Jinja's night girls: venomous, lethal

By Adonia Waibale

In the past, you might have only considered a Jinja trip to visit the pioneering industrial setting of Uganda or to simply enjoy the various beautiful natural sceneries.

Well, with a heavy heart, I report that the industries now linger in limbo while most of the natural sceneries are either poorly preserved or the Government has since seen it fit to turn them into power plants. (RIP Bujagali) this Easter there is just one more reason why you should get aboard a taxi and head to the capital of Eastern Uganda.

And that’s to party with a breed of girls that take partying more seriously than a random socialite from Kampala. Frankly speaking, the girls are not that hot, but after four pints who cares, right? Matter of fact, a friend of mine after spending two  weeks in Jinja minus a pleasant female sight demanded we alert the rest of the world by erecting a signage after the bridge reading, “Welcome to Jinja, the town with a beauty deficiency.”

Their English is not that sophisticated either so if you’re looking for a tutor of the Queen’s language, Jinja girls are not it.  No worries though, they know how to respond when you query after their poison. The answer is usually a Rolex/chicken wings/Pizza; the constant being a bottle of beer.

Jinja girls have been called many things but most commonly cheap and loose, with the graphical evidence not even the very resourceful Franklin and Bash could get the charges dropped. But they wear these insults like a crown, taking comfort in the fact that they have shaped the social scene.

In the likes of Zuena, Zari and the very slippery Bad Black (all Jinja Exports) the girls see a legacy to emulate.
From a far they appear, unguided and spineless. Most of them are responsible employees by day, exemplary church going daughters and a good number are loving mothers.

The nights of beer and blunder

Early in the week, nights are pretty uneventful, the partying starts Friday evening, as early as 7:00pm traditionally at a Rolex stand. The more classy girls drive to Two Friend for some pizza and also pick up blithe and loaded whites in search of a party.

At Rendezvous, a bar on Main Street, they parade themselves for pick up. Here and at other bars nearby such as Spot 6 and Babes, they gear up isolating the diamond mines from mere stone quarries with whom they will spend the rest of the night. Yes, I mean that literally.

Their generosity is unrivalled, they get more generous after each bottle; anything could become of your careless whispers. Like girls elsewhere, they will drink your pockets dry but with them, you can expect to get value for money. The night’s finale is usually at a club, seeing as they only have two in the whole town.

All roads lead to either Sombreros or Viewers Club. Like the boardroom here is where you either seal the deal or lose out to the boda boda guy with an Irish accent or is it Lusoga?

However, not all the mischievous credit goes to these girls a significant number of girls in Kampala tired of partying at the same hangouts where they have almost turned into décor, head to Jinja seeking a new experience. Fully aware of the fact that they are not known there, the girls go wild. Many end up in very destitute lodges with absolute strangers and amnesia as proof that they had a great night.