Kizungu Hill, a posh haven in Makindye
BEING one of the largest and oldest residential suburbs of Kampala, Makindye (to the South West of the city) once enjoyed pomp as a neighbourhood.
By Joseph Ssemutooke
BEING one of the largest and oldest residential suburbs of Kampala, Makindye (to the South West of the city) once enjoyed pomp as a neighbourhood.
Anyone looking to reside in an upscale community looked to Makindye. That explains why it is the home of several personalities who were affluent back in the day.
Still, a number of today’s young and famous have chosen to put up there (especially those in the entertainment industry who are getting it to be referred to as Uganda’s Hollywood).
Of late, the neighbourhood has lost its place among the top residential niches of Kampala, becoming crammed to near-slum levels. Business enterprises have been introduced alongside the homesteads, turning out to host innumerable bars and night clubs that disturb the peace at night, among other changes that have seen it decline.
However, while the old Makindye as it was known has ceased to be a residential haven, some outlying bits of the neighbourhood have grown to establish themselves as substitute residential havens. Meaning, Makindye has not totally lost out on being a dream residential niche, but rather the sections of the sprawling neighbourhood that form the residential commune have shifted. From the sections of Makindye nearest to town to those sections further away from town and on the fringes of the neighbourhood.
One of those new outlier parts of Makindye that have established themselves as new residential havens is Kizungu Hill. Perchance this one could even be declared the new choicest residential section of Makindye today.
Map to Makindye
Branch off the highway to Entebbe Airport at the Kibuye roundabout, drive straight uphill to the trading centre where lies the Makindye Magistrate’s court.
Then from that trading centre continue upward to the overlooking chunk of hill about 400 metres off (a total of about 3 kilometres from the Kibuye roundabout).
Or from the Kibuye roundabout drive upward a short distance and stop at the military barracks in the heart of Makindye (about 600 metres from the roundabout), then follow the road that branches off to the left below the barracks like heading to Nsambya. At the junction where the road slopes down to Nsambya, continue straight ahead for about 500 metres, and anywhere between there draw to a random halt and look upwards to your right. The sprawling hill overreaching is Makindye-Kizungu.
A stylish neighbourhood
From the first look, Kizungu is a stylish neighbourhood with stylish, majestic bungalows and flats lining its brow all the way to the top. The houses are not crammed.
For one looking to put up a magnificent edifice, but with concerns not to be let down by the neighbourhood, it is a place where a magnificent structure will stand among mates and not have its beauty lost out on an inferior neighbourhood.
Standing on the hill, particularly on the slopes facing Nsambya, the eye is guaranteed a commanding view of the whole of Kampala, laid out below as it would be for one in an aircraft.
The panorama on the other side serves a scenic view of Lake Victoria and its shores at Ggaba.
If you draw nearer and actually get a chance to see some of the occupants of the magnificent structures, the revelation is clearly that the residents of Kizungu are largely upper middle-class Ugandans, with a few top class members among them. Among these, a good number are white expatriates, the reason for the neighbourhood’s name — Kizungu (neighbourhood of Whites).
Though the neighbourhood has until recently been exclusively settled by the common man, most of those nondescript owners have sold off their land and moved away.
Good Infrastructure and amenities
The moment you branch off Entebbe Highway at Kibuye, both alternative routes to Kizungu continue to be tarmacked affairs up to the junctions where you have to branch off and climb the few metres to your abode.
If you are lucky to be in the neighbourhood of a very wealthy resident, even the drive to your abode might be tarmacked courtesy of the rich neighbour.
The environment is clean, with well-planned gutters leading the rains down the hill. Water and electricity are readily available. As regards to public transport, taxis pry the route from Kampala and back, at only sh1,200.
For shopping, there are several little trading centres at the base of the hill, where a little domestic shopping is possible. One major centre is the one at Makindye Court, which also has a large market.
Even still, Kizungu is not far from the heart and throb of Makindye itself, so one might drop back to the larger Makindye bazaars if the nearby trading centres come short.
However, Kizungu is no place for the financially wobbling. It is an expensive neighbourhood. According to land brokers in Makindye, a prime piece of land in Kizungu, 50ftx100ft, goes for about sh50m or more, while one of 100ftx100ft goes for about sh90m.
Already constructed structures go for over sh400m depending on the size, design and location.
For tenants, a two bed-roomed house fitted with washrooms goes for about sh500,000 a month; while the cheaper one and two-roomed structures which are almost impossible to get, may go for about sh200,000 and 300,000 respectively.
Hardships about the area
One of the major flaws is public transport difficulty for late night travelers. Most of the last taxis to Kizungu leave the taxi park at about 10:00pm. Therefore, beyond 10:00pm, boda bodas are the most common means.
Only those on the side of Kizungu next to the Makindye Court area can have the luxury of using the mainstream Makindye-Luwafu taxis that operate late into the night.
Much as Kizungu is secure with policemen always on patrol and most homes having private security, there is also a possibility of insecurity for the residents of this side. Particularly owing to its being out of the mainstream crowd and with little activity going on, criminal-minded people can easily find space to operate –especially where one cannot afford to hire private security.
BEING one of the largest and oldest residential suburbs of Kampala, Makindye (to the South West of the city) once enjoyed pomp as a neighbourhood.
Anyone looking to reside in an upscale community looked to Makindye. That explains why it is the home of several personalities who were affluent back in the day.
Still, a number of today’s young and famous have chosen to put up there (especially those in the entertainment industry who are getting it to be referred to as Uganda’s Hollywood).
Of late, the neighbourhood has lost its place among the top residential niches of Kampala, becoming crammed to near-slum levels. Business enterprises have been introduced alongside the homesteads, turning out to host innumerable bars and night clubs that disturb the peace at night, among other changes that have seen it decline.
However, while the old Makindye as it was known has ceased to be a residential haven, some outlying bits of the neighbourhood have grown to establish themselves as substitute residential havens. Meaning, Makindye has not totally lost out on being a dream residential niche, but rather the sections of the sprawling neighbourhood that form the residential commune have shifted. From the sections of Makindye nearest to town to those sections further away from town and on the fringes of the neighbourhood.
One of those new outlier parts of Makindye that have established themselves as new residential havens is Kizungu Hill. Perchance this one could even be declared the new choicest residential section of Makindye today.
Map to Makindye
Branch off the highway to Entebbe Airport at the Kibuye roundabout, drive straight uphill to the trading centre where lies the Makindye Magistrate’s court.
Then from that trading centre continue upward to the overlooking chunk of hill about 400 metres off (a total of about 3 kilometres from the Kibuye roundabout).
Or from the Kibuye roundabout drive upward a short distance and stop at the military barracks in the heart of Makindye (about 600 metres from the roundabout), then follow the road that branches off to the left below the barracks like heading to Nsambya. At the junction where the road slopes down to Nsambya, continue straight ahead for about 500 metres, and anywhere between there draw to a random halt and look upwards to your right. The sprawling hill overreaching is Makindye-Kizungu.
A stylish neighbourhood
From the first look, Kizungu is a stylish neighbourhood with stylish, majestic bungalows and flats lining its brow all the way to the top. The houses are not crammed.
For one looking to put up a magnificent edifice, but with concerns not to be let down by the neighbourhood, it is a place where a magnificent structure will stand among mates and not have its beauty lost out on an inferior neighbourhood.
Standing on the hill, particularly on the slopes facing Nsambya, the eye is guaranteed a commanding view of the whole of Kampala, laid out below as it would be for one in an aircraft.
The panorama on the other side serves a scenic view of Lake Victoria and its shores at Ggaba.
If you draw nearer and actually get a chance to see some of the occupants of the magnificent structures, the revelation is clearly that the residents of Kizungu are largely upper middle-class Ugandans, with a few top class members among them. Among these, a good number are white expatriates, the reason for the neighbourhood’s name — Kizungu (neighbourhood of Whites).
Though the neighbourhood has until recently been exclusively settled by the common man, most of those nondescript owners have sold off their land and moved away.
Good Infrastructure and amenities
The moment you branch off Entebbe Highway at Kibuye, both alternative routes to Kizungu continue to be tarmacked affairs up to the junctions where you have to branch off and climb the few metres to your abode.
If you are lucky to be in the neighbourhood of a very wealthy resident, even the drive to your abode might be tarmacked courtesy of the rich neighbour.
The environment is clean, with well-planned gutters leading the rains down the hill. Water and electricity are readily available. As regards to public transport, taxis pry the route from Kampala and back, at only sh1,200.
For shopping, there are several little trading centres at the base of the hill, where a little domestic shopping is possible. One major centre is the one at Makindye Court, which also has a large market.
Even still, Kizungu is not far from the heart and throb of Makindye itself, so one might drop back to the larger Makindye bazaars if the nearby trading centres come short.
However, Kizungu is no place for the financially wobbling. It is an expensive neighbourhood. According to land brokers in Makindye, a prime piece of land in Kizungu, 50ftx100ft, goes for about sh50m or more, while one of 100ftx100ft goes for about sh90m.
Already constructed structures go for over sh400m depending on the size, design and location.
For tenants, a two bed-roomed house fitted with washrooms goes for about sh500,000 a month; while the cheaper one and two-roomed structures which are almost impossible to get, may go for about sh200,000 and 300,000 respectively.
Hardships about the area
One of the major flaws is public transport difficulty for late night travelers. Most of the last taxis to Kizungu leave the taxi park at about 10:00pm. Therefore, beyond 10:00pm, boda bodas are the most common means.
Only those on the side of Kizungu next to the Makindye Court area can have the luxury of using the mainstream Makindye-Luwafu taxis that operate late into the night.
Much as Kizungu is secure with policemen always on patrol and most homes having private security, there is also a possibility of insecurity for the residents of this side. Particularly owing to its being out of the mainstream crowd and with little activity going on, criminal-minded people can easily find space to operate –especially where one cannot afford to hire private security.