Katereke Prison Ditch – The Historical Torture Prison

Katereke Prison Ditch, the historical Torture Prison in Buganda, Kampala, was built due to the greedy king.

Katereke Prison Ditch, The Torture Ditch of the Past Buganda Leaders. Imagine a prison in a ditch! Two harsh words in a sentence, and more so next to each other, how fierce would that be?

Katereke Prison Ditch is one of the famous historical sites of cultural significance in the Buganda Kingdom, om Kampala, ala Ug,nda; because it tells the pain some of the princes and princesses of the Buganda Kingdom suffered in the hands of Kabaka Kalema, who believed they could take over his crown.

This wonderful site is found along Masaka road; just 30 30-minute drive to Nsangi Trading Centre from Kampala City, and besides its cultural significance, it is a perfect birding destination with a couple of interesting bird species.

The first person I once told about this story told me she would really want to see where a place with a story you have yet to read was, and you, too, could love coming to see this place.

Located on the outskirts of Kampala, in a place called Nsangi (Masaka road). A 2 2-kilometre drive from Nsangii town leads you to this historical place, “Katereke Prison Ditch”.

The Katereke Prison DitchHistoricall Facts

Later in the 1880’s Buganda kingdom had a king called Kalema, who succeeded Kabaka “king” Kiweewa, made orders and a ditch about 10 meters deep and over 70 metres wide was dug.

After succeeding kabaka “king” Kiweewa, Kalema started feeling different insecurities over the throne he himself was owning. He mostly felt insecure with his brothers and sisters, and also with other people who he thought would one day want to overthrow him.

It is said that over 30 of his brothers and sisters were all killed in this very ditch because the kabaka, “king”, ever wanted any kind of resistance from anyone, and also because he wanted to seize the throne for himself.

People thrown into this ditch would be burnt, beaten and also starved to death. When the king had decided to imprison all the princes (his brothers) and princesses (His sisters) that were in the palace, the present Mengo.

The Cause of Bamweyana ‘s Death

So he ordered that they would all be led to the ditch prison, but one of the brothers (Bamweyana) tried to resist, and in the process, he was able to escape and run away.

But whoever tried to escape either in the ditch or in the prison would be re-arrested and brought back to the prison, and so it was the same for Bamweyana. An order for his death reached the prison leaders, and he was killed.

Since Bamweyana was loved by most of his brothers and sisters, and the other people who stayed in the palace got so bitter when they learn about the death of Bamweyana.

In attempts to express anger, the king “kabaka kalema” placed an order for burning all prisoners who were in the prisons, including his own brothers and sisters.

Any clan in the Bugandaa kingdom has a single person who is said to be liked so much by the gods. And it could be the same case with Bamweyana.

In a place where he was killed, a big tree grew its way up, and Bamweyana’s spirit would possess anybody who would be at the tree, to pass on information to the people, and the spirit would talk through that person.

Interchanging several voices, the spirit would tell people about the existence of the place and so many other things concerning them.

For all the greed for staying in power, Kabaka Kalema was accidentally killed by his own grandson as they were on a hunting raid.

You could be asking yourself! – WHAT REALLY BRINGS PEOPLE (Tourists) TO THIS PLACE?

They want to see the place in which a Prince was killed, and in the very place where he was killed germinated a tregerminated e in which the spirit stayed.

They want to see the same place where spirits possess people, change voices and speak to other people, giving them information.

It really became something serious because some people even thought it was God talking to them, and those who believe in Bamweyana’s spirit to date go and worship the spirits. This also acts as a centre for traditional worshippers.

Today, Katereke Prison Ditch is one of the most amazing Buganda cultural sites.

The sites don’t only have this history to offer, you will also be able to get story accompaniment from the loud singing of different bird types and species.

Besides the katereke ditch prison, there are other cultural sites you would spare time and look out for, like the Kasubi tombs “masiro.

This is a special place where most of the Buganda Kingdom kings are buried, even those we have talked about here were all buried in this place.