History has it that around the late 19th Century that the tragic Katereke prison ditch was dug by former King of Buganda, Kabaka Kalema from a savagery time in the clear history of Buganda Kingdom. The ditch is in a circular form and is about an area of 70 meters in diameter.
The Katereke prison ditch has a lot of history to tell and even up till now it attracts a lot of people from all over the world to come and witness this history.
Around the year 1888, the kingdom was in a huge political confusion which was caused by de-throning Kabaka Mwanga, they claimed to be Muslims and had replaced Kabaka Mwanga with Kabaka Kiwewa however his reign did not take a very long period.
Immediately after Kabaka Kiwewa, Kabaka Kalema was enthroned but his rule was threatened by the presence of his brothers and sisters and so they became his political rivals.
Under this political tension, Kabaka Kalema ordered the construction of this prison by his clan chiefs and soon imprisoned his siblings. This prison current day called Katereke prison ditch.
As if this terrible act was not enough because tension rose after Kabaka Kalema had imprisoned his siblings, it pushed him harder to take the lives of the prisoners away so 30 of his brothers and sisters were slaughtered.
Misery and fear filled all his subjects for they didn’t want to lose their lives but as a year passed Kabaka Mwanga returned to the throne, Kabaka Kalema was sent to exiled where he passed later as the months revolved. So many other prisoners in the ditch were starved under the reign of Kabaka Kalema.
The ditch is not that deep but very rich and filled with fantastic history of this Kingdom and the ditch is only 30mins away from Kampala by road. The ditch is found in masaka district away from Nsangi trading center. Traditional music and dance are some of the activities offered at this historical marvel.