Valentine’s Day: Ugandans more romantic than Kenyans – report

A couple enjoying a boat ride. Photo by Edgar R. Batte

It is Valentine’s Day? So what, you might be thinking. But according to a Synovate report, 65 per cent of Ugandans fully intend to celebrate love this Tuesday.

It takes two, and this survey done in urban areas across various districts in the country has no “gender disparities in the proportion who indicate that Valentine’s Day is important to them meaning that romance is a two way affair for both males and females surveyed,” it says.

So, flowers, special dinners, cards and gifts like shoes and clothes, are some of the mentioned ways through which the people interviewed plan to express and communicate their romantic feelings this Tuesday.

In contrast, more than half of the 1,011 adult Kenyans who took part in the survey do not plan to celebrate the day. Their reasons vary. Some do not believe in the day, others will be working, while others say they do not have the money or the partner to pander to. It is important to note however that fewer Ugandans compared to Kenyans mentioned these as ‘excuses’, clearly showing that to a great extent Ugandans may be more passionate about Valentine’s Day, or romance for that matter, than Kenyans.

For instance, the inflation rate in January 2012 was estimated at 15.1 per cent and 25.7 per cent in Kenya and Uganda respectively. However, according to the report, only 5 per cent of Ugandans in comparison to 18 per cent of Kenyans are willing to allow their romantic plans for the day get foiled due to lack of money. They will probably withdraw savings, borrow, beg or steal to celebrate Valentine’s with their loved ones.

Catherine Njeri, a 29-year-old Kenyan hotel manager working in Uganda who has been exposed to both social situations is quick to agree to the findings that pit Ugandans against Kenyans when it comes to love. “Love is one topic that is discussed more frequently and openly by the young and old alike in Uganda. Ugandan men are also more giving and expressive. On the first date say, he can give you Shs50,000 for transport and can even go on to pay your rent, school fees and salon bills. Ugandan women also try a lot to show love by giving gifts and the like.”

On the other hand, Njeri has noted that inspite of this, Ugandans-both men and women-take romantic relationships a little more casually having a series of short-term relationships. “A Kenyan man may take time to pick interest but once he does, it usually lasts,” she points out.