COVID-19 turns Kampala into ghost city

Apr 05, 2020

The streets are clean, traffic-free and quiet. Only the designated food market areas are operational as well as pharmacies and shops dealing in agricultural inputs.

Kampala is one of the cities in the world known for its 24/7 bustling life. At night Kampala never sleeps and during the day it becomes one of the busiest places.

An estimated 2.5 million people are at a given time in the city for business or other errands.

From the corridors, verandahs, to streets, markets, malls and shops all will be packed with people doing business or going about other errands.

During day time Kampala has one of the worst traffic jams in the world. At times it can take you two hours to drive a distance of 2km.

At night bars and other happening places would open up to the wee hours of the morning.

This is what the capital city of the Pearl of Africa is known for. However, this kind of life is no more due to the outbreak of Covid19 and the strict measures by government which includes social distances, ban on public gathering, lockdown among others which has made the city look deserted.

With shops, arcades, restaurants, bars closed, public transport banned and 7pm to 5am curfew Kampala has turned into a ghost city.

The streets are clean, traffic-free and quiet. Only the designated food market areas are operational as well as pharmacies and shops dealing in agricultural inputs.

"I can't imagine seeing the city this dormant. There is no life," says Edwin Musiime, a taxi driver.

"I have parked my vehicle since there is no business and besides we were banned from moving," At the moment few cargo trucks and boda bodas are allowed to operate in the city. Boda boda are mainly used to deliver goods to buyers and not to carry passengers.

With the curfew in place, workers like media professionals, medical staff, pharmacists among others who have been allowed to work have to be home before 7 pm.

"Life is a bit boring even when you have the money you can't enjoy it. No bars, nowhere to go, no socialisation and no free movement we are having a rough life," says Doreen Nakasi, a pharmacist from Mutungo

Kampala is also known as a religious city, with hundreds of churches and Mosques dotting every corner of the city. These too have gone silent.

Joshua Amanyire, who calls himself a party animal describes the current situation as dull and boring.

"It is now hard to tell the difference between a weekend and the normal days or Sunday. All days are the same. Very dull with nothing or little to cheer you up, "Amanyire says.

"We would have found solace in church but they are also closed," he says.

Two public parks - Constitutional Square and Railway Grounds - that used to host hundreds of people on normal days are now hosting birds of different types.

Aisha Namugga who used to operate a food kiosk in the heart of Kampala is one of those who has since shifted to business to Masajja trading centre, 14km out of the city.

"I used to sell my food to boda boda riders, taxi drivers and conductors. Since they have been told to park their vehicles, I could not get customers," Namugga says.

"Since I shifted to this new trading centre, my sales have gone down by more than half. However, it was a good decision to take otherwise when I watch TV and see the number of whites dying, it is really terrible," she adds.

Namugga, 35, a mother of three, is hopeful she will benefit from the food distribution plan by the government.

 

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