For the love of Entebbe Town, Charles Nyakaana has taken it upon himself to tell its stories; stories about its people, landmarks, culture and more. PHOTO/EDGAR BATTE
For the love of Entebbe Town, Charles Nyakaana has taken it upon himself to tell its stories; stories about its people, landmarks, culture and more. If you visit his Facebook page, Pride of Entebbe, you will find countless reasons to fall in love with Uganda’s international gateway, beach town, and once capital city, declared so in 1894 by Sir Gerald Portal, the then governor of the Uganda Protectorate. With a bag slung over his shoulder, a camera hanging from his neck, and an extra pair of spectacles in hand, Nyakaana is a familiar figure around town. Whether attending a birthday, a reunion, or even a funeral, often at the invitation of a resident or someone who once called Entebbe home, he is always on the hunt for a story worth telling.
Friendly
Nyakaana’s personality plays a big part in the friendships he has formed. Always light-hearted and usually seen wearing a smile, he makes it easy for people to approach him by openly sharing his contact information online. Born on May 19, 1977, in Grade B Hospital in Entebbe alongside his twin sister Sarah Nakato, Nyakaana grew up in the area, building meaningful relationships from a young age with schoolmates, their parents, and the broader community. As he grew older, he developed a strong desire to explore life beyond the familiar. Drawn to adventure and the promise of new experiences, he made his way to the United Kingdom. There, he did kyeyo, a local term for menial jobs, as he chased the proverbial dream. Yet, no matter where life took him, a part of his heart remained tied to Entebbe. The thought of home never left him, and he often found solace in writing about it.
Storytelling as preservation
Musician Philly Bongoley Lutaaya once sang longingly about the town in his hit Entebbe Wala, and Nyakaana channels that same nostalgia into storytelling.
He vividly remembers the day he started writing; August 24, 2012, capturing Entebbe’s culture and people in the most natural, relatable way. His first story was about Muzinga Park and its historical significance. From there, he covered the town’s heritage, reflected in both colonial-era buildings and modern-day infrastructure. In doing so, Nyakaana found himself preserving history. “I also wrote about the history of Uganda Airlines because I knew it so well,” he shares. “I listed the pilots, a few hostesses, engineers, and crew members I remembered. I had met many of them through their children, who were my schoolmates. Families still thank me for those articles. It has created lasting connections.”
Why Entebbe?
According to Nyakaana, there are endless reasons to visit Entebbe; its scenic peninsula, cool weather, migratory birds, beautiful hotels, colonial schools such as Lake Victoria School, once attended by children of British colonialists, and St Theresa School for the Goan community. There is the State House, a variety of beaches, the zoo, the Express Highway that connects to Kampala in minutes, fresh fruit from Busi Island, daily fish supplies, roadside sculptures, good hospitals, and the town’s tranquil nature. “Entebbe is accessible by water, air, or road from any direction. We now have tour companies, express vans, hotel-based guides, and even bikes you can rent to explore the town at your own pace,” he says. Nyakaana showcases all this and more on Pride of Entebbe through platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), TikTok, and WhatsApp. His audience spans a broad spectrum, from corporate professionals and civil servants to retired foreign servicemen and religious leaders. Beyond storytelling, his page has become a virtual bridge reconnecting families separated by time and distance.
“Sometimes people ask me if I know a certain family. Recently, a family in the US was looking for their uncle, whom they had lost contact with during President Idi Amin’s era. They had even placed newspaper ads. They gave me his name, and I was able to connect them immediately since he is a village chairperson here.”
Always on call
Nyakaana constantly receives calls, about hotel locations, transport fares between Entebbe and Kampala, directions to offices, or inquiries about local leaders.
“My phone is always on, day and night. I only put it on silent when I am in church or class,” he chuckles. Nyakaana is also occasionally called upon to eulogise respected elders during funerals, given his deep knowledge of community history. He is now planning to use his collection of stories and historical content to build an online museum, eventually evolving into a physical space with artefacts documenting Entebbe’s journey from 1894 to the present day. But Entebbe is not his only focus. Nyakaana also has his eyes on Fort Portal City, which he believes shares a similar character and climate. “Many people from Entebbe feel right at home when they visit Fort Portal, its cleanliness, colonial architecture, and history resonate deeply,” he notes.
Early years
His educational journey began at Queens Road Nursery School, followed by Lake Victoria School and Bugonga Sacred Heart Catholic School for primary education. He later joined Mayors College and Chwa II Memorial School for his O-Level, before moving on to Namasagali College on a scholarship facilitated by the late Father Swinney. “At Namasagali, we were under Father Damian Grimes. As scholarship holders, we had rules to follow.
But during our first week, we sneaked off to Jinja Town. He found us and suspended us,” Nyakaana recalls with a laugh. He later completed his A-Levels privately at Entebbe Secondary School.Nyakaana enrolled at Makerere University but did not complete his degree. Currently, Nyakaana is pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Public Relations and Mass Communication at Kisubi University. For him, it is a natural continuation of his life’s passion, sharing stories, preserving culture, and connecting people through the power of communication and the arts.
