Category: Mike Swadling

When Douglas Adams wrote about the bureaucratic and officious Vogon in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, I can only assume he had just experienced passport control at Entebbe International Airport, the airport for Kampala.  Once navigated, I met-up with the hotel driver.

As a former British Protectorate, Uganda reassuringly drives on the correct side of the road.  You might not be aware of this when you see the ubiquitous motorcycles traveling the roads, but broadly they do.  The driver pointed out we were on a Chinese built highway, the tolls from which would apparently go back to China for 50 years.  The original roads still existed and were busier but for those who paid (the hotel driver chose the route) this was by far the quicker option.  This has always struck me as a good way of getting roads built in the UK.  With no money in the Treasury, we could upgrade our network with private enterprise to fund toll roads for those willing to pay.  In what was a theme, once he had established I wasn’t American, the driver wanted to talk football, and about his love of Arsenal.

Growing up next door to a Ugandan Asian family, like many my first thought of Uganda is of Idi Amin.  Amin ruled the country from 1971 to 1979, despite his relatively short period of rule, and its ending over 45 years ago, the shadow of his time can still be felt.  Uganda has one of the fastest growing economies in Africa, at about 6% per annum.  Kampala the capital, however, feels part of a chaotic country.  Armed guards at the front of every major building and indeed my hotel, didn’t fill one with a sense of confidence. Also as pre-warned the safety evident in Kigali is not readily felt here.

The new morning brought about a tour of some major sites and a chance to experience rush hour traffic.  It is unfair to compare most countries roads with the UK which are some of the safest in the world.  I am used to countries where people drive in a more disorderly fashion, however this is normally done at a slow or at least slower speed than we tend to drive in the UK.  In Kampala the omnipresent motorcycles drive not only with little concern for the rules of the road, but they drive at speed!

Peoples Christianity and Islamic faiths are very openly displayed here, given the risk from traffic, I can fully understand this.  The people I met were overwhelmingly polite and friendly, but my tour driver told me not to open the windows in busy places.  I noticed when we stopped in traffic, he and other drivers would make sure the central locking was engaged.

Kampala has stark contrasts between modern high rises, more historic buildings, low rise small business blocks and areas that have the look of shanty towns.  At one point on our tour, Google maps was telling the driver to turn onto a new road, one that I could see displayed on the map.  “Road”, interesting terminology to describe the deep ditched mud path in front of me.  This was not in the countryside or even the suburbs, this was half a mile from the British and Rwandan High Commissions in the centre of the city.

A walking tour gave a great opportunity to see more of the city up close.  One guide was keen to point out you must never trust a zebra crossing in Africa, and once you learnt to navigate them having three motorcycles driving at you from two different directions was not so concerning!  My experience was Ugandans are outwardly tough, the Luganda language spoken by locals appears brusque.  Yet also I encountered some of the friendliest and open people I have ever met.  The markets are crowded and full of people wanting a sale but also contain some amazing fresh fruit and great conversations.  One market I visited was full of second-hand clothes, originated in western countries and transported by the Red Cross.  I was told the number of donated clothes overwhelms those in need, and these are often meant to be burned but make their way via criminals to the markets.  I personally thought this was a great use of the clothes, as someone who has donated my share of old cloth, why not let someone make a few bob from it.  I would hope they can find a way to take out the criminals and let some free enterprise flourish.

Arriving during an election period (local and a general election are being held in January 2026 and have a long run in), provided an opportunity to learn about the local politics.  Uganda however is not a place it’s wise to ask too deeply about political leanings.  The country has a president who is both head of state and head of government.  Yoweri Museveni (M7 as he is known) has been the president since 1986.  The Parliament of 557 members is elected with a mix of constituency, woman only, and other group representatives.  Freedom of the press is limited, although both online and in the street, I did see papers appearing to criticise the government.

Still, it was interesting to see the election posters adorn many of the streets for both national and local elections.  The posters make politics appear more straightforward than in the UK with many candidates calling for a ‘Protest Vote’ and a range of parties running including one straightforwardly called the Peasants Party.  One driver I asked told me the election campaigns were everywhere, with occasions of people fighting each other.  He went on to say he didn’t get political and “as long as the country is peaceful, I’m good”.  Uganda has never had a peaceful transition of power, and perhaps the best summary came from a visit to the statue of Luhondeza.  He was the first gorilla who, with his family group, allowed people to get close to take photos.  This action (or rather his lack of it) opened tourism to large parts of Uganda.  It is said he has done more for the people of Uganda than any president had.

Central Kampala has a very distinct uptown district, full of shops apparently only government officials can afford to use and a clearly poorer but more colourful downtown area.  I was told getting a good job “is not easy, you have to be connected. Someone in the Government has to know you”.  You also need to speak 3 languages, the local language Luganda, used for business and most interactions.  Swahili, spoken by the Army and used for unity within it’s ranks and to connect with other East African armed forces, and finally English.

Some interesting discoveries for me included the separately owned Catholic and Anglican banks, used by their respective communities.  Strange though this may seem, it was not so long ago here, that this distinction was common for the Royal Bank of, and Bank of Scotland.  It’s important to show respect to your elders, when arranging a taxi for me my guide needed to chat to the elderly taxi drivers for a while to show them some respect before passing them business.  One of the things you notice is what a young country this is, with a ‘old’ building being pointed out to me from 1930, and an ‘old’ market from the early 1900s.  I visited the historic site of the Basilica of the Uganda Martyrs, Namugongo, where 25 martyrs were killed for refusing to renounce their Christianity.  An event that happened only in 1885.

No visit to Kampala is complete without a stop at the Gaddafi National Mosque, yes that Gaddafi.  The National Mosque of Uganda as it is also known, has a capacity of 25,000 (although not for the first time what I was told and what I can verify online differs).  Opened in 2008, work was started in 1972 by Idi Amin, stopped in 1976, and in the early 2000s Colonel Gaddafi picked up the effort to complete the build.  Sitting on Kampala Hill and with a 272-step minaret it can be seen from many vantage points across the city.

Despite being a republic, Uganda has at least 5 kingdoms.  Kampala is in the largest and the one the country gets its name from, ‘Buganda’.  The Kingdom has had 36 Kings in an 800 year period, and old Kings, are said not to have died, but only, to have gotten lost.  The first son never becomes King but is instead an advisor to the second son who takes on the role.  The Kabaka Palace, located in the city and modelled on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, looks down to the Kingdoms Parliament.  The road between the two buildings has a prominent roundabout with a gate used only by the Kings car.  The King is said to only go in straight lines, and as such he needs a path through the roundabout.

The Palace, and Kingdom has been part of many political events since independence, but now they are ceremonial, and the Parliament discusses only cultural issues.  My guide was trying to explain that although she is Ugandan, she sees her main identity as Bugandan, with her Ugandan identity being secondary.  She had thought these multiple identities might be difficult for someone who is both an Englishman and a Brit to grasp.

Sadly, part of the history of the Palace was the site serving as the torture chambers for Idi Amin.  Milton Obote was the second and seventh President of Uganda.  His first period of office, and his actions towards the opposition was so bad people initially celebrated when Idi Amin overthrew him.  I asked a guide if he was any different the second time, the guide said yes, as the second time “he had grudges”.  Still Amin was by far worse, the small concrete basements in the Palace grounds would hold 100 people in them.  The last one of which would have people piled up to die, to make room for more to come in.  In this you could see the marks of people clawing to get out on the walls.  It is believed some 25,000 people died in these chambers, just some of the 100,000 – 500,000 people who were killed by his period in power.  Despite this some people in Uganda still think he was a good leader, although these are apparently mainly the families of those who were given the businesses of the Asians who he expelled.

The Kampala metropolitan area of ~8 million people is a crazy, busy city.  People in bright modern clothes can be seen exiting slum housing, but these very slums reflect the rapid urban growth and increased prosperity of the country.  The number of motorcycles (and I might add repair shops) indicates the level of industriousness in the country.  Hopefully the economic progress can be coupled with some political progress for a more stable and peaceful future.

First impressions count they say, well my first impression of travelling to Kigali International Airport impressed.  So many countries could learn a thing or two from their arrivals.  Exiting the plane, you are straight to passport control, which is staffed sufficiently for the number of arrivals.  Once through, bags arrived quickly, and you are straight through customs to exit with hotel pick-up drivers waiting and a taxi rank nearby.

I appreciate the numbers through an airport matter for this.  But not having to walk miles through an airport or to a taxi rank positioned as far as possible from arriving passengers is quite the pleasant surprise.  It’s almost as if making people feel welcome is, welcoming.  One thing to add, Rwanda has a closed currency with the Rwandan Franc not readily available to purchase overseas.  So, at the exit of the airport they have a bureau de change, handily positioned to remind those of us about to walkout with no local currency.

Hotel pick-up was smooth and as my first trip to Rwanda the driver and greeter were keen to speak with me.  On the journey into the city, we quickly bonded over the international language of football.  The driver was a Liverpool fan, and the greeter was a Manchester City one.  Both were suitably impressed I had a Crystal Palace season ticket.  They were keen to talk about Arsenal, one of the majorly supported clubs in the country.  Also, one who advertise ‘Visit Rwanda’ on their shirt.  We spoke about who might contend for the league title this year, and all laughed at Manchester United, the other majorly supported club in Rwanda.

The extent to which European but especially Premier League football is followed here is astonishing.  English football (along with the odd Barcelona and Bayer Munich) shirts are commonplace to see in the streets.  All my guides on tours spoke to me about football after finding out I was from England.  The hotel restaurant I was staying at had constant reruns of Premier League matches.  The laughing at Man U became a theme. Including with the guide who as a Man U fan felt deeply embarrassed by their lack of success in recent years.

You might wonder what took me to Rwanda.  Well, I fancied a city break.  No gorillas in the mist or safari for me.  I wanted to see a rapidly developing city in an economically growing state.  With the capital being voted a top 3 city for travellers in Africa, and a country with the continents 6^th fastest growth rate at ~8%, Kigali fitted the bill.  I also wanted to be somewhere where the economy was on the up and people looked forward to a brighter future, so getting out of Labour’s Britain was a must!

Whenever I visit a country, I like to find out a little about the local politics.  Given the tragic events of the early 90s, here one must tread carefully.  On the journey to the hotel, I was already being regaled about what a great man the President, Paul Kagame is.  On arrival at the hotel the Presidents picture was centred above the check-in desk.  On two subsequent tours the guides were keen to tell me what a good government they had and how it was focused on Security, Education and Health.

It’s worth noting Wikipedia states “Rwanda has low corruption levels relative to most other African countries; in 2014, Transparency International ranked Rwanda as the fifth-cleanest out of 47 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and 55th-cleanest out of 175 in the world.”

My general impression was that there is much love and respect for the President.  Still, it’s important to say, Rwanda is an authoritarian, de facto one-party state.  I could read about this and criticism of the government on the internet from my hotel room.  This is something, post the Online Safety Act, I’m less sure about in the UK.  However, given the events of the genocide in April 1994, one can understand why many of the people of Rwanda are keen to have strong, stable government.

One of the immediate impressions was the youth and vibrancy of Rwanda.  The median age at 20 years old is a full 20 years younger than the average age in the UK.  Rush hours see busy roads full of taxi motorcycles.  These dart around seemingly driving at anyone and anything until it moves!  Another immediate impression is how green the city is.  Houses rather than blocks of flats are the main accommodation, and the main streets are tree lined.

Kigali is named after the largest hill in the area. It is all hills, and the views are amazing from almost any point.  The outdoor feel and developing nature of the city, made it to me seem somewhat of a cross section between Goa and a Spanish island.  Murals are commonplace often reflecting on the rebuilding post genocide.  The mix of old and new was all around.  Driving down the modern roads you often see a street cleaner brushing away the sands and earth with a very traditional brush akin to a witch’s broom.  Women would walk down the street carrying heavy loads on their heads with a mobile phone in hand.  Mobile phones were everywhere, and the country seems to run off ‘WhatsApp’.  This was how all my tour guides contacted me, and whose logo was used on many a shop and even for the hotels lift maintenance.  Although I had mobile data, Wi-Fi was commonly available.

The streets were safe to walk, although I did attract some attention in the downtown and market areas.  This was unsurprisingly less true in the areas frequented by ex-pats.  Although the country has rapid growth, my impression was alongside unemployment, there is a fair amount of underemployment.  On a brief visit outside the city, you could see a drop in wealth.  Motorcycle taxis turned into bicycle taxis, and the streets were full of impressive shop fronts to not so impressive buildings.  This compared to a city with a mix of very modern and older but still good conditioned buildings.  All this said, I saw none of the slums I’ve seen in other developing nations but did see lots of new building work and rapid development.

An organised tour of some of the nightlife took in a few spots.  All were more like Mediterranean restaurants with entertainment, than like a pub in the UK.  The music in them blended seamlessly between western and African tunes.  The short walks between bars were along what felt like very safe streets with taxis if needed, readily available.  The only challenge was the steep hills, made no easier by the cheap and strong drink available.

Sadly, no visit to Rwanda is complete without visiting some of the memorials of the genocide from the early 90s.  It’s worth first noting some background on the country.  Rwanda is populated by Bantu peoples who are believed to have arrived in the area about 1000 BC.  Originally the people were organised into clans with countries beginning to emerge in the 1600s.  The Kingdom of Rwanda emerged as the dominant state and reached its greatest extent during the 19th century.

The Berlin Conference of 1884 assigned the territory to the German Empire, although the first European to cross Rwanda didn’t do so until 10 years later.  In World War 1 Belgian invaded Rwanda, and from 1922 ruled under League of Nations mandate.  During the colonial period Rwanda was ruled though its monarchy which continued until a referendum voted for its abolition in 1961, a year before its independence from Belgium.

Rwanda’s relationship with Belgium is complex, many in the country speak French and the memorial to the Belgium UN Peacekeepers in Kigali is well respected.  There are also some Belgium cultural references around.  However diplomatic relations were severed in March this year over actions in the Congo.

I neither have the knowledge or desire to write extensively about the genocide in 94.  I will however mention a few of the sad memories I will take away.  The Ntarama Church Memorial has a stain still on the wall of the Sunday School from the blood of the children whose heads were smashed against it.  I was told the militia had felt it was a waste of bullets to shoot the children.  Many of the sites had piles of victims clothing still covered in blood, this included clothing of children and babies.  One site had 5000 bodies buried in it, with 300 recently added after being discovered earlier this year in a pit, next to the site of a roadblock used in April 94.  Another site had 45,000 bodies in it, with 10,000 having been killed on site.

Some of the identifiable remains were in rows of family coffins you were invited to walk down.  Many were not identified as the whole families had died.  One site had a display cabinet with about 140 skulls on display where you could see the club, arrow, and machete marks that had killed them.  The Kigali Genocide Memorial had pictures of those mutilated, the worst being those of the children on a looping video which no one I saw, me included, could stomach to watch all of.

The stories of the events leading up to the genocide gave me many thoughts to ponder a few of which are below:

• I was previously unaware of the extent of atrocities committed before 94 (notably in 92 but at other times as well).  The warning signs were there.
• We should take extremists seriously.  The MDR, one of the major political factions in Rwanda at the time had a motto of “Death or life. We will triumph”.  As I said, the warning signs were there.
• Sometimes it takes force to deal with evil.  Instead at the time the UN was drawing down it’s force of Peacekeepers in a country with no peace.
• The use of roadblocks and identity papers to single out Tutsis from the population highlighted to me the systemic risk of national identity cards.

However, my break wasn’t about the past.  It was about seeing a burgeoning city of today with a bright future.  The untold story of the 21^st Century has been the massive economic boom seen in Africa.  Rwanda is very much part of that.  Kigali International is a major hub airport for the region, and various conversations suggested there is a lot of trade and personal connections with nearby countries.

My one concern was how much change was government led.  My impression was there was more room for private enterprise to keep growing the economy.  If current growth rates are sustained in 10 years, the economy will have double in size.  Rwandans are proud of the rebuilding their country has undergone and the high level of safety in the country.  It would be great to make a future trip to see that progress.  For now, however, next stop Kampala.