The Rotary club of Kampala was chartered by the Rotary International(RI)- as club No. 17287, effective May 20, 1957. Preceding that date, a number of events had occured.

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 Assian affair.

The first African President of the Club was Serwano W. Kulubya who was President during the 1963/64 period.

When 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 got 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.

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.

Inspite 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.

Brief History of Rotary Foundation

The story of the Rotary Club of Kampala is the story of a matriarch who today boasts of a Rotary tribe comprising of dozens of children, grand children and great grand children, including two international grand children. Likewise, it is the story of scores of projects which have touched the lives of hundred of thousands of people in Uganda and beyond. It is, by and the large, the story of Rotary in Uganda.

Unfortunately the story of the Club and its accomplishments are not well known event to many senior Rotarians in Uganda. Thankfully, with good governance pratices, Rotary now encourages communication as a means of enhancing transparency and accountability. It is therefore right that the country justify its 50 years of existence here.

The raison d'etre of a Rotary club is service and the Rotary Club of Kampala has acquitted itself admirably by creating capacity for service through extension and by understanding numerous projects.

Attempts to forma Rotary Club of Kampala goes back to 1946,but it was not until 1957 that the Rotary Club of Kampala, sponsored by the Rotary Club of Nairobi, was finally chartered on 20th May 1957 with Mr. Gaunt, then the manager of Uganda Group as the Charter President.

Nevertheless, the Uganda landscape was considerably changed by the political events that preceded and followed independence in October 1962.Mant expatriates left the country, including many Rotarians. The rest of the 1960's then saw the club dominated by Asian members who had become leaders in commerce, industry and the professions. But in1972 Idi Amin expelled Asians from Uganda, and in the process inflicted a near fatal blow on Rotary whose memberships in the then 4clubs dropped from 223 to 19 by January 1973.

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.