UNESCO-backed projects target resilience at Uganda heritage sites

Uganda has launched two UNESCO-supported projects aimed at moving the Kasubi Tombs and Rwenzori Mountains World Heritage properties beyond restoration and basic protection toward long-term resilience, visitor management and community participation.

The initiatives were presented at a stakeholder event in Kampala on September 2, according to New Vision. UNESCO’s formal announcement was dated September 8. The projects involve Ugandan authorities, UNESCO, Japan, Norway, the Buganda Kingdom, the Uganda Wildlife Authority and other heritage, conservation and tourism partners.

The immediate significance is practical: Kasubi is entering a new phase of disaster-risk and site-management work after its recovery from the 2010 fire, while Rwenzori is receiving support for interpretation, cultural documentation, visitor management and community participation. Neither initiative represents a completed conservation result. Both are now moving into implementation.

Kasubi project focuses on resilience after restoration

The Japan-funded initiative is titled Resilience and Sustainable Recovery of the Tombs of the Buganda Kings at Kasubi. The UNESCO Core Data Portal lists a 24-month implementation period, from April 27, 2026, through April 26, 2028, and a project budget of $225,000.

Planned work includes disaster-risk preparedness, integrated conservation, management of the site and its buffer zone, interpretation, signage, pathways, accessibility and visitor management. The project also calls for stakeholder consultation and support for women, young people, artisans and site managers connected to Kasubi’s living heritage.

New Vision reported that final restoration work at the tombs was completed on August 19 with installation of the main entrance gate. The report described the site as ready for a tourism comeback but said officials were awaiting a formal reopening by the Buganda Kingdom. That is not the same as an official reopening notice. The new UNESCO project is focused on longer-term management and resilience rather than simply declaring restoration finished.

Why Kasubi remains a living heritage site

The Tombs of the Buganda Kings occupy 26.8 hectares in Kampala, according to the UNESCO World Heritage Centre. UNESCO describes Kasubi as a major spiritual center for the Baganda and the burial place of four former kings, or Kabakas. Its central structure is an important example of architecture made from organic materials, including wood, thatch, reeds, wattle and daub.

The 2010 fire placed Kasubi on UNESCO’s List of World Heritage in Danger. The site was removed from that list in September 2023 after progress in restoration and conservation. UNESCO’s site record continues to identify fire as the greatest threat and calls for detailed risk planning, secure documentation and continued training in traditional building practices.

Rwenzori project links conservation with local stories

The second initiative is funded by Norway and focuses on Rwenzori Mountains National Park in western Uganda. UNESCO says the park covers nearly 100,000 hectares and includes Mount Margherita, Africa’s third-highest peak at 5,109 meters.

The project will develop interpretation and visitor-management frameworks, map cultural resources, document oral histories and community knowledge, and strengthen participation in community-based tourism. Its planned community focus includes local residents, women and young people who may contribute to interpretation, storytelling and heritage-related activities.

UNESCO identifies environmental pressures, including changing conditions in the mountain ecosystem, as part of the broader management challenge facing Rwenzori. The project itself is framed around sustainable tourism, conservation, interpretation and community participation rather than as a standalone climate-adaptation program.

The next test is delivery

For visitors, the projects are intended to support clearer interpretation, improved access and more structured management at two very different World Heritage properties. For communities, the planned approach gives local people, artisans, custodians and cultural practitioners a more direct role in maintaining traditions and shaping heritage-linked activities.

The harder test will be coordination. UNESCO, Ugandan authorities, the Buganda Kingdom, the Uganda Wildlife Authority, local communities and international funders must turn the newly announced plans into working management, interpretation, visitor and community programs. The September launches mark the start of that multi-year effort, not its conclusion.

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