A tour of Kampala slums

The capital of Uganda, Kampala, was formerly made up of seven well-known hills that, by 1962, were recognized to comprise the city. However, more recently, it has become nearly impossible to determine how many additional hills have added to form the much larger Kampala district. tours of the kampala slumsBut when you take the opportunity to fly above this wonderful city, you will notice that the more hills Kampala has acquired, the more slums have been built surrounding the so-called capital city. Africa’s largest lake, Lake Victoria, will be your first impression. Surrounding the lake are hills covered in verdant foliage, a few modern skyscrapers, and a vast number of impoverished areas.

The government does not own a large portion of the land that makes up Kampala City; instead, a larger portion is owned by His Majesty the Kabaka of Buganda (King), the Royal family, the church, mosques, and other private landlords who owned the land during the 1894–1900 agreement while serving in colonial times. There are approximately 4 million slum dwellers living in Kampala City, representing about 60% of Kampala’s population.

The government currently needs a large amount of money to pay these individuals, and it hasn’t taken long to educate its people about the advantages of patriotism. Although the first immigrants included Somalis, Burundians, Rwandans, northerners, people from Somalia, people from northern Kenya, and others from the south-west of Uganda, the majority of the population in these slums are native Ugandans.

Due to unemployment, they now make up a sizable portion of the slums. You can always feel the tension in these areas as you move around, as there is constant sexual abuse, drug addiction, thievery, and other problems. Even though they live in poverty, the residents in these slums are incredibly hospitable, so visiting them will bring back memories. Elderly people will continue to smile and shake your hands while small children run around you, holding and shaking your hands and yelling at you in the Luganda language, “OMUZUNGU or ABAZUNGU,” which means white person or folks.

While it’s not a good idea to merely snap pictures of anyone, there are some people—even elderly people—who will compel you to take their photo. They will make it simpler for you to capture their shots by simply standing in front of your camera, so it’s not a huge deal. Remember to bring sweatshirts and cookies for the kids. When giving out tiny gifts, most of the time even the elderly will line up to receive some, so you should bring enough, but not too much.