Fort Lugard Knocked Down

A wrangle is simmering between the ministry of tourism, trade and industry and the Uganda Muslim Supreme Council (UMSC) over the abrupt demolition of Fort Lugard on Old Kampala hill, reports Yunusu Abbey.The ministry accuses UMSC of knocking down the more than a century-old fort without consulting experts. British colonial administrator, Capt. Frederick Lugard, is believed to have built the fort in the 1890s.Dr. Ephraim Kamuhangire, the commissioner for antiquities in the tourism ministry, was reportedly furious when he visited the site on Wednesday and found the fort razed to the ground.UMSC officials said the fort was removed to pave way for the Libyan-funded construction of the proposed national mosque. But a tourism ministry official said, “If experts had dismantled the structure, each brick would have been marked and re-arranged in the original order while reconstructing the fort at the new site.”Kamuhangire confirmed the report on Friday and accused UMSC of destroying a historical monument. He said the matter had been reported to tourism minister Prof. Edward Rugumayo.“We did not destroy the fort-but carefully removed the bricks, tiles and pillars. We kept everything intact pending reconstruction of the fort at a nearby preserved site,”Hajji Edris Kasenene, the UMSC Secretary General said. He said the fort was dismantled over a week ago.Ends