The Hood; Kyebando

Kyebando is a neighbourhood located in Kawempe Division within Kampala District.

Kyebando is bordered by Kawempe to the northwest, Kikaaya to the northeast, Bukoto to the east, Mulago to the south, Bwaise to the southwest and Kaleerwe to the west. This location lies approximately 5.5 kilometers by road, northeast of Kampala's central business district.

Making mention of Kyebando brings to mind several impressions. To some it comes off as a notorious slum, in the league of Katanga, Kisenyi and any other ghetto in Kampala. Other people will not give a damn. Chances are high they have never been to or even heard of this suburb in Kawempe division. A light conversation with the residents will reveal they just do not know where exactly to place it. Certainly it is not the rich man's crib and neither a slum even when its neighbourhoods like Bwaise, Kikaya, Mulago and Kamwokya give it the image.

Background

According to a number of older residents, the origin of the name Kyebando remains unclear, partly due to no documented historical reference.
Mzee Balikudembe notes that as children, they were only told that Kyebando was once pre-dominantly occupied by the Basoga as Kabaka Mutesa 1 had donated it to them.

"The name could have originated from the Basoga," he asserts adding that along the way, sharp disagreements arose between the Baganda and Basoga leading to the latter reclaiming the area. However, today the area is occupied by a multiplicity of tribes with the Alur, from West Nile dominating Kisalosalo zone.

Sebakyijje Moses, a youth councilor within the area around Kisalosalo has been living here for more than 30 years tells us passionately how Kyebando has seen very slow development over the years and how it used to be a threatening place in the 90s. He says the place is mainly occupied by very many tribes and as we dug deep we found out that Kyebando was a resettlement area during the Idi Amin era.

Kyebando used to harbor lots of monkeys

Population

The census put the area's population at 35,000 people. This population could have doubled by now considering the census was done in 2011.

"It is very hard to come across open space in Kyebando when buying land," he says.

This has significantly impacted on the cost of land, especially that bearing structures. 25 decimals of land, he says, can go for not less than shs.80m which is extremely high as compared to five years ago when the same cost about shs. 20M.

He recounts that as early as 2000-2003, the housing structure in the suburb was scattered but today, the area could be on its way to becoming over-crowded especially owing to the unplanned housing. From an average rent of shs. 30,000-45,000, the cost of rent has more than doubled in less than five years. This is attributable to a number of factors, noticeably the coming of piped water in 2000 and the increasing demand.

Kalule Joab, another elder in Kyebando notes the high level of infrastructural development in the place. For a long period, stretching from independence down to late 1990s, Kyebando had one government aided school, one church, one health centre, one mosque. He observes though that every aspect of social service delivery has tremendously increased.

Today, the area boasts of over twenty schools like Kampala Model Primary School and Kampala Hill Academy which rank high in the national academic league tables.

Some of the rentals are still in shape

Security

Dating way back, Kyebando has always been a very dangerous place at night. The situation even worsened when the northern bypass was constructed. Iron bar hit men are rampant in the area and there is even no notable police station in the area.

Kalule further laments; "Even the security has improved, up to 2000, the whole village was bushy with very few people. It was a hide out for thieves," the old man observes, stressing that the crime rate is starting to go up again. "As old people who enjoyed the peace of Kyebando we get disappointed with these idle youth taking drugs, stealing and indulging in all sorts of crime," he notes, calling upon the Ugandan Police Force to establish a permanent police station in the area. Currently, Kira, Wandegeya and Kawempe police stations serve the area.

."You cannot pass via the Northern By-pass at night. It is a hot spot for robbers and iron bar hit men. Residents are still waiting for police to deal with them once and for all," he says.

The future is however very bright for Kyebando considering the great developments in the area and there is also hope that a police station will soon be brought to the area so people can live safely and happy.