Port Bell

Place in Central Uganda, Uganda

00°17′20″N 32°39′13″E / 0.28889°N 32.65361°E / 0.28889; 32.65361Country

UgandaRegionCentral UgandaDistrictKampala Capital City AuthorityDivisionNakawa DivisionElevation

3,710 ft (1,130 m)

Port Bell is a small industrial centre in the greater metropolitan Kampala area, in Uganda. Port Bell has a rail link and a railroad ferry wharf used for International traffic across Lake Victoria to Tanzania and Kenya.^[1]

Location

Port Bell is located in Nakawa Division, one of the five administrative divisions of the city of Kampala. It is a subdivision of the greater Luzira area in the south-eastern part of the city. It is located at the end of a narrow inlet of Lake Victoria, approximately 11 kilometres (7 mi), by road, south-east of the central business district of Kampala, Uganda's capital and largest city.^[2] The coordinates of Port Bell are 0°17'20.0"N, 32°39'13.0"E (Latitude:0.288900; Longitude:32.653620).^[3]

Overview

The port is named after Henry Hesketh Bell, a British commissioner, who took over administration of Britain's interests in Uganda in 1906.^[4] Its rail link is a branch line from the Kampala-Jinja main line.

Lake Victoria ferries operate from Port Bell linking Kampala to other railhead ports on Lake Victoria including Jinja, Kisumu, Musoma, and Mwanza.^[1]

When the first stage of the Uganda Railway was completed in 1901, the railhead was at Kisumu, 12 hours journey from Port Bell by ship.^[5] Ferries brought goods by lake between Port Bell and Kisumu.^[6]^[7] It was not until 1931 that the main line of the railway from Nakuru reached Kampala and then Port Bell.^[7]^[8]^[9]^[10]

Portbell Luzira
Portbell Luzira Uganda
warehouse at portbell

Industry

Uganda Breweries Limited, a subsidiary of East African Breweries, has a brewery and a distillery for Uganda Waragi at Port Bell.^[11]^[12]

Points of interest

The points of interest in or near Port Bell include:

Luzira Maximum Security Prison — Has a capacity of 20,000 inmates, including about 500 on death row.^[13]
Cipla Quality Chemical Industries Limited — this US$40 million factory is the only one in sub-Saharan Africa that manufactures triple antiretroviral drug therapy medication.^[14]
Uganda Breweries Limited — division of East African Breweries and maker of Uganda Waragi, a triple-distilled gin and Bell beer^[11]^[12]
Port Bell — a port on the shores of Lake Nalubaale, handlin passenger and cargo traffic destined for Kisumu, Kenya and Mwanza and Musoma in Tanzania. The port is undergoing a two-year upgrade and renovation.^[1]

Air travel

Between 1930 and 1950 Port Bell was a landing point on the Imperial Airways flying boat passenger and mail route from Southampton to Johannesburg's Vaal Dam. Port Bell linked Khartoum and Kisumu. The nearby Silver Springs Hotel was originally built by the British Overseas Airways Corporation as a rest stop for passengers between long flights.^[15] During World War II, Port Bell was also on the route connecting Cairo with Libreville.^[16]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Musisi, Frederic (26 August 2016). "Port Bell set for major revamp in 108 years". Daily Monitor. Kampala. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
^ Globefeed.com (27 August 2016). "Distance between Post Office Building, Kampala Road, Kampala, Central Region, Uganda and Portbell Pier/Dock/Port, Kampala, Central Region, Uganda". Globefeed.com. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
^ Google (27 August 2016). "Location of Port Bell, Nakawa Division, Kampala" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
^ "Port Bell: Wards in Nakawa Division | Kampala City Guide". 2018-11-07. Retrieved 2021-06-02.
^ "Port Bell to Kampala rail line due to re-open". TradeMark East Africa. Retrieved 2021-06-02.
^ "Uganda now moving to revive transport and trade on Lake Victoria". The East African. Retrieved 2021-06-02.
^ ^a ^b "2.5 Uganda Waterways Assessment - Logistics Capacity Assessment - Digital Logistics Capacity Assessments". dlca.logcluster.org. Retrieved 2021-06-02.
^ "Port Bell Kampala". Retrieved 2021-06-02.
^ "History of Uganda Railway". Daily Monitor. Retrieved 2021-06-02.
^ O'CONNO, M.A. (1965). "RAILWAYS AND DEVELOPMENT IN UGANDA" (PDF). Article: 1–191.
^ ^a ^b Kalungi, Nicholas (20 February 2012). "EABL to give Shs70 in dividends as firm posts 36 per cent growth". Daily Monitor. Kampala. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
^ ^a ^b Paul Redfern, Bernard Busuulwa, and Leonard Magomba (18 February 2012). "Fresh beer wars as brewers expand". The East African. Nairobi. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
^ Kyle Duncan Kushaba (8 March 2016). "Luzira is not just a prison; it's an amazing neighbourhood". New Vision. Kampala. Retrieved 28 August 2016.
^ Monitor Reporter (18 October 2013). "Emmanuel Katongole: The founder of Quality Chemicals". Daily Monitor. Kampala. Retrieved 28 August 2016.
^ "About Port Bell In the Early 20th Century" (PDF). Flightglobal.com. Retrieved 21 June 2014.
^ "Imperial Airways: Trans-African Air Services" (PDF). Flightglobal.com. 28 May 1942. Retrieved 21 June 2014.