Kisenyi: A stroll through the street-kids' den

Kisenyi is located right in the middle of Kampala city but for a moment you might think you are somewhere in Somalia or Eritrea. In fact it is estimated that there are over 20,000 Somalis in Kampala and 95% of them stay here in Kisenyi. 

It is not only settled by Somalis but also Kampala's biggest number of street kids can be found in this area. Some of the other tribes in this area include the Basoga, Eastern Congolese, Tanzanians, Rwandese, Kenyans and Ethiopians.

This place will amaze you if you are the type that is looking for a good story to share with the world.

Origins

In the early days, this place was a big swamp and a valley too; it was a place where all the waters from all the hills of Kampala ended up in. So due to that, revelers and non-residents, just on a whim, decided to name the small town Kisenyi before it grew big. The water is still a major problem within Kisenyi because drowning seems to have become part of the locals here.

From Kisenyi, you can have a good view of the city skyline

Business

When you enter Kisenyi like this, it will strike you like a simple area where people go to board buses heading to the western part of Uganda until you go past the park and enter the ‘mairungi' market. ‘Mairungi' is a very popular herb that is very popular downtown and it is praised by many because apparently it keeps those who use very focused at whatever they are doing. According to Farouk Mugabi, the chairman of the ‘Mairungi' sellers in Kisenyi, this herb has been part of their lives for decades.

"I have been selling this herb for over 30 years and it is because of this herb that I have been able to take care of family and pay school fees for my children. My parents used to sell this herb and it is the only business I know how to do well"

To many this mairungi herb is illegal and a drug so I was intrigued to find out how these guys down here sell the herb without fear. Farouk explains;

‘This herb is not a drug, it is an enhancer. In life we need enhancers to help us perform better at our jobs. People have mistaken this herb to be a drug because the people they see use it on the streets are the type that mix it with other unwanted substances like marijuana and petrol sniffing. This herb is an elegant herb and the biggest shots in town use it to feel better and perform better at their jobs. Nobody should ever lie to you that this herb has any side effects.

Besides the mairungi business which is majorly the main business in Kisenyi, there are other small businesses like make shift restaurants and clothes stalls. Iron smiths are at every corner and of course the city's pick pockets are located in this area, so if you must go to Kisenyi, you are better of walking with no cash or any expensive jewelry.

According to Mukisa Vincent, a wheel barrow pusher, there are all sorts of businesses going on, but mostly maize mill industries dominate the ever busy town. Among other businesses are selling of empty water bottles, selling of shoes and small stuff all together and of scrap which is referred to gold mining since it is the mostly visible.

Sanitation

The sanitation here has improved overtime as the Kampala City Authority has moved vendors from most of the Kisenyi streets. Solomon Musoke, a youth leader in the area notes that back then the place used to stink but ever since KCCA came into the area, there is a breath of fresh air and it is habitable.

In some neighbourhoods in Kisenyi, youth are encouraged to do community work

Matters accommodation, Solomon says that the amount one can rent a house in Kisenyi was mostly affordable ranging from Shs40,000 to Shs500, 000 per months, though he says acquiring land is very expensive. And even though the place is always bustling with business, one can't help but be reminded of a forgotten city, because it is under developed.

There is a youth group of entertainers that call themselves ‘The Street Voice' who gather at a studio in Kisenyi and make music for the locals. They are very popular in the area and it is abominable for any singer outside their environs to come and stage a show in Kisenyi without the consent of the steer voice lads. They are a bunch of singers and instrumentalists ranging from Baganda, Ethiopians and Somalis who find solace in making music.

Rasta Jo, the leader of the musicians confirm that whoever wants to tour Kisenyi must go through them because they are the ones who understand the area and can therefore provide the best security as there are many pick pockets and delinquents in the area. Whoever comes to visit them must donate a coin of Ush200 as a tradition. I have to be honest though, I have not heard better music lately than the kind I encountered in Kisenyi.

Rasta Jo says

"Security is quite good although theft is rampant; however we take long to hear of capital crimes. I feel bad whenever I hear people from other places speak so ill about our place, to them they consider it to be ‘evil', yet we rarely have hit men, big thieves and big crimes that they assume happen in the place, however I can't rule out that we are totally not safe.

One thing I would like to note is, the police should stop using the word ‘Kifeesi' because to us there is nothing like that. It is just discrimination."

Kisenyi is a place you must visit is you really want to know how lucky you are. Life here needs some serious intervention as kids are everywhere sniffing petrol in broad daylight. That aside, Kisenyi has very happy and welcoming people.