Kasubi Royal Tombs Removed from UNESCO’s Endangered World Heritage List

Tuesday, 19th September 2023 became a historical day as far as the conservation of cultural and historical sites in Uganda is concerned, as Kasubi Royal Tombs were officially removed from UNESCO’s endangered World Heritage List. This great news came at a time when the Royal Tombs had just been restored after fire gutted the site in 2010.

This life-changing decision to remove Kasubi Tombs from UNESCO’s endangered World Heritage List was made on 19th September 2023 during the 45th extended session of the World Heritage Committee meeting in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia that happened between 10th and 25th September 2023.

Kasubi Royal Tombs

Housed in circular grass-thatched structures sitting on one of the Hills in Kampala City, the Kasubi Royal Tombs are revered as a significant cultural and historical site for the people of Buganda because it is where four of the former Kings (Kabakas) were laid to rest. This site sits on an area of 26.8 hectares with most of its land being agricultural (farmed by traditional methods) and at its core is the former Palace of the Kabaka which was constructed in 1882 before being converted into a Royal Burial Ground in 1884. The four Kings of Buganda that were buried in Kasubi are Kabaka Muteesa I (1835-1884), Kabaka Mwanga II (1867-1903), Kabaka Daudi Chwa II (1896-1939), and Kabaka Sir Edward Muteesa II (1924-1969).

Kasubi Royal Tombs represents the exceptional architectural design (with organic materials especially wood, grass thatch, daub, reed, and wattle) since the 13th Century development by Buganda, the most popular Kingdom in Uganda. Thanks to its historical, cultural, and spiritual significance, the Kasubi Royal Tomb was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001.

However, the Tombs’ main building known as “Muzibu-Azaala-Mpanga (a masterpiece of the ensemble) housing the Tombs of four of the former Kings of Buganda was unfortunately destroyed by fire in March 2010. Because of this, the Royal Tombs were included in the list of “World Heritage Sites in Danger” in July 2010. The good news is that a reconstruction program was undertaken about four years later (starting in 2014) with assistance from International funding Agencies especially the Government of Japan and was completed in 2023. This was acknowledged by the World Heritage Committee, and it was also indicated during the meeting in Saudi Arabia that reconstruction allowed the historical and cultural site to return to its desired state of conservation hence the reason it was removed from the UNESCO endangered World Heritage List.

Speaking during a press release, Audrey Azoulay- UNESCO Director General pointed out that the reconstruction of Kasubi Royal Tombs is a collective success involving the country’s Heritage professionals,

the Ugandan Authorities, and most importantly the local communities that were at the center of the entire process. She also added that this is wonderful news for the whole International community, especially at the time when UNESCO has made it a priority for World Heritage to give more space to African Sites, owing to the fact that almost half the Sites on the World Heritage in Danger list are actually found in Africa.