It is a dreamy Kampala city but...

Very few people along the usually congested Namirembe Road. Photos by Wilfred Sanya

Fresh air, clear roads, no litter, no rude honks; generally peaceful.  No, is this even Kampala City? Oh but yes it is! And what a dreamy Kampala, though deserted for different destinations in and out of the country by its occupants, it looks pampered. 

In- fact, if they could stay away longer, the wrinkles it bears might fizzle out. This must have been what the director, Jenifer Musisi and her team must have had in mind.

Yusufu Lule Road

Oh but why isn't everyday Christmas? A journey that usually takes an hour with all the traffic has been halved, or even less.

Yes, though few motorists rove the roads, they do so with poise. The junctions that normally attract traffic jam are clear; life is good over here in Kampala city. Yes, oh yes, it definitely is!

The mostly disrespectful and impatient Taxi touts linger and wait on even the most sluggish of walkers. And this they do without howling insults or restlessly moving the taxi, it is different.

Also, the usually rowdy boda-boda cyclists haggle with respect, no one dares to piss off the few customers. They wait patiently as the client makes up their minds and listen intently even when it looks like they might change their minds. A ride that would cost say Sh2000, could go for even Sh1000, can you imagine?

Jinja Road high way.

 
Undeniably a dreamy Kampala!  That was until Steven Matibo, a security guard looking for a kiosk to buy, ‘even if just water', emerges. The evidently hungry fella with a gun in hand had combed the entire industrial area in search for anything to eat, to no end.

Matibo is tired and in between yawns, he half-shouts: "this Christmas should also end!" Hard as it is to swallow, he is right.

Dewinton Road.

 
The streets that should have at least 10 restaurants, fruit, maize, airtime and many other venders, are ghostly.

The usually vibrant boda-boda stages have a single gloomy fella cursing why he left his bed.  If only half of the estimated 1.557.300, population came back, the rest could stay back, it is okay. But then again, who will raise the sh75bn revenue the city authority collects?

Maybe (hastily that is), it would be fair to agree that they should all return. But for now, everyone should pack their own food, after all, that is the price to pay for enjoying the dreamy Kampala City!