Port Bell is a small industrial center located in the greater metropolitan Kampala area, specifically in Nakawa Division, one of the five administrative divisions of the city. It is a subdivision of the greater Luzira area in the south-eastern part of the city. Port Bell is located on the shores of Lake Nalubaale, also known as Lake Victoria.
Lake Victoria, where Port Bell is located. Source: Wikipedia
Origins and Naming
Opened in 1908, Port Bell derives its name from Sir Hesketh Bell, the British governor of Uganda at the time. It used to be an industrial center with a harbor formerly used for international traffic across Lake Victoria.
The port was designed to handle passenger and cargo traffic destined for Kisumu, Kenya, and Mwanza and Musoma in Tanzania. Port Bell linked Khartoum and Kisumu, playing a crucial role in regional transportation networks.
The Uganda Railway Connection
The Uganda Railway was a metre-gauge railway system and former British state-owned railway company. The line linked the interiors of Uganda and Kenya with the Indian Ocean port of Mombasa in Kenya. In 1929, the Uganda Railway became Kenya and Uganda Railways and Harbours (KURH), which in 1931 completed a branch line to Mount Kenya and extended the main line from Nakuru to Kampala in Uganda.
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Disassembled ferries were shipped from Scotland by sea to Mombasa and then by rail to Kisumu where they were reassembled and provided a service to Port Bell and, later, other ports on Lake Victoria.
Map of the Uganda Railway. Source: Wikipedia
Almost from its inception, the Uganda Railway developed shipping services on Lake Victoria. In 1898, it launched the 110-ton SS William Mackinnon at Kisumu, having assembled the vessel from a "knock down" kit supplied by Bow, McLachlan and Company of Paisley in Scotland. A succession of further Bow, McLachlan & Co. "knock down" kits followed. The 662-ton sister ships SS Winifred and SS Sybil (1902 and 1903), the 1,134-ton SS Clement Hill (1907), and the 1,300-ton sister ships SS Rusinga and SS Usoga (1914 and 1915) were combined passenger and cargo ferries. The 812-ton SS Nyanza (launched after Clement Hill) was purely a cargo ship. The 228-ton SS Kavirondo launched in 1913 was a tugboat.
The company extended its steamer service with a route across Lake Kyoga and down the Victoria Nile to Pakwach at the head of the Albert Nile. Its Lake Victoria ships were unsuitable for river work so it introduced the stern wheel paddle steamers PS Speke (1910) and PS Stanley (1913) for the new service.
Current Status and Activities
Years, perhaps decades after its prime, Port Bell continues to sink into history. The docking site contains boats and ferries, many of which are already rusted. The stores have turned brown, and there is hardly any life except for military policemen patrolling the area.
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Despite its decline, canoes continue to provide transportation along the shores of Port Bell. Wooden boats ferry passengers to and from the different islands. Many are small-scale fishermen, while some canoes carry tourists from the shores of Port Bell to Miami Beach and back for a fee.
Miami Beach, located about 7 minutes away by boat from Port Bell, is a vibrant area. Its beach runs along the shores, though it may lack extensive sandy areas.
"Exploring the Legacy of the Uganda Railway: A Journey Through History
Historical Significance
As the only modern means of transport from the East African coast to the higher plateaus of the interior, a ride on the Uganda Railway became an essential overture to the safari adventures which grew in popularity in the first two decades of the 20th century. As a result, it usually featured prominently in the accounts written by travelers in British East Africa. Passengers were invited to ride a platform on the front of the locomotive from which they might see the passing game herds more closely.
Modern Developments
After independence, the railways in Kenya and Uganda fell into disrepair. From 2014 to 2016, the China Road and Bridge Corporation built the Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) parallel to the original Uganda Railway. Passenger service on the SGR was inaugurated on 31 May 2017.
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