In the news

There have been two main topics of conversation around the lunch table at the office this week, both of which have also been the subject of international media attention.

It is unusual for local Ugandan news to be reported further afield but both of these stories involved young children and have highlighted two different aspects of life in Kampala.

The first story was the tragic death of a toddler, run over by a city council vehicle after his mother was arrested and taken to the council offices for illegally selling fruit on the streets. Street-sellers are an everyday part of life here, as they are in many cities across the world. It's not an easy life either sitting by the side of the road or walking up and down between the traffic at busy road junctions trying to sell your wares. For many people though it is the only way to make a living in order to be able to provide for their families. The selection of things for sale is always diverse: newspapers, scratchcards providing phone credit, chewing gum, toilet paper, fruit, nuts, phone chargers, memory sticks, belts, pirated DVDs, posters - the list goes on and on.

But Kampala Capital City Authority are trying to tidy up the city and have been clamping down on these hawkers. Depending on your point of view this child's death is either a consequence of this tough policy or just a tragic accident but it does highlight the difficult lives of many people in this growing city where jobs are hard to come by. The other victim of this story is the driver of the vehicle, who is now in prison and whose life has also been changed forever.

The second story was the horrific abuse of a small child by her nanny, which was filmed with hidden cameras and has shocked and shaken the country. This story involves a family whose lives are as far removed from those of the street-sellers as mine. They are part of the growing Ugandan middle-classes, who have received a good education and now have well-paid jobs and spend their leisure time at the modern shopping malls and restaurants that are springing up all over the city. They choose to continue with their careers after having children and can afford to pay for childcare, either in a day care centre or one-to-one in their own home. Unfortunately the demand for childcare is growing faster than the training and vetting of such staff. This story has highlighted the inadequacies and failings of the current system and has acted as a wake-up call to many parents and to the authorities.

These stories have mainly just left me feeling sad. I am sad for the people involved: for the parents whose child was killed, for the driver, for the little girl so badly beaten, for her parents who have to live with the consequences of their decisions and for the nanny who, although her actions cannot be condoned, is probably also a victim herself. I am also sad for this country: Uganda has so much about it and its people that is good and positive which never gets reported.

Unfortunately stories like these only serve to reinforce the stereo-typed view of the African continent that needs saving from itself rather than of an Africa that is diverse and vibrant and beautiful and is increasingly able to work through its problems and find its own solutions. 

My daily commute

Every morning from Monday to Friday I walk the 1 km from where I am currently living to the office where I work. Every evening I walk the same route back home again. It’s a part of the day I really enjoy. In the morning the air feels relatively clean and fresh before the sun gains its full strength and the pollution of the Kampala traffic tightens its grip on the city once again. In the evening, after a day spent sitting at a desk, I relish the opportunity to get the blood pumping through my legs again.

It’s not a quiet road by any means. There are always other people walking the same route as me; walking along the side of the road trying to dodge our way between the traffic – the bicycles, the boda-boda, the mini-bus taxis, the cars and the lorries. Kampala traffic is unpredictable and you can never be sure what a driver is going to do. Despite having to concentrate quite hard on what other road users are doing I enjoy the opportunity to just observe the sights and sounds of life being lived on one small stretch of road. 

• There is inevitably a man struggling to push a heavily laden bicycle. The things being transported may change – one day it could be crates of soda or beer stacked three or four high on the saddle, another day it might be enormous bags of charcoal, on a different day it could be several large bunches of matoke – and it will be a different man on a different day but it is always an effort and I marvel at how he manages it.
• There are numerous small kiosks, painted in the distinctive colours of the different mobile phone networks, offering ‘Mobile Money’. Sending money to family and friends through your mobile phone and paying utility bills in the same way has made life so much easier for people across Africa. Supporting your extended family financially is an accepted part of life and that money can now be sent easily to those living on the other side of the country. My favourite kiosk is the one that also sells pens, paper and envelopes. They advertise their wares with three words painted on the wall. It reads: ‘Stationary Mobile Money’. Surely a contradiction in terms!
• One kiosk I pass informs everyone in big black letters that it is NOT FOUR SALE.
• In the morning I walk past a lady setting up a small stall from which she sells fruit and vegetables. It’s a limited selection of tomatoes, onions, potatoes (called Irish here), sweet potatoes and matoke. She is still there in the evening and it always seems to me that she has hardly sold anything all day.
• In contrast, and a bit further up the street, there is a cage that in the morning is crammed full of scrawny and rather noisy chickens. Perhaps they know their fate and are taking a last opportunity to be heard as by evening the cage is inevitably empty – someone, somewhere not too far away, will be having ‘Chicken Tonight’!
• There are also chickens running free – either scratching around in the dirt or playing their own version of chicken as they weave in and out of the traffic. I had to do a double take this week when I saw a group of chicks all with bright purple feathers chasing after their mother.
• There’s no mistaking the line of business of ‘Unique Sounds – Music For Your Function’, as they blast loud music through the large speakers outside their shop. There is a certain irony to the fact that directly opposite their premises is ‘Peace Nursery School’.

Writing this makes me look forward to what I might see next week as I make my way to and from work. Two things I know already – it will not be predictable and it will not be dull.