Close but no cigar.

This city has always been the capital of the area/region, but was not the capital of the country in the mid 50s.

Last day of not being the capital - on the airstrip.
https://4rlgxq.bl.files.1drv.com/y4m...&cropmode=none
Last few minutes
https://fi4haa.bl.files.1drv.com/y4m...&cropmode=none

The next day - now the capital, and this may well give it away.
https://tez95w.bl.files.1drv.com/y4m...&cropmode=none

Lilongwe, Malawi?

I have never been there, but knew a little of Malawi's history, and the clues suggested it might be referring to Lilongwe. I do admit to googling to see if there was a new airport built.

OH if correct, and happy to admit it was a guess = googling.

Not Malawi, and not south of Tanganyika.
This is an airstrip rather than an airport and another airport wasn't built to replace this one. The international airport for the country existed before this and is still used today.
This airstrip was never very busy.

Dar es Salaam???

Not Tanganyika/Tanzania

Wilson Airport Nairobi?

or better still Eastleigh Nairobi? now Moi AFB???

Getting closer - but it isn't in Kenya.
The city has a number of hills, and this gravel strip was/is built into the side of one of them.
It really is very close to the centre of the city.
https://23nlaw.bl.files.1drv.com/y4m...&cropmode=none

On the basis of that plethora of positive and negative information and the photos, nvubu, it has to be Kampala, which took over as capital from Entebbe when Uganda became independent in 1962. That nice lady in green would be the Duchess of Kent, being greeted by the ill-fated, putative president - Milton Obote.

The house pictured is in the typical British colonial style of the early-to-mid 20th century. Know Entebbe from a bit later but, partly because we used to stay at the Lake Vic Hotel and rarely ventured to Kampala, had no idea there was a tiny airstrip there. Open house if correct!

To be very pedantic, there were THREE airstrips in Kampala (that I know of), traces of all are still visible - all within 2 miles of the centre - which one would this be?

I've been looking for old photos of all three for the past few years, when I came across the video of this one a couple of days ago. I was stopped by the police on it - a bit to the left of the photo, when I drove onto it with a Ugandan colleague showing him what a fine location for a set of sports pitches could be built on it.:) I had missed a tiny no entry sign fixed to a bush - he was bricking himself when the Police stopped us.

I think Mr Obote brought his fate upon himself, to be ousted by military coup not once, but twice!
The colonial houses in Uganda were by far the best build quality.

When you stayed at Lake Vic had they moved the entrance round the back? Spent my last few nights in Uganda there before moving back to the UK in 2005. Was owned by Gaddafi at that time I think.

In my second independence day picture, the crested crane can just be seen on the Union Flag being lowered.

I was thinking of 1971-74, during which time the Asian exodus started under Idi Amin (including, presumably, that of the delightful Yasmin Alibhai-Brown...). Talking of trespass on Ugandan aerodromes, I nearly got arrested for taking a look at the construction of the new runway 17/35 around 1973. But the last time I stayed at the Lake Victoria Hotel was about 1976. The entrance was at the front, but the golf clubhouse had been re-allocated for the use of Uganda AF officers. I see that a third film of the Entebbe "raid" (by the Israeli's) of 1976 has just been released.

Do you remember the apocryphal tale about the flight of Uganda AF Fougas that took off to intercept the royal Britannia that carried the Duke and Duchess of Kent into Entebbe in 1962? They are said to have found the intercept tricky, but were assisted by another aircraft that advised them to look in their 3 o'clock. Their leader is said to have replied: "Is that local time, or GMT?"

Open House!

As I understand it, the expulsion of Asians was only of those who did not hold a Ugandan passport. I know a number who stayed on throughout the Amin times - including one you may have met as he worked at the airport - Arthur DeMello. However, as families had split nationalities, some with British, some with Indian and some with Ugandan passports, most took the root of everyone leaving. I lived in Uganda from 1994-2005, so missed the interesting earlier times.Idi Amin was still quite well regarded in Uganda when I was there, and he was extremely supportive of sports, whereas since then there has been very little support.

I was there when the Chinese built the new Namboole National sports stadium, and being involved in sports, I was invited to the opening ceremony. However, this had to be postponed when a week or so before the opening it was discovered that the stadium hadn't been built with any toilets.

It is Kololo Airstrip - still called that by everyone today. Here's a GE overhead from 2002.
https://soz85w.bl.files.1drv.com/y4m...&cropmode=none

This is the video

nvubu,

It looks very different now. What is it? An army base?

It's the national celebration parade ground. So every 9th October there's a big Independence day parade - hence the helicopter use.
Two or Three Popes have celebrated mass there - there is a large Catholic martyrs shrine close by in Namugongo - wiki link
I seem to remember Bill Clinton speaking there as well - as we were told to avoid the area during his visit.
The history of Uganda in the 19th century is fascinating - a couple of good books if anyone is interested (nothing aviation related, but good reads nevertheless)
by Alan Moorhead
by Charles Miler
I spent a large part of my time in Uganda about 1/2 mile away at the National Sports Centre in Lugogo, and drove past Kololo Airstrip almost every day.

https://www.pprune.org/members/32618...13-094139b.jpg

Somewhere that was never part of the British Empire.....................

The houses look typical of the USA, so in that country?

Not the USA..... much longer history

South America...?

No - Europe

https://www.pprune.org/members/32618...-13-094408.jpgNo... but right part of the continent - more or less....................