This expedition focused on surveying and documenting several 19th‑century forts associated with Emin Pasha and Semei Kakunguru. Over eleven weeks, the six‑member student team travelled roughly 4,000 miles across northern and eastern Uganda—much of it along difficult unsurfaced roads—to locate, map, and record remaining structures of historical significance.
The first of the expedition focused on the forts of Emin Pasha, beginning with Dufile, a once‑formidable Nile-side encampment now deteriorating in swamp terrain. The team mapped the extensive earthworks and remaining brick structures, relying partly on local oral history, which identified former barracks, kitchens, a prison, and officers’ quarters. Flooding, dense vegetation, and wildlife complicated access, but detailed architectural and topographical surveys were completed. The expedition also documented nearby tombs—locally attributed, though incorrectly, to Emin and Gordon—and a harbour area believed to have held a river landing post. They next investigated Fadibek, locating the fort through aerial photographs and local guidance. Although heavily overgrown, its earthworks remain intact, with gatehouses, breastworks, and hut remains still visible. The team identified possible signalling links between Fadibek and the nearby Lachich hill. They also attempted—but failed due to transport limitations—to reach Farajok and recorded the position of Bora via aerial and ranger confirmation.
The second part of the expedition covered the forts of Kakunguru, the Baganda military leader active during British consolidation. Working mainly in Teso and Mbale Districts, the team located and surveyed several small ditch‑and‑bank forts—such as Opege, Mukongoro, Kagaa, Bululu, Gogonyo, and the large Budaka fort, nearly a quarter‑mile square. Many sites were obscured by cultivation, requiring extensive clearing before mapping. Oral accounts from local chiefs and former Baganda agents helped reconstruct Kakunguru’s movements.