Having been in Kampala almost five months now, we have found that you definitely must learn how to survive the good, bad & ugly of Kampala, Uganda! Don’t get me wrong, we have thoroughly enjoyed our five months of living in Kampala, Uganda. To be honest we have had very few bad interactions and that leaves us with a fairly good ‘taste’ of Kampala, Uganda.
We feel like we have learned so much during our short stay in Kampala. Although it definitely was a culture shock – I think – to both of us. The differences between cultures is so interesting & it really has been enlightening to see that we could easily survive the good, bad & ugly of Kampala! Open your mind & see what this country has to offer.
It is said a picture paints a thousand words, lets get started.
The Good of Kampala
Lets start with the good of Kampala. Housing [mostly apartments] is available in a wide range of prices depending on your economic understanding. Of course, if you want to live in one of the tourist areas such as Lugogo, your rent is going to be substantially higher but we have found there is a WIDE range of prices for housing – you just gotta do your research. It seems every turn we make there is another apartment building going up! Three buildings are being built around us in the Muygena neighborhood!
Another good is the natural beauty all around you. Taking a drive outside of town is just what we recommend, check out the villages or just the vast scenery. Slow down & enjoy the views. One of our goals was to take a drive to a local village.
Source of the Nile River in nearby Jinja!
Whether you are hungry for local chicken from a street vendor, a more relaxed meal at a great restaurant or homemade authentic matooke, you can’t go wrong.
The biggest plus for Kampala is the people! Oh my – to us – the Ugandans rate right up there with the Thai people in their smiles! There is so much to see just in a normal day in Kampala, I could post hundreds of photos but hopefully this will make you think about adding Kampala as a stop on your next trip to Uganda.
The Bad of Kampala
Surviving the bad of Kampala can be taxing. As many good things about Kampala, it also has it bad points. It takes a lot out of me to watch small children on the streets walk up to cars at traffic signals & beg for money. Some people say that these small children are being used by adults to beg for money & then the adults take the money from them.
The hit & miss of internet service requires a real survival skill. One hour internet is running just fine & then when you are in the middle of a project there is no internet signal. Electricity is the same. It is great & then you might not have any for minutes or hours!
The only thing I can say about traffic in Kampala is – it is horrendous – due to congestion & poor street conditions, there is no rhyme or reason. I would never dare to even try to negotiate the traffic!
Bodabodas are unregistered motorcycles that act as a ride for hire transportation around Kampala’s heavy traffic. Thousands of people walk up & negotiate a price to ride these Bodabodas every day. This form of motorcycle transportation is considered to be unsafe, but the fastest mode of transportation for the residents & visitors to Kampala. The Big Guy & I used SafeBoda (A registered & licensed form of motorcycle ride hire transportation) for a day with no issues. During our stay in Kampala, we only witnessed two Bodaboda/vehicle accidents – luckily no one was hurt & all parties went on their way. [This would NEVER be resolved so quickly in the States].
The streets of Kampala are in need of repairs due to the sheer number of massive potholes on almost every street. During hard rainstorms in NON Touristy sections of Kampala the massive potholes become filled with rainwater & make maneuvering around the streets of Kampala even worst. I really don’t know why anyone would want to drive in this city BUT people say if you can drive in this traffic, you can drive anywhere:)
With rain filling the potholes, at a glance, you cannot tell how deep the rut(s) are under the water. These drivers really are experienced in driving in these conditions without tearing up their vehicles.
This has to be the mother of all manholes in dire need of help in Kampala! For the most part, we were told the conditions of the streets depends on who that neighborhood voted for in the election! We were told that by so many people here in the city, I’ve no doubt it is true. You can easily drive a couple miles & go thru beautiful paved streets with palm trees lining the walks (this would be in a tourist area) & then turn a corner to see horrendously rutted ones such as this.
We had multiple people tell us that politicians control the shape of Kampala streets. Simply put, the money is allocated for infrastructure but the shape of your street could possibly depend on who you voted for in last election. Yeah, evidently that is a real thing here.
The Ugly of Kampala
Housing, again can be ugly. We were told that the slums are worsened with the numbers of immigrants/refugees from neighboring countries. Population is a major problem. There are over ten major slums in Kampala.
Streets can be extremely dirty & when it is dry – you can cut thru the dust as seen in this pic. Dirt, alone though is not the whole cause of the air pollution in Kampala – number of autos on streets, emissions & burning of waste used to control it are probably on the high end of the bad air quality numbers.
Our Final Thoughts on Kampala???
Overall we have enjoyed our time in Kampala. We met so many amazing people that will remain as extended family. We knew we were blessed to be able to make this trip to the continent of Africa & I feel like Uganda was a good first stop. Our visa & extension is quickly coming to an end & so we have decided we need to see more of what Africa has to offer!
Next stop is Kenya & we hope to see you there next month!