Inspired by the beauty and heritage of her ancestral homeland, Mary Kalikawe (founding member of KHO) envisioned a vibrant hub for community heritage in the region’s capital city of Bukoba.

Perched atop a hill with panoramic views of the iconic Lake Victoria, she realised she had found a perfect place for cultural celebration.

In December 2021, Mary’s vision materialised when she hosted a public conference on the hill to celebrate the city’s 130th anniversary and discuss its rich cultural heritage. The hill became known as Temba Hill, Bukoba Heritage Site and quickly became a focal point for tourists, local school groups and wider cultural engagement. This first public gathering also began a focus on a shared interest in the region’s heritage.

One year on (2022), the site had evolved significantly. Mary organised a two-day cultural festival that not only celebrated local traditions but also recognised past international influences, including the arrival of Emin Pasha in 1890, who established a German presence in the area. The festival drew attendees from across the Kagera region, including Mwanza and Kahama.

Capitalising on growing momentum, Mary established a lively WhatsApp group as a platform for ongoing dialogue and the sharing of stories about Bukoba and Kagera’s past and present. Members of this group sowed the seeds for the formal foundation of the Kagera Heritage Organisation in 2024.

Back in 2004 Kiroyera Tours, led by its CEO Mary Kalikawe, established the Kagera Museum in a privately owned residence in the Nyamkazi area of Bukoba. After 18 fruitful years, the owner reclaimed the house, prompting the museum to close and its exhibits to be temporarily stored. The search for a new home led Mary and other KHO visionaries to select Bukoba Heritage Site Hill as the ideal site for a new museum.

The construction of a new museum and learning centre on the hill is under discussion.

Meanwhile, in 2023-4 a temporary building was constructed on top of the hill to display some of the past museum collection. It is open daily for local school groups and all visitors to Bukoba to learn about Kagera’s heritage.

A dedicated online museum will be launched at the end of 2026, which will reach out to our diaspora, academics, scholars, and those keen to learn more about our homeland. Expanding our online collection will be an ongoing project.

Meanwhile, a selection of items and stories from the Kagera region can be found on our site here.

With the support of others, Mary and KHO plan to preserve and extend both the onsite and online museum collections, whilst working towards achieving the future dream of establishing a purpose-built museum and vibrant learning centre for the Kagera region.

Funding is ongoing to establish our museum, which will mark a new chapter in celebrating Kagera’s unique heritage for future generations.