Murder spot turned tourist site

Misty droplets, hissing sound and the fast 30 metre drop of Kisiizi falls create such a picturesque scene.
Once referred to as a place of death, the marvel on the path to Kyabamba River in Rukungiri District, comes alive with the sound and sight of birds and flora.
More than 200 years ago, pregnant unwed girls met their death at this gorge as punishment for the shame they had put their families through.
A bridge at the gorge, enables tourists to view the water falls as well as take a nature walk along a zig-zag foot path traversing the Kisiizi gorge which is about 40ft away, a proper view of the water falls.

Murder spot
“The brother of the pregnant girl would lead the group and tie the victim with ropes before she was pushed over the gorge, Moses Mugume, the Kisiizi hospital administrator, says in a low tone to an exhilarating silence only broken by the sound of the water pouring down stream.
“It ended when one victim pulled her brother into the gorge and they both died. It is at this point that community members realised it was a bad norm,” he adds.
“The coming of Christianity in the area also stopped the trend as missionaries preached the word of God and explained that murder was a sin against God.”

Today, the point has turned into a tourist attraction that has given Kisiizi Missionary Hospital a lifeline.
Kisiizi Falls was recently launched as a major tourist destination in the area by Tourism state minister Godfrey Kiwanda and the Kigezi Tourism Cluster promoter, Ivan Mbabazi Batuma.
Proceeds from tourism will generate income to supplement funding for Kisiizi Hospital.
The falls also hold a mini-hydropower dam that generates electricity for the hospital and community around it.
“With the support from the Korean government and the Tourism ministry we have been able to put up a visitors centre and beautify the Kisiizi waterfalls valley by constructing a monument depicting the history of the waterfalls, constructing the walk ways and the Kisiizi cave so as to attract tourists to the area,” says Mugume.

Other tourist features
However, besides the falls, the visitors’ centre also offers tourists an opportunity for bird watching and nature walks at a cost of Shs2,000.
According to Mugume, since January more than Shs6.4m has been generated from the project and more than Shs50m is expected to be collected by the end of the year.
However, human agricultural activities that drain water of the swamps remain a serious challenge to tourism in Kisiizi.
Therefore, Mugume appeals, local authorities should regulate farming in wetlands to control water levels pouring into Kisiizi falls.

Kisiizi hospital has been the brain behind this project and minister Kiwanda during the launch took time off to recognise the administrators for the wonderful initiative.
“As the ministry [Tourism] we fully support initiatives that seek to grow our tourism, he said.
The waterfalls are accessed through Rukungiri from Kampala via Kebisoni or Muhanga, on the Mbarara-Kabale highway.

Birding at Kisiizi

The flora at the falls create a perfect habitat for birds. Some of the birds around this area include African Black Headed Oriole, African Firefinch, African Harrier Hawk and African Paradise Fly-catcher. Others are African Pied Wagtail, African Pygmy Kingfisher and Augur Buzzard, among others.
Kisiizi hospital

Kisiizi Missionary Hospital was founded by Church of Uganda. According to Dr Francis Barya, the hospital deputy medical superintendent more than 300 patients come for health services at the hospital on daily basis and about 50 of them get admitted.

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