Congestion is unavoidable in Kampala slums; shanty houses are too many and extremely close to one another. Yet most of these houses are rented out to people. Many people can afford renting only a room. The father, mother and children may occupy a room, which may also serve as the dinning, storeroom, bedroom, among other functions. Due to the large numbers in the room, some families force some of their children to sleep under the parents bed yet in more descent homes, a simple curtain separates the “master bedroom” from the children’s, which also doubles as a dinning room. The sourness or sweetness of the night is enjoyed by all the occupants of the room.
Moreover, congestion in the slums would not become such a menace if the buildings were descent and if such places had better infrastructure. However, to complicate the situation, the buildings and other infrastructures are otherwise. Most of the buildings in Kampala slums like Kivvulu are on get set just waiting for the go whistle yet some important facilities like toilets are scarce. Due to the scarcity of toilets, many people do “ease” themselves in polythene bags which are then thrown in nearby paths and water streams. The drainage system in such places is extremely substandard yet gullies dominate most of the slum roads.
The excessive rains which are currently experienced in most parts of Uganda have aggravated the situation in slums. Houses have been destroyed by floods, people have lost property and diseases like cholera are on rampage. Imagine a situation whereby somebody wakes up only to find his/her bed surrounded by dirty water as brown as “tonto” and most of the household items floating on the dirty and highly contaminated water. Water in the streams and other places is also stagnant, thereby providing ground for the rapid multiplication of mosquitoes, which makes the people more vulnerable to malaria.
More so, many children and adults move about bare footed in such a dirty environment. Children also find stagnant waters as good playgrounds. Half nakedness is so common amongst slum children because of the “itching poverty” yet hygiene and sanitation are also not a priority to many people since a good number of them still use unboiled water and put on dirty clothes among other things. Even in the local restaurants, sanitation is a problem.
Rats, bed bugs and cockroaches are recognizable family members in many homes and dogs patrol the whole slum all night in search for lovers and left overs.
Most people eat hardly enough food because of poverty. Most families enjoy only one meal a day and a balanced diet is still a dream to many. Not only does this affect slum people but also a good number of families in other parts of the country.
The levels of crime are also high in slums. Rapists, defilers and adulterous personalities are enjoying sexual overdoses where thieves and marijuana smokers maximize their “talents” in such places. Parasites also enjoy booming business in Kampala slums. Rumor mongering and fights amongst people, especially women, are very common in these places.
In a nutshell, slum people face a number of problems, some of which have not been revealed by the author. However despite all this pain, many of our leaders are lending to these people’s problems a deaf ear and are too religious to the “for God and my stomach” motto. They acknowledge the importance of these people mainly during elections seasons. Negligence and ignorance coupled with poverty amongst the populace have also greatly played a pronounced role in the acceleration of the problems that complicate slum life.
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