Josephine Maseruka
9 February 2009
Kampala — MEMBERS of the Historical Buildings Conservation Trust have asked the Government to make a laws to protect the sites from demolition.
The trust chairman, William Katatumba, yesterday said many sites that would be tourist attractions are being demolished recklessly, especially in Kampala.
In a recent meeting with the mayor of Kampala, Nassar Sebaggala, members said a unique four-column porch at Plot 52 Rashid Khamis Road in Old Kampala, which was listed for conservation in 1996, was demolished in 2008.
They noted that many other significant buildings are at risk because their owners or managers are unaware of their importance.
They also cited the Nakasero Fort, Kampala's oldest building, whose demolition was averted only after the trust intervened.
"The AYA Group, which are constructing a five-star hotel nearby, had pulled down part of the walls of the fort, but we complained to the minister of Works, Eng. Nasasira, who halted its demolition," said Katatumba.
He said AYA was planning to demolish the fort to pave way for the construction of modern flats.
Katatumba said if left near the modern hotels, historical sites act as tourist attractions.
"A listed classic facade of 1949 at Plot 9 Portal Avenue, one of a kind that will never be built again, was also demolished earlier this year to make an ordinary shop." Katatumba said Makarere University Main Building, Kasubi Tombs, the Mayor's Parlour, where Uganda's first national assembly was convened, should be conserved.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2009 New Vision. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
