Bulange

Bulange (boo-lah-ngeh), is a building in Uganda. It houses the Lukiiko (Parliament) of the Kingdom of Buganda. The Kabaka of Buganda and the Katikkiro (Prime Minister) of Buganda also maintain offices in the building. The building serves as the administrative headquarters of the Buganda Kingdom.

Location

Bulange is on Namirembe Hill close to Namirembe Hospital, about 1 mile (1.6 km) northwest of the main gate of Mengo Palace in Kampala, Uganda's capital and largest city. This is approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) southwest of the city center of Kampala. The coordinates of Bulange are 0°18'35.0"N, 32°33'30.0"E (Latitude:0.309722; Longitude:32.558333). A straight road, approximately 1 mile (1.6 km) long, called Kabaka Anjagala Road (The-King-Loves-Me Road) leads from the main entrance of the Mengo Palace to the entrance of Bulange.

History

In the beginning, the Buganda Parliament convened inside one of the Kabaka's palaces and conducted business under the shade of one or more trees. Later, grass-thatched buildings served as the parliament buildings. Around the beginning of the 20th century, Prime Minister of Buganda, Apollo Kaggwa, contracted an Indian, Alidina Visram, to build a parliament building using bricks. As the kingdom's government grew in size, the need for a large-enough meeting hall forced the construction of the Bulange outside the King's Palace for the first time.