Back-to-school rush is back

Kampala. The back-to-school period has over the years become a season of its own. Take a walk through Kampala, especially downtown, and you may think there is a riot about to happen. The number of people on the streets is overwhelming.
The queues in supermarkets are long and the adverts for discounts on materials school-going children require are all over the place.
“Most of our suppliers are giving discounts for items such as mops, scrubbing brushes, scholastic materials which are now on high demand because they are major requirements in most schools,” Mr Francis Akankwasa, the operations manager, Mega Standard Supermarket, says, adding they expect to get busier at the weekend before schools open on Monday.
Mr Bruno Nsubuga, who sells shoes in Nakawa Market, says the back-to-school season is more profitable than festive seasons such as Christmas, since there are many parents buying new shoes for their children.
Sulaiman Kaka, a stationery trader in Kikuubo, regrets that supermarkets have become a more popular choice for shoppers the last few years, but adds that traders are coming up with more attractive discounts to counter them and attract shoppers.
“The traders in Kikuubo also work late hours so they serve shoppers who prefer to buy after their day’s work in the evening,” Mr Kaka says.
Aside from the shopping, people should expect some changes in the city in the next three months.
Traffic jam will be heavier with parents making the school-run so it might be time to adjust your timetable. This alone will come with its own consequences.
A taxi conductor in the Old Taxi Park says they usually increase fares since back-to-school comes with traffic jam, which means the routes are affected, especially in the evenings.
Therefore, whether you have children returning to school or not, the back-to-school is likely to affect you.

Special commodities
But there are some traders who not even the supermarkets can beat – the ones who deal in specialised items like metallic suitcases. “The demand is so high since they are durable. Some schools make it a compulsory for students to have metallic cases,” Mr Eriya Justice Wasswa, a tin smith at Nakawa Market said.