Market vendors sell merchandise inside Mpanga Market in Fort Portal City on November 30, 2024. PHOTO/ALEX ASHABA
Fort Portal City has witnessed remarkable growth over the past decade, with its population enlarging by 33 percent from 102,240 in 2014 to 135,702 in 2024, according to the latest National Population and Housing Census.
However, this surge, coupled with its elevation to tourism city status in 2020, has come at a cost; a sharp increase in the cost of living such as housing, food, and education, among others. Similarly, acquiring a piece of land has become a distant dream for many.
The cost of doing business has also increased, as vendors and entrepreneurs grapple with higher operational costs driven by growing demand and limited infrastructure.
A look lack
Mr Joshua Musiimenta, a resident of Kahungabunyoyi Cell, Central Division, said in 2005, he could use Shs20,000 with friends at a social hangout. He adds that a bottle of beer used to cost between Shs2,000 and Shs2,500 while a kilogram of roasted pork went for Shs8,000. Beer now costs between Shs4,000 and Shs8,000.
Mr Musiimenta remembers that for salary earners, Shs200,000 per month was enough to cover rent, school fees, and other household needs. A modest family home, with a double room, could be rented for Shs70,000 monthly, while a larger house and compound could be Shs150,000, depending on the location.
“All this has doubled or tripled; these days, the cost of living in Fort Portal for newcomers is hard,’’ he said.
Real estate
Mr Timothy Mujuni, a dealer in the real estate business, said casual laborers who earn a small income can rent a one-bedroom house at Shs100,000 in city suburbs such as Kitembe. He added that for salaried earners and those with stable incomes, an apartment house costs between Shs250,000 and Shs400,000 per month, which was previously Shs200,000, depending on the neighborhood in the newly developed areas such as Kahungabunyoyi, Kyabikokoni, Mugoma, Kagote, and Kitembe.
“These days, it is not easy to get rental rooms, especially in decent places like Booma. The houses there are expensive; the area has a presidential lodge, many good hotels, and the roads are good. Recently, city leaders installed street lights,” he said.
High-end neighborhoods, such as Booma, about two kilometers from the city center, and new additions such as Rwengoma and Kahungabunyoyi, among others, cater to Fort Portal’s elite class people.
Mr Mujuni said in such affluent neighborhoods, plots of land measuring 50 by 100 range from Shs50 million to Shs120 million, depending on the location, but in the same areas, about 20 years ago, the same plots of land were between Shs10 million and Shs30 million.
Mr Jimmy Mutegeki, a house broker in Fort Portal City, said for one day to rent a residential house with two bedrooms, including a store, toilet, and a small compound, the monthly rent should be between Shs500,000 and Shs800,000. He adds that purchasing a plot of land in the Rwengoma area goes for between Shs50 million and Shs100 million.
“The cost of living is now high compared to the past decade. In areas like Booma, rent for a residential house goes for Shs1 million and above. This was not the same 15 years ago. We project that in years to come, living in Fort Portal City will even be more expensive. We have many universities now such as Uganda Pentecostal University, Mountains of Moon University, and FINZ Medical University, among others,” Mr Mutegeki said.
For residents such as Mr John Kusemererwa, who has lived in Fort Portal City for more than two decades, the city’s transformation is bittersweet.
"I used to pay Shs50,000 for rent 10 years ago, but now I pay Shs130,000 for the same house. Food prices are also high, and it’s becoming harder to save money,’’ he said.
Food prices
The city has several food markets that include Kabudaire, Mpanga, Fuelex, Kasusu, Kachwamba, and Kitumba, all selling different food items ranging from matooke, Irish potatoes, beans, cabbage, carrots, tomatoes, and onions. The food is always available, and it’s only during peak seasons that prices, especially for matooke, go down with a bunch costing between Shs30,000 and Shs50,000.
Ms Tuhaise Abwooli, who runs a small eatery in Kabudaire center and has been in business for more than 20 years, said the price of food for the past 10 years has increased.
She said currently, a good bunch of matooke goes for between Shs30,000 and Shs50,000 but added that during peak seasons, the price reduces to Shs10,000 or Shs15,000.
“It is becoming harder to maintain my family. A good bunch of matooke that used to cost Shs5,000 now goes for Shs30,000 or more in the market. A small basin of Irish potatoes costs between Shs20,000 and Shs30,000. How are we expected to survive when everything is so expensive?” Ms. Agnes Tukahiirwaa, a resident of Rwengoma, wondered.
Transport costs
The cost of transportation in Fort Portal City has significantly increased, straining the budgets of residents, particularly those living in areas such as Kasusu, Booma, Kyabikokoni, Kagote, Bukwali, and Buteebe.
Commuters using motorcycles now spend between Shs5,000 and Shs6,000 daily, compared to between Shs2,000 and Shs3,000 in previous years.
Mr John Mugisha, a boda boda rider, said in the early 2000s, town service fares for short distances were as low as Shs500. Today, the same distances cost Shs1,000 to Shs2,000 while using a taxi.
Fuel prices were also much lower, with a liter costing as low as Shs2,500 compared to the current prices.
A recent survey of fuel pump stations in Fort Portal revealed the following rates:
Total: Diesel at Shs4,799 per litre, petrol (Shs4,950).
Shell: Diesel at Shs4,730 per litre, petrol (Shs4,950).
Lubis: Diesel at Shs4,650 per litre, petrol (Shs4,950).
This has slightly reduced from Shs6,000 last year.
For low-income earners, the escalating costs have made transportation unaffordable, limiting their mobility and access to essential services. Civil servants from neighbouring districts such as Bunyangabu and Ntoroko, who reside in Fort Portal, spend between Shs10,000 and Shs15,000 daily on taxis commuting to their workplaces.
