What does your city say about you?

Walking around town and this not so perfect gentleman in an amazing land cruiser throws an empty mineral water bottle out of his car window, to think it missed me by just inches. I could not believe my eyes, which type of home did he come from? on looking around, I realized that my city was bruised with garbage at every street corner, on the dustbins and open spaces nearby. Unlike the city centre which has been wiped cleaned by Kampala City Council Authority (KCCA), the outskirts are characterised by water drainage littered and over flooded with a likeliness of sewage over flow. Buvera's or plastic bags are also dancing around the streets, different toxins from different places ranging from second hand cars, boda boda's or motorbikes which are the most common means of transport, and dusty walkways. All these pause as a health hazard caused by us who choose to walkway or drive away.

one of the slums found in the outskirts of Kampala

We should stand not to leave all this work towards National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) and Kampala City Council Authority (KCCA) but wake up and play our part from simple acts like throwing garbage in the dustbin. Kampala should be among the most beautiful and strategically built cities in Africa with all basic requirements, medium height buildings standing on rolling hills. Kampala grew into a capital accidentally a century ago under the kingdom of Buganda and forever remained the largest domestic market with highest population in Uganda. The word Kampala was derived from a Luganda word ”Impala" a type of antelope which used to graze on the slopes of the hill near Mengo Palace. The name "Hill of the Impala" given specifically to the hill on which Captain Fredrick Lugard a British administrator established his camp. The fort at Kampala hill was what it got to be called the now old Kampala. Like Rome, Kampala was built on seven hills with an appealing mixture of delightful valleys and swamps. We call for a caretaker among each and every one of us to take care of this “Antelope”, the same way, we plan each day to wake up and have a bath.