Kadama: Budding business hub

Kadama Town Council is approximately 24km, north-east of Mbale Town on the Mbale-Tirinyi highway.

It is one of the fast-growing commercial trading centres in Kibuku District having an olden times feel due to the very many old yet well maintained structures whose construction dates back as far as the early 1940s and beyond.

Kadama’s prominence stems from the booming business which has turned it into a business hub factored by the Kadama stage which serves as both a departure and arrival point for those travelling to Mbale and Kampala.
The town has a population of more than 10,000 people and can also be referred to as the business “headquarters” of Kibuku.

The high population that flock the town makes it busy as one can vividly see boda-bodas criss-crossing to and from various destinations and a buzz of people going about their business. It is comprised of various small trading centres such as Idudi, Nansanga, Kenkebu,Dodoi, Kabweri, Nandere, and Nabiswa.

This trading centre started on a small scale with very few people and a few isolated mud and wattle structures. But eventually, as people started to migrate from other areas, it has transcended to the sub-county level and now, town council.
If you happen to travel at night, checkout the nightlife that is always booming. You will find clubs and pubs open in the centre of the town with several revellers in attendance booming with music that will have you dancing till morning.

Development
Previously, the town had a small population but as the town continued to expand in both structures and population, the demand for land has greatly increased. “This implies that the growing number of people seeking land and other services has indeed gone up,” the Kadama LC3 chairman, Muzamir Masiga said.

He noted that people from the surrounding smaller trading centres make purchases from Kadama. “This town is the main supplier of essential products and services,” he said.

The Kibuku Disitrict chairman, Charles Kadyama, noted that the rapid growth of the town from the traditional trading centre to peri-urban town speaks volumes about a town that has transformed surrounding communities.
He said that the potential for the rapid growth of Kadama town is well recognised with the emergence of several small to medium business enterprises. He also noted that the hospitality of the people of Kadama has also played a big role in the development.

“All these developments have contributed and promoted to the town becoming a peri-urban area. That has also caused an increase in population as many people are migrating from other towns to settle and do business in Kadama. The population rise is also credited to many people rushing to buy land in the town council,” Kadyama commented.

He also noted that the presence of basic needs such as electricity, good infrastructure coupled with the tarmacked Mbale-Tirinyi Road has propelled growth of the town. Kadama’s stage is Kibuku’s business hub compared to Tirinyi and Budaka, especially on the Mbale-Tirinyi highway.

Cost of Land
The prices of plots within Kadama town have risen from Shs12m-Shs15m from Shs3m-Shs5m for 50ft by100ft. ”The increasing number of migrants has automatically pushed land prices up. However, that also depends on the location of the land,” Mr Masiga said.
The cost of rental houses is between Shs60,000 and Shs100,000, depending on whether the house has basic necessities such as electricity and has easy access to the main road.

Accommodation
As the town is rapidly growing, many restaurants and lodges have been established to serve the big population. These include Charity, Wasiwasi, Lado and Kyanda lodges whose charges are between from Shs25,000 and Shs30,000 per night.

Security
No area is crime free but in general, Sowali Kamulya, the district police commander, says that the security level in the town is stable and this is mainly attributed to continued community sensitisation.

Institutions
The town council has a number of institutions: nursery, primary and secondary. Some of them are Kadama Highlight Secondary School. It also has health facilities such as Kadama Health Centre.

Cost of food
With the high population, the business community has taken advantage hence an increase in food prices despite bumper harvests. For instance, a kilo of rice stands at Shs2,400, a kilo of posho is at Shs1600, a bunch of matooke is between Shs15000 and Shs20,000. For those operating restaurants, a plate of rice and meat goes for Shs3000, a plate of matooke and meat goes for Shs4,000.

Transport
The town is easily accessible because many of the roads are car friendly. Even the feeder roads are in fair condition, according to Kadyama. When using public means and heading to Mbale or Kampala, there are two options, taxis or boda-boda. The transport fares are quite fair because from Mbale-Kadama is just Shs3,000. Boda-bodas are dotted almost at every corner of the town, and a customer could possible part with Shs1,000 depending on the distance.

State of roads
Previously, the state of the community roads were in a sorry state but ever since the district acquired road equipment from government, the entire road network is in fair condition. “Most of the roads are motorable and easily connect to other areas and most of them are murrum-based,” Kadyama said

Challenges
Despite the fact that the town has registered a number of achievements, it also faces some challenges. Kadyama noted these to be collection of garbage, street lighting and noise pollution from bars.

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