Nature meets beauty at the Entebbe Botanical Gardens

Spread out over more than 40 hectares, the Entebbe Botanical Gardens have hundreds of different species of trees and other plants

In connection with being a centre for research on different plant species, it is probably known among a few like the scientists but for the annual Boxing Day motor sprints and other entertainment events or just a place to relax, Entebbe Botanical Gardens is more known and popular in this sense.

Although many people may have no or little knowledge of the history of this magnificent green expanse as research centre, the thousands of visitors who come here annually have come mostly as tourists.

Many species
Situated on the northern shores of Lake Victoria, the 41-hectare botanicalgardens have a varied collection of species of plants, which are native to tropical, sub-tropical and temperate zones, besides several shrubs and other plants that have been regenerated naturally over the years.

Mr John Wassawa Mulumba, the Head of the National Generic Centre, who is responsible for this public facility, says that the gardens are a popular attraction for visitors. There are an estimated 65,000 visitors per year.

“The gardens were established in 1898 as a reception centre for experimental crops that were being introduced into the country by the colonial government like rubber but we keep their seeds to assist in making better crop varieties,” he says.

Mulumba adds that some crops could be resistant to given pests or diseases that enables them pick the genes from the resistant breeds and mix with the improved varieties to get better yields.

Upon entry into this facility, tall trees near the main entrance welcome you to the facility. The rocky headland and running water through the drainages makes an ideal observation point as you walk further. There are small patches of rain forest where Colobus and Vervet monkeys can be seen next to great blue and white hornbill.

Tourists are spoilt for choice upon viewing the red tailed, velvet and beautiful Colobus monkeys as they jump smoothly from one tree branch to another chattering. The yellow gold and green bamboo walkways offer cool shelter. The thick canopy of the trees and refreshingly cool shelter make the gardens exceptional.

Deep inside the collections of different trees are decorated cobweb of golden spiders that can be best described by each individual’s judgment.

Established in 1898, the gardens were set up as a reception centre for experimental crops that were being introduced into the country by the colonial government.

Today its home to tropical and warm temperate plants, apparently if you are looking for endangered plant species or one that has become extinct in your locality, this ought to be your first port of call. Cash crops like coffee, tea and cocoa were initially studied here before being taken to other research institutes at Kawanda, Namulonge and Serere. Original plants like rubber have continued to grow in the wild here because they never took off on a commercial scale.

New caretaker
Just like any other establishment in the country, Entebbe Botanic Gardens bore the impact of Uganda’s political turmoil and suffered neglect during those episodes until in 1995 when the Ministry of Agriculture Animal Industry and Fisheries took it over and placed it under the National Agricultural Research Organisation.

This led to the establishment of a Centre for Plant Genetic Resources Programme under the Forestry Resources Research Institute in 1999 to store seeds and provide information about plants in the botanical gardens.