Friday 5 June 2020

Tribulations of the Devils's tombs: Fire guts Kasubi tombs again


  Fire and security personnel assess the damage

The Struggle to re-build the Devils’ Tombs in Buganda: How US fallout with Mengo froze Kasubi Tombs funds

Pictorial: Fire guts Kasubi tombs again 

 https://thetowerpost.com/2020/06/05/photos-fire-guts-kasubi-tombs-again/

PHOTOS: Fire Guts Kasubi Tombs Again

Fire has gutted Buganda Cultural Heritage site, the Kasubi tombs, 10 years since the previous fires which destroyed the main building housing the graves of four former Buganda kings (Kabakas).
Pictures that appeared on Social Media on Friday afternoon showed the tombs ablaze with Police Fire brigade trying to put out the fire.
The cause of the fire remains unknown.
Kasubi tombs are located on top of Kasubi Hill in Kampala. They are a famous religious site for the people of Buganda where they visit to perform various rituals.
The setup of the tombs is also a representation of ancient Buganda architecture.
As for the whole country, Kasubi tombs are an important tourist site, attracting a number of domestic and foreign tourists.
So far, four Buganda Kabakas have been buried in the tombs, the first one being Kabaka Muteesa the first, his son Kabaka Daudi Chwa, Kabaka Mwanga and then Uganda’s first President, Kabaka Muteesa the second.
See Photos:



Photo Credit: Nicholas Bamulanzeeki

Pictorial: Fire guts Kasubi tombs again 

 
Fire and security personnel assess the damage
Fire and security personnel assess the damage
Fire has gutted one of the huts in Kasubi tombs. The fire is said to have broken out in the hut that is a short distance from the main tomb around 1 pm Friday. A team of officers from the Directorate of Fire and Rescue Services managed to put out the fire before it could spread to other huts.
Patrick Onyango, the Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson, says the cause of the fire is yet to be established. Kasubi Tombs are the burial grounds for Buganda kingdom kings and other members of the royal family.

Fire brigade truck arrives at the scene
"The cause of the fire outbreak is yet to be established. The extent of the damagae is yet to be computed. We appeal to members of the public to be calm as we investigate the incident," said Onyango. 

The tombs that are still under reconstruction following a fire that razed them down in March 2010. The tombs remain an important spiritual and political site for Buganda kingdom.

Police Fire Brigade personnel fight put out the fire
Soldiers block boda boda riders from accessing the site
Kasubi tombs entrance
Police Fire Brigade personnel fight put out the fire