Kasubi Tombs on fire

Residents look on helplessly as the tombs burn. Photo by Katherine Haywood

Kasubi Tombs, one of Uganda's historical monuments has gone up in flames, completely razing the building that houses the graves of four former kings of Buganda Kingdom.

The tombs, established in 1881 and declared a world heritage site by Unesco in 2001 started burning at about 8:30pm.

Hundreds of kingdom subjects have thronged the site, crying and screaming while others were seen prostrating in front of the embers.

The tombs are located about five kilometres from Kampala City in Kasubi, a Kampala suburb.