Kabaka Muteesa I, the 35th Kabaka of Buganda, built the palace in 1882, replacing an earlier palace built by his father, Ssuuna II, in 1820. The article names no architect. The main building, Muzibu Azaala Mpanga, is circular in plan with a domelike shape, about 102 feet (31 m) in circumference and 25 feet (7.5 m) high.
The original materials were wooden poles, reed wattle and daub, and a thick thatched dome. The straw rests on 52 rings of palm fronds, which represent the 52 traditional Baganda clans. A 1938 renovation introduced a steel structure, concrete columns and bricks, mostly hidden behind traditional materials. A bark cloth curtain conceals the tomb interiors.
UNESCO inscribed the site in December 2001. A fire on March 16, 2010, destroyed the tombs, and the site was listed as endangered. Rebuilding began in 2014, and the buildings were restored by 2023.
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