notable sites is the Kasubi Tombs, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the burial grounds of the Buganda kings.
The Independence Monument, located in the heart of Kampala, is a symbol of Uganda's freedom from colonial rule.
The city is also filled with a number of shopping malls, such as Acacia Mall in kamwookya, Arena Mall in Nsambya, and Village Mall in bugolobi.
Wandegeya Market is located near Makerere University. There is also Nakasero Market, one of Africa largest and liveliest.
Kampala's nightlife is another aspect of the city's leisure that cannot be overlooked. The city is alive with music and dance, with numerous bars, clubs, and lounges offering entertainment late into the night. Kabalagala and Kololo are popular areas for nightlife.
Cafe javas is a popular chain that offers a blend of local and international dishes for both a casual meal and a business meeting.
One dish is called TV Chicken, named because the chicken is roasted in a rotisserie oven with a glass window that customers can watch the chicken through.
Nsenene vendors ( nsenene are grasshoppers) set up shop in May and November, during grasshopper season.
Gaba Fish Market, located on Lake Victoria, is the biggest fish market in the city.
The city hosted the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in 2017. The city also hosted the Rugby Africa Cup in 2024 at the Mandela National Stadium. The 2027 Africa Cup of Nations will be hosted in the city alongside neighbouring countries of Tanzania and Kenya.
The Mandela National Stadium, commonly known as Namboole Stadium, is the largest and most iconic sports facility in Uganda. Located just outside Kampala in Bweyogerere, this multi-purpose stadium has a seating capacity of over 45,000 and is the primary venue for major sporting events, including football matches, athletics, and concerts. The stadium is home to the Uganda national football team, the Cranes, and hosts various local and international competitions.
Lugogo Sports Complex is a hub in Kampala, offering facilities for a range of sports including tennis, cricket, and boxing. The MTN Arena within the complex is a modern indoor arena with a capacity of around 3,000, used for basketball, netball, volleyball, and other indoor sports. The Lugogo Stadium is another highlight, hosting national and international cricket matches, making it the center of cricket in Uganda.
The Kampala Golf Club, located in the heart of the city, is Uganda's oldest golf course and a premier destination for golfers. The 18-hole course offers a challenging yet scenic layout, with well-maintained greens and fairways. The club also has a driving range and a clubhouse, making it a popular spot for both serious golfers and those looking to relax in a green environment.
The renewed Nakivubo Stadium, formerly known as Nakivubo War Memorial Stadium, is in the central business district of Kampala.
The city is home to various football clubs playing in the Uganda Premier League such as Kampala Capital City Authority FC, SC Villa, Police FC, and Express FC There are also a number of teams in Kampala playing in the FUFA Women Super League like Kawempe Muslim LFC, Lady Doves FC and many others
The informal sector is a large contributor to Kampala's GDP. Citizens who work in the formal sector also participate in informal activities to earn more income for their families. A public servant in Kampala, for example, may engage in agriculture in addition to working in the formal sector. Other informal fields include owning taxis and urban agriculture. The use of Kampala's wetlands for urban farming has increased over the past few decades. It connects the informal rural settlements with the more industrialized parts of the city. The produce grown in the wetlands is sold in markets in the urban areas.
In December 2015, Google launched its first Wi-Fi network in Kampala.
While more than 30 percent of Kampala's inhabitants practice urban agriculture, the city of Kampala donated to promote urban agriculture in the northeastern parish of Kyanja, in Nakawa Division.
In early 2007, it was announced that Kampala would remove commuter taxis from its streets and replace them with a comprehensive city bus service. (In Kampala, the term "taxi" refers to a 15-seater minibus used as public transport.) The bus service was expected to cover the greater Kampala metropolitan area including Mukono, Mpigi, Bombo, Entebbe, Wakiso and Gayaza. the service had not yet started. Having successfully completed the Northern Bypass, the government, in collaboration with its stakeholders, now plans to introduce the bus rapid transit (BRT) system in Kampala by 2014. On 12 March 2012, Pioneer Easy Bus Company, a private transport company, started public bus service in Kampala with an estimated 100 buses each with a 60-passenger capacity (30 seated and 30 standing), acquired from China. Another 422 buses were expected in the country in 2012. The buses operate 24 hours daily. The company has a concession to provide public transport in the city for the next five years. The buses were impounded for back taxes in December 2013. The company expected to resume operation in February 2015.
In 2014, Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni and China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation signed a Memorandum of Understanding, to embark on building a light rail system, the Greater Kampala Light Rail, similar to the one in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
On 11 April 2011, the pressure group Activists for Change (A4C) held its first Walk to Work protest near Kampala, in response to a comment by President Yoweri Museveni on the increased cost of fuel, which had risen by 50 percent between January and April 2011. He said: "What I call on the public to do is to use fuel sparingly. Don't drive to bars." The protest, which called on workers to walk to work to highlight the increased cost of transport in Uganda, was disrupted by police, who fired tear gas and arrested three-time presidential candidate Kizza Besigye and Democratic Party leader Norbert Mao. In the course of the protest, Besigye was shot in the right arm by a rubber bullet. The government blamed the violence on protesters.
In 2016, the Rift Valley Railways Consortium (RVR) and Kampala Capital City Authority established passenger rail service between Namanve and Kampala and between Kampala and Kyengera. Those services were temporarily discontinued after RVR lost its concession in Uganda in October 2017. However, when Uganda Railways Corporation took over the operations of the metre gauge railway system in Uganda in 2018, the service was restored in February that year. A new Kampala to Port Bell route is being planned to be added in the 2018/2019 financial year.
Among the places of worship are predominantly Christianity churches and temples: Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kampala (Catholic Church), Church of Uganda (Anglican Communion), Presbyterian Church in Uganda (World Communion of Reformed Churches), Baptist Union of Uganda (Baptist World Alliance), and Assemblies of God. There are also Islam mosques.
Kampala hosts a Bahá'í House of Worship known as the Mother Temple of Africa which is situated on Kikaya Hill in the outskirts of the city. The temple was inaugurated in January 1961.
Public health care in Kampala is overseen by the Ministry of Health. The city hosts key government hospitals such as Mulago National Referral Hospital, Uganda's largest and most advanced public hospital. Mulago serves as a teaching hospital for Makerere University's College of Health Sciences and provides a wide range of services, including surgery, maternal health, pediatrics, and specialized care. While public hospitals are often affordable or free, they face challenges like overcrowding, long waiting times, limited medical supplies, and under-staffing.
Kampala also has a growing number of private hospitals and clinics offering higher standards of care, often preferred by the middle class, expats, and medical tourists. Some notable private institutions include: Nakasero Hospital – a modern private hospital known for advanced diagnostics and surgery. International Hospital Kampala (IHK) – a leading facility offering general and specialized care. Kampala Hospital – known for quality services and patient-focused care. Case Hospital – provides both inpatient and outpatient services among many others. Private facilities tend to be better equipped and offer faster service but come at a higher cost. Many accept international health insurance, though it's important to confirm in advance.
People awarded the honorary citizenship of Kampala are:
| British humanitarian and Aga Khan |
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