Kayunga Town is the United nations of Uganda’

Most people who have never had a chance to go to Kayunga Town think the area is very far from Kampala, and is remote. However, Kayunga Town is only 55 kilometres north east of Kampala. An hour’s drive from the capital.

There are several routes one can use to connect to the area. However, the first and shortest route from Kampala, is Kaleerwe-Gayaza. Whatever route one chooses, all the roads are newly constructed, and have no potholes.

Being the business centre in Kayunga District, the town of about 24,000 people is very busy during the day as it attracts people from surrounding areas. However, it goes to sleep very early. Lukiya Nakayiza, a business woman, says by 9pm, only a few shops and bars remain open, and the streets are deserted. “Most people here don’t move out at night a lot so bars and other businesses are mostly busy from 5 pm to 9 pm,” Nakayiza emphasises.

Influx of settlers
Because of the good roads and the ferry in Busaana sub-county, which connects Kayunga to Kamuli District, across River Nile, and the ongoing construction of Isimba hydro power dam on River Nile, the area has received an influx of new settlers.
“The good infrastructure and the big projects like Isimba dam, have given the area a boom in business. The cost of food and housing has drastically increased in the past three years because of increased demand,” Livingstone Kyagaba, the Kayunga north ward LC 1 chairman says.

Kayunga Town is home to 26 tribes out of the 56 tribes found in Uganda, the reason people refer to it as the “United Nations of Uganda”.
“Kayunga is a unique case because it is perhaps the only area in Uganda where almost all the tribes found in Uganda are living and working together,” Amos Lugoloobi, the Ntenjeru north MP says.

Margaret Ssempala, former Kayunga town district councillor says: “When you are in Kayunga, you cannot imagine it is part of Buganda, This is because you find tribes such as Baganda, lugbra, Bagisu, Basamya, Basoga, Banyala, Banyarwanda, Bakenye, Iteso, and Jopadhola, living in harmony. Besides the indigenous tribes, there are also many south Sudanese nationals in the town.”

Ssempala adds that all the tribes were attracted to Kayunga by the fertile soils good for farming, cotton, coffee farming and trade. “Some people like the Banyarwanda came to work in coffee and banana plantations while the south Sudanese were brought in the area as refugees by former president Idi Amin in the 1970s. All these have since become part of the indigenous people in this area,” Ssemapala says, adding that: “People like Sulaiman Madada, a Musoga, was elected MP for Bbaale County even though he is not a Muganda and many are in positions of leadership in the local council administration.”

Origin of the name
The origin of the name Kayunga is not well known by most elders. However, some say the name came from the Kiswahili word “kuwungana”, which literally means to come together. In fact the word “Kayunga”, which is in Luganda, means to unite or come together. According to David Kikomeko, an elder in the area, it is said there were many Indians and Arabs, who used to go the area to buy cotton and they would use the word ‘kuwungana’ to mean they would come together or meet each other in the area, hence the name Kayunga.

Businesses
The area is very busy with the biggest business being trade in agricultural produce. Because of this, there are a number of maize mills, which provide employment to youth. The area has many retail and wholesale shops plus produce buying centres.

However, business booms during the coffee harvesting season between October and January. “During the coffee harvesting season, many traders come to this area to buy coffee, which further raises the cost of living as landlords hike rent charges while hotels and restaurants, too, raise food prices,” Sam Kalibbala, a shop attendant says, adding “During this period, we make a lot of money because of an influx in population”.
Kayunga also has a tourist site at Kalagala falls that is a source of revenue.

Housing, land and rent
On average, the cost of renting a one roomed house is Shs50,000 while a double room it is Shs100,000. However, a self-contained two-roomed house is Shs150,000 a month. Most of the land in the area is on mailo land, however, there is also land that belongs to the Kabaka.

Charles Jjuuko, who deals in land, says a 100 by 50 untitled land outside the town centre is between Shs6 to Shs8m while the titled one goes for Shs10m to Shs15m. In the town centre, a titled 100 by 50 plot of land goes for Shs30m to Shs50m while one without a titlle is from Shs15m to Shs20m. However, Jjuuko says with the increased demand for land in the area, the cost of land is going up.

Security
There is a police station in the centre of the area. The police makes night patrols in the town.
George Obia, the Kayunga district police commander, says: “Apart from some few cases of burglary there are no serious crimes like is the case in some other areas,” George Obia, the Kayunga district police commander.

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