Tombs of Buganda Kings at Kasubi

• Destruction by fire of the Muzibu-Azaala-Mpanga
• Ground transport infrastructure: Proposed widening of the Masiro Road
• Management systems/management plan: lack of a Master Plan and a complete Management Plan with detailed disaster risk management plan and a tourism management plan
• Management activities: Management structure (issue resolved)

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 

Adopted in 2011 and revised in 2017 - see pages https://whc.unesco.org/en/decisions/4351 and https://whc.unesco.org/en/decisions/6977

Total amount granted: 2011-2012: USD 68,365 from the Japanese Funds-in-Trust for an Expert Appraisal Mission; 2013-2016 and 2019-2020: USD 650,000 from the Japanese Funds-in-Trust for the project: Technical and financial assistance for the reconstruction of Muzibu-Azaala-Mpanga, an architectural masterpiece of the Tombs of Buganda Kings at Kasubi, Uganda, World Heritage property in Danger. 2017: 4,300 USD from the World Heritage Fund for ICOMOS advisory consultancy for the finalization of the elaboration of the Master Plan; 20 000 USD from Heritage Emergency Fund (HEF) for on-site training in preventing disasters and risk, 75 000 USD from the World Heritage Fund for firefighting equipment, 30,000 from the Heritage Emergency Fund and 100 000 USD from the Norway Funds for preparation of Guidelines for the development of the Buffer zone aligned with the property’s Master plan.

On 1 February 2022, the State Party submitted a state of conservation report, which is available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1022/documents/. Progress in a number of conservation issues addressed by the Committee at its previous sessions is presented in this report as follows:

• The reconstruction of the Mazibu Azaala Mpanga (main tomb) was progressing and, despite delays related to the Covid-19 pandemic, it was expected to be completed by July 2022;
• The restoration of the Bujjabukala (gate house) was reaching finalisation;
• A contract for the installation of fire-fighting equipment was established and the installation was to be completed by July 2022. The State Party worked closely with the UNESCO Regional Office in Nairobi on this issue;
• The definition of the buffer zone guidelines through a stakeholder participation process was ongoing. Funds were being sought to resource this process, which, due to its size, had needed to be phased. Once completed, the city’s development plans would be realigned;
• Photo annexes were provided depicting the ongoing reconstruction of the Mazibu Azaala Mpanga and the restoration of the Bujjabukala (gate house).

In response to Decision 44 COM 7A.4, an annex outlining the State Party’s progress in completing the corrective measures to achieve the Desired state of conservation for the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger (DSOCR) was submitted. Apart from the reconstruction of the Mazibu Azaala Mpanga, important corrective measures that at the time had been completed included:

• Research into Ghanda construction techniques and materials;
• Completion and implementation of a masterplan;
• Drafting of a Disaster Risk Management Plan.

The implementation of these measures had led to:

• Training of artisans;
• Conservation of key attributes;
• Strengthening of the management system.

A UNESCO technical mission of an international team of four experts commissioned by the World Heritage Centre visited the property and its buffer zone in May 2023. This mission took place within the framework of a project aiming to support the State Party in developing guidelines for the buffer zone by promoting the application of the 2011 Recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape (HUL) to safeguard heritage in African contexts, developed by the World Heritage Centre in 2022 with financial support from the Government of Norway and using the Tombs of Buganda Kings at Kasubi as a case study. That team evaluating the buffer zone of the property will make recommendations on the extension of its boundaries and compile guidelines for the management of the buffer zone of the property following the principles of HUL. On 24 July 2023, a workshop was organized by the World Heritage Centre to represent the draft guidelines proposal to African experts for feedback and comments. More than 100 African experts, site managers and professionals participated in the workshop.

A Reactive Monitoring Mission to the property took place in June 2023 in response to Decision 44 COM 7A.4, which requested a mission to the property to review the current state of conservation and evaluate whether the conditions for the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger have been met. The mission report is available online at the following web address: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1022/documents/.

The State Party has made substantial progress towards achieving the DSOCR. It has closely collaborated with the UNESCO Regional Office in Nairobi, the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies throughout, which has been of great benefit to completing many of the corrective measures adopted by the Committee at its 35th session (Decision 35 COM 7A.17). Key achievements include the restoration of the Bujjabukala and the completion of the reconstruction of the Mazibu Azaala Mpanga. It is most welcome that the firefighting system has been installed in the tombs area of the property, supported by the Japanese Funds-in-Trust for the Preservation of the World Cultural Heritage and the World Heritage Fund. The State Party submitted the requested Disaster Risk Preparedness Management Plan (Decision 35 COM 7A.17) to the World Heritage Centre in July 2021. This was reviewed by ICOMOS, which made recommendations for its improvement.

The 2023 Reactive Monitoring mission to the property, assessed the extent of the completion of the implementation of all corrective measures and reviewed its state of conservation to evaluate whether the conditions for the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger have been met.

The mission concluded that the corrective measures have been substantially completed to the extent that their implementation has achieved the Desired state of conservation for removal from the List of World Heritage in Danger (DSOCR). The World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies advise the Committee that it would be appropriate to remove the Tombs of Buganda Kings at Kasubi from the List of World Heritage in Danger and they congratulate the State Party and all its partners for this significant achievement.

The mission appreciated the strong commitment and engagement of the Government’s national and local authorities, as well as the traditional management of the Buganda kingdom authorities, and the Kasubi local communities, as the custodians of sacred sites providing a model for the cooperation of government institutions and traditional ones for the management of World Heritage properties. Their dedication led not only to the reconstruction of the Mazibu Azaala Mpanga but also to the revival of traditional customs and practices associated with the requirements of rituals to sustain the aura and sacredness of the Tombs of Buganda Kingdom at Kasubi. Challenges remain and the State Party should be encouraged to continue its efforts to improve the state of conservation and management system of the property. The 2023 mission recommended, amongst others, that the State Party implement measures to ensure the long-term sustainable availability of human, financial, and material resources, specifically spear grass, for the long-term maintenance of the property. The State Party reported to the mission that it is updating the property's Management Plan. This should be seen as an opportunity to set out an appropriate management system, integrate an updated Disaster Risk Management component into the Management Plan, align it with the extent Master Plan and provide mechanisms to harmonize with the buffer zone guidelines currently under development. It also noted that tourism management should be a cornerstone of the new management plan and measures to define maximum carrying capacities need to be developed urgently. The mission recommended that the State Party translate the corrective measures defined for the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger into management actions to be implemented continuously for the protection and management of the tangible and intangible attributes of the property.

It is recommended that the Committee request the State Party to carefully consider the recommendations of the international team of four experts commissioned by the World Heritage Centre to develop guidelines for the development of the buffer zone, considering as well the boundary of the buffer zone, to submit these to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies, and to realign the spatial planning regime of the city of Kampala once these have been adopted by the Committee.