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Brief histories of the
first clubs of each geographic regions or countries
Rotary Club of KAMPALA, the First Club of
Uganda
Rotary International District
9200
Part of our section on
History of Rotary in Africa
The oldest Rotary Club in Uganda meets every Thursday at 12:30 PM at the
Grand Imperial Hotel in the heart of Kampala city.
The Rotary club of Kampala was chartered by Rotary International (RI) as
club No. 17287, effective May 20, 1957. Preceding that date,
a number of events had occurred.
The club owes its founding to the Rotarians in Nairobi who as far back as
1946, tried to establish a club in Kampala. The problem that the sponsoring
club faced was the difficulty of finding people with relatively permanent
residence in Kampala within commerce and industry professions since during
the colonial days, prospective Rotary members likely to be inducted into
Rotary, were expatriates on short tours of service.
At the time of Charter, J.H. Gaunt became the first President of the Club.
The club grew steadily through the 1960's up to 1972. Nevertheless, apart
from a handful of Africans, the club remained a predominantly European and
Asian affair.
The first African President of the Club was Serwano W. Kulubya who was
President during the 1963/64 period.
When Idi Amin expelled Asians in 1972, the club suffered such severe loss of
members that it was commendable that it survived at all. The Asian exodus
was followed by the departure of many European and African members. Several
Ugandan Africans left because they feared for their lives. At least three
club Presidents left the country before completing their term of office.
Indeed several Rotarians were killed during Amin's regime which at one time
branded Rotary as a Zionist and Imperialist organisation. Some of the
Ugandan members who remained in the country chose to keep a low profile and
to attend club meetings and activities only infrequently. Membership in the
(then) 4 clubs dropped from 223 to 19 by January 1973.
Many of the activities of Rotary and evening fellowship were suspended. The
most difficult period for the club was between 1974 and 1976. Thereafter,
membership began to pick up again gradually, as Rotary Club of Kampala was
even able to register (2) Paul Harris Fellows and could have registered (4)
if only the subscriptions of the other two aspiring Paul Harris Fellows had
not been frustrated by Exchange Control problems. The story
of Rotary in Uganda indeed inextricably linked to that of the Rotary Club of
Kampala because, except for the Rotary Club of Mbale, all others are
children, grand children or great grand children of the Rotary Club of
Kampala. By extension, therefore, the matriarch club shares in the joys and
credits of virtually all the Rotary projects in Uganda.
In spite of the problems that Rotary had gone through, the Rotary Club of
Kampala boats an impressive list of projects and has only grown from
strength to strength.
Some of the landmark accomplishments
credited to the Rotary Club of Kampala.
i.
Phan Ntede, the first black Rotary
District Governor in the World. Rotarian Elizaphn (Phan) K.K Ntede (RIP)
was, in 1972/73 the first black person in the world to be a Rotary District
Governor, PDG Francious Amorin of Cotonou, Benin himself the second black
District Governor, described Phan's election as a turning point for Rotary
in Africa.
ii.
ii. In 1984 the Rotary Club of
Kampala won trophies for being the first club in the District to charter 2
clubs in one year and in1988 it won RI and District trophies and accolades
for organisi8ng more than 15 new clubs in one year.
iii.
iii. In September 1983, the Rotary
Club of Kampala organized the first National Rotary Conference, which later
became the annual intercity conferences
iv.
iv. The now world famous "Gift of
Life" programme started with Kampala Club sending kids with holes in heart
defects for open heart surgeries to the USA with collaboration from the
Rotary Club of Manhasset, New York and PDG Tony Zino (RIP). The first three
beneficiaries were Grace Agwaru, John Engole and Robinah Nakabuye.
v.
v. Margaret Rose Ilukol, (you
remember the little sweet girl whose face was mauled by a hyena in Karamoja?)
This case was publicized worldwide after the Rotary Club of Kampala
picked it up. Later Australian Rotary Clubs took over the treatment and gave
Margaret a new face. She went to school and trained as a nurse in Australia
where she remained working.
Acknowledgement to PDG SAM F. Owori, March 2007 for
preparing this report. |
