The Christmas rush in downtown Kampala is a story of two totally different scenes. On one side, transport is absolutely booming. Fares out of the city's bus parks have jumped by at least ten thousand shillings as everyone tries to get to their villages, with extra vehicles not even meeting the demand. Boda boda riders are also hiking prices, creating packed terminals and annoyed travelers who are sometimes delaying trips because of the cost.
Meanwhile, the actual shops in places like Kikuubo are basically dead. Traders are staring at full shelves of holiday goods with almost no customers. Many are blaming the city for poor planning, saying street hawkers are blocking access to their storefronts and killing sales. Even the head of the hawkers group, Ismail Mubiru, admitted buyers are just browsing for the best deal, though he was happy the usual harassment from authorities had eased up. The whole thing shows a sharply divided festive economy, where getting out of the city is expensive chaos, but selling anything inside it is a tense waiting game.
Meanwhile, the actual shops in places like Kikuubo are basically dead. Traders are staring at full shelves of holiday goods with almost no customers. Many are blaming the city for poor planning, saying street hawkers are blocking access to their storefronts and killing sales. Even the head of the hawkers group, Ismail Mubiru, admitted buyers are just browsing for the best deal, though he was happy the usual harassment from authorities had eased up. The whole thing shows a sharply divided festive economy, where getting out of the city is expensive chaos, but selling anything inside it is a tense waiting game.
