It was about 8:13 pm in the night of 16th March 2010 when Buganda and the world received news of a fire that gutted and destroyed the Kasubi Royal Tombs which then housed the ancestrial and memorial graves of the great four Kabakas of Buganda kingdom who included Ssekabaka Mutesa I, Ssekabaka Daniel Mwanga Basamulekere, Ssekabaka Daudi Chwa, and Ssekabaka Mutesa II.
The main tomb was completely destroyed by the fire and this brought sadness in the hearts of the Baganda. Since then, Buganda embarked on a campaign to fundraise for the reconstruction of the lost Royal Tombs. In 2013, the Katikiro of Buganda Charles Peter Mayiga spearheaded the fundraising process and the initial reconstruction activities saw the construction of a traditional fence along the 64-acre piece of land that tombs sit. The reconstruction works are still ongoing in respect to the tradition, culture, and norms of Buganda as was stated by the Katikkiro.
Today, the Katikkiro of Buganda Charles Peter Mayiga accompanied by the Buganda Ministers and the Construction Committee led by Hajji Kaddu Kiberu visited the site to check the progress of reconstructing the Kasubi Tombs. It is on this occasion that the Katikiro gave hope to Buganda that all the reconstruction work is progressing well and hopefully by the end of this year 2019 it would be completed.
The Katikiro said "There is nothing that takes away your hope having seen the state of progress made. Whoever has been following this reconstruction process is able to witness the good progress. So don't be worried about this, we have never shunned the work even when we still have other work to do within the Buganda kingdom but we strive to be on schedule every day."
The Katikiro said the work is not progressing slowly but it needs a lot of expertise and specialty to complete it fully. Therefore, he urged all people in Buganda to offer some of the available raw materials to aid the completion process. The Katikiro said "We usually tell you that tombs are not the same as ordinary huts. Those who construct huts might take less time to complete but these tombs are special with many cautionary factors which demand expertise and specialty.”
The Katikkiro also thanked all those that are part of the reconstruction activities who include the construction team, security team, helpers and other people providing services towards the reconstruction process. He also thanked the minister responsible, Mr. Kaddu Kiberu. It is now 9 years since unknown persons attacked the Kasubi Royal Tombs and burnt them to ashes. To date, no report has ever been released about the incident.