Kampala Part 2

The roads in Kampala or champara are a figment of our imaginations. Once upon a time, there was a smarting of tarmac, a few dusty roads and the semblance of infrastructure when it comes to roads. Today all i see is pot holes, big pot holes and the gapping hole that swallows your car. They have certainly gotten rid of one or two of the roundabouts and that helps the traffic flow,..... is the Kenyan Minister for roads Mr. Franklin Bett listening? But, in doing so, they forgot that you must have tarmac on the roads leading to the intersection especially in the CBD. To get to a place round the corner in a special (thats what they call taxis here) a trip of 5 mins in a straight line turns into meandering twists and turns, side roads and alternative roads resulting in an exergerated fare and 15 mins out of your time just to avoid portholes. To say it is ridiculous is an understatement.

On the bright side if they can sort out a few issues, i would not mind staying here for another 4 years. the housing market has certainly blossomed and the construction boom is evident. Gated communities, apartments, regal mansions and serviced apartments are the order of the day. Rent used to be so cheap and i would pay about KSH 12,000 for a 2 bedroom house in a compound of 3 but today even that is a rumor. To live in luxury would off set you upwards of around $1, 000 and more and woe unto you if you require a place with a view. I did however see impressive houses and apartments that have made me realize that what most of us to is irk out an existence while some of us are actually living. When you have a place on Kololo hill overlooking at least 3 of the Kampala hills and the lights, the word panty dropper comes to mind. Being single i noticed in that city is a headache and a war of the heart and mind. The women are very deserving of your attention and take time to dress up for an evening or night out. If in a club and you come across a lady in jeans, be sure that she is a Kenyan. The ladies in addition are also brave and do not avoid i contact. They chat up the men and by the time you recover from the shock and pick up your jaw from the floor, they have you hook line and sinker. Ladies here are taught how to treat their men, cook for them, seduce them both in public and in private by the sex aunties known as sengas. If you come across a lady with beads around her waste she is said to have graduated from the senga the equivalents of first class honors, magnum cum lade. The competition is stiff for the ladies and men try to out do each other by being very flash in terms of their cars which have personalized number plates, the amount of money they spend when they go out, the clothes they wear, how much money you give her for shopping and where you live. A few men have lost the battle and in doing so the war. I once knew of a fellow who lived in a servants quarter but had an Escalade and Mercedes S500 parked outside his place. He would pick up the girls and head to a hotel or lodging. His argument was that he was building and did not want to spend, later we found out that he thought what he saved in rent could be used as money for the hotel each weekend meanwhile during the week he would be home. While another stole money from his employer to the tune of UGS 300,000,000, yes 300 million which is equivalent to KSH 12 million to seduce a Kenyan lady he was madly in love with. Problem was that he did not bother to find out if she was in love with him. A visit to Kampala is not complete without a visit to the red light district known as Kabalgala. It is a a strip of road leading up a hill that is flooded with bars on each side overlapping each other and women of the oldest proffession in the world today, prostitutes. Here you can find what ever you are looking for or your heart desires and more. It is also home to the famous Capital pub, Als bar and cheris. Anything goes here including your wallet, morals and draws.

Kampala has made men and women lose their minds because of the abundant fun that is in the city fondly referred to as sin city. It is one of those trips you just must take in East Africa along with such exotic desitinations such as Mombasa, Malindi, Masaii Mara, Zanzibar, Jinja the source of the River Nile, Kisumu home to Lake Victoria and the curious and fasinating species known as the Luos or Jangos plus the Serengeti in Tanzania. We complain about the lack of tourist destinations in our own countries and would rather go abroad to far away places before we sample and delight in what is in our own back yards. Next time you are planning a trip, keep it Kenyan and if that is hard, keep it East African