Come and explore Kampala with its historic monuments which include; the Parliament, the independence monument and the Impala monument. The best day to do this would be on a Sunday when traffic is not crazy and you can walk freely and easily on the streets of this beautiful city. We give you a dosage of what you need to know about these key monuments;
The Parliament
The Ugandan Parliament is the legislative arm of the government and derives its mandate and functions from the country’s constitution of 1965. The main duty of the parliament of Uganda is to pass laws that offer good governance in the nation. The ministers provide answers to the people’s representatives’ quests. The Ugandan Parliament is one of the incredible places you should expect to visit on Kampala city tour.
Location
Ugandan Parliament is found along Parliament Avenue, Kampala. It is one of the arms of government and by status; it is one of the guarded places. There are different entry gates to the parliament about 3 gates. The main gate is located on the southern side, the northern gate is opposite the National Theatre, and the western gate is next to the office of the president. The Southern gate is used mainly by members of parliament and VOPs while the western plus Northern gates are for staff members and walk-in visitors.
There is good parking space for guests on a visit to the parliament. However, valid identification is required and clearance will be got at the gate. You will be registered and provided visitor’s card.
Composition of Ugandan parliament
The Ugandan parliament currently comprises 529 seats and includes 353 elected representatives. 146 seats are reserved for women each consisting of one seat per district. 30 seats are indirectly filled through special electoral colleges and 10 are for the army, etc. The Ugandan parliament was founded in 1962 immediately after the independence. Its first parliament operated from 1962 to 1963 and the then parliament was referred to as the National Assembly. The first assembly comprised of 92 members and the speaker (Sir John Bowes Griffin) was presiding office.
The Independence Monument
Just a stone’s throw away from the Parliament is; the independence Monument. The independence monument is one of the landmarks in the heart of Kampala. It is not a huge monument or the best in the world, but a visit to it is worthwhile especially since there is no entrance fee involved and it is positioned right on Speke road. It is a historical monument signifying the brutal colonization and endurance before attaining full independence.
The Impala Monument
The Impala monument was unveiled by the Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago in October 2020. This monument represents the impala antelopes from where Kampala as a hill derives its name. The medium antelope species once lived in the Kampala swamps grazing freely, before the expansion of the city. They were further pushed to other areas and today, a huge population of these beautiful mammals can be spotted on a Uganda tour to Lake Mburo National Park. Lake Mburo National Park is a wildlife safari park, also the closest to Kampala about 240km away on your way to Mbarara. A visit to Kampala can be easily combined with a tour to Lake Mburo as it is about 5 hours’ drive away from the city center there by contributing to what you can add on your list of the visited landmarks of Uganda.
