Tombs of Buganda Kings at Kasubi

Destruction by fire of the Muzibu Azaala Mpanga 

Fire that resulted in the destruction of part of the property

Adopted, see page https://whc.unesco.org/en/decisions/4351

Adopted, see page https://whc.unesco.org/en/decisions/4351

Total amount granted: 2011-2012: 68,365 USD from the Japanese FIT for an Expert Appraisal Mission; 2013-2015: 650,000 USD from the Japanese FIT for the project: Technical and financial assistance for the reconstruction of Muzibu-Azaala-Mpanga, architectural masterpiece of the Tombs of Buganda Kings at Kasubi, Uganda, World Heritage property in Danger.

On 16 February 2015, the State Party submitted a state of conservation report for the property, addressing the requests of the Committee. A joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS/ICCROM Reactive Monitoring mission visited the property from 4–6 February 2015. Both reports are available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1022/documents.

The State Party reports the following:

• The project timeline has been adjusted with the aim of finishing the reconstruction of the Muzibu Azaala Mpanga by December 2015. The entire process is being documented.  The current firefighting system is temporary and will be replaced by a more permanent one (with less visual impact) by the end of the project. 
• The National Technical Committee has resumed meetings and the Buganda Reconstruction Committee is overseeing reconstruction efforts. The Buganda Kingdom has furthermore appointed the Buganda Heritage and Tourism Board to manage the Kasubi Tombs and all other heritage sites in the kingdom. This will necessitate a reconsideration of the management plan.  A draft master plan was presented to the mission team but has not yet been discussed by the three key stakeholders (the Buganda Kingdom, the traditional managers and the State Party). 
• While it was necessary for security reasons to construct a wall surrounding the property, the entrance area will be reconfigured to improve the visual connections with the surrounding setting. All new constructions have been halted, except for the solar panel and water projects, which were already underway.  Progress on the reconstruction activities at the Muzibu Azaala Mpanga is also addressed along with other buildings on the property. 

The findings of the mission can be summarized as follows:

• In regard to the reconstruction, there has been slow but steady progress. It was confirmed that the steel structure was up, and the fire retardant paint was in the process of being applied.  Work had also begun on the preparation of the bundles of grass for the thatching.  The main challenges relate to the procurement of the necessary grasses used in the thatch and finishes. The mission was informed that it would take 18 months to finish the thatching, with the possibility that it may take up to 2 years.  The mission further found that the firefighting system had yet to be redesigned. 
• With the addition of the Buganda Heritage and Tourism Board as site manager, there is a need to ensure that the three key stakeholders should continue to have good communication and share in the management decisions at the property.
• There is a strong need to update the management plan to reflect the new structures and relationships now on the property, as well as the development of a disaster risk management plan and a tourism management plan.
• The mission was also concerned with the number of ad-hoc constructions occurring on the property and indicated that there was an urgent need for a master plan to be developed and finalized for the property before any further developments were considered.
• A final concern for the mission team was the proposal to widen Masiro Road, which would directly encroach on one edge of the property.

The progress that has been made on the reconstruction efforts for the Muzibu Azaala Mpanga is recognized and the work that has now begun on the first part of the thatching process (bundling the grass) is welcome.  There is concern, however, that the timeframe established to finish the work is too short.  It would be better to give the thatching the necessary amount of time (up to 24 months) rather than hurrying to finish with perhaps less quality results. 

There is also some concern over the unplanned developments that are currently taking place at the property.  Without a master plan, it is not possible to ensure that these various ad-hoc developments will not impact on the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property.  It is therefore recommended that the Committee urge the State Party to halt all work on ad-hoc developments, until the master plan can be completed and reviewed by the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies. Such a Plan needs to be based on a survey of all structures on the property, including details of their history and restoration. It would be unfortunate if the major restoration of the Muzibu Azaala Mpanga was not complemented by a wider conservation and revitalization of the whole property.

Archaeological surveys should also be considered as an integral part of the design and implementation process for future developments.  A reconsideration of the entrance area of the property will also need to take place in light of the enclosure of the property by the security wall.  Plans are currently being developed by the architect to soften the effects of the wall at the entrance.

Furthermore, there is concern that the widening of Masiro Road may encroach on the property.  The World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies would recommend that the State Party work with the relevant Ministries to ensure a realignment of the road proposal, so as to not have a negative impact on the property.  It will be necessary for the State Party to inform the World Heritage Committee, as per Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines, of any major development proposals being proposed, which might impact on the OUV of property. 

Concerns remain about the management of the property.  As the traditional management system was one of the attributes of OUV at the time of inscription, there is a need to ensure that the traditional site managers are involved in decision making at the property.  The representative of the State Party (the Department of Museums and Monuments) also needs to be involved.  The appointment of the new Buganda Heritage and Tourism Board, as site manager, may be a positive step for the property, but care must be taken to ensure that safeguarding of OUV takes priority over tourism considerations. Towards this end, it may be necessary to institute a capacity building programme for staff of the Buganda Heritage and Tourism Board. Furthermore, it will be very important to reconsider the management plan to ensure it takes into account the new management arrangements, and also to ensure that it is based first and foremost on the safeguarding of the OUV.

In addition, a comprehensive disaster risk management plan needs to be developed that looks not only at fire, but at other possible risks.  A tourism management plan would also be useful to guide tourism development.  These plans should, however, be strongly integrated with the management plan to ensure that they are in agreement with each other. The National Technical Committee should also be reactivated to ensure that all stakeholders have input into management decisions.  There is also a need for the National Technical Committee to play a key advisory role at the property and for the reconstruction committee to be active as long as the reconstruction process is ongoing.