Uganda — Arrival
“Sorry”
On December 18, 2023, I arrive at Entebbe Airport but my luggage doesn’t.
Long queues to fill out forms and get a receipt so I can reenter the airport and claim my luggage. I’m told it sometimes take days for it to arrive. It’s just before Christmas and everyone is travelling with extra luggage, so much that there’s no room on the plane for all of it.
I get a taxi to a local hotel, withdraw some cash and get a local sim card from an Airtel kiosk. I need some clothes to change into. The ladies working at the hotel show me where to buy them. “Sorry” they say when they hear of my lost luggage. “Sorry” is used a lot here as a way to empathize with someone experiencing a mishap.
I stay close to the hotel as I’m tired and not feeling that well. My luggage arrives next day, and I get to the airport, and wait in line. No-one at the counter. After further enquiries, we find out that the luggage has been shipped to Ethiopian Airlines office in Kampala — there’s no space at the airport for all this delayed luggage. The person delivering the news says “sorry”. I say it’s not his fault! I meet a writer who flew in that day, his luggage delayed or lost, interrupting his onward journey to Karamoja. “Sorry”, I say.
My trip to Mityana was also interrupted, and now I have to make an unscheduled stop in Kampala to pick up my bags.
Entebbe to Kampala
At breakfast the next day, Charlotte, the manager of the hotel, introduces me to David who is heading to Kampala. I could go with him she suggests, as a private car with a driver is too expensive.
I can’t believe my luck. I get my backpack and look for his car, and see him walk to the roadside and waive down a couple of boda-bodas (motorcycle taxis). We arrive at a taxi station, where minibuses and shared cars are heading to various locations. Shortly, we’re on our way to Kampala, and David, a civil servant, shares his story about his family, work and travels.
Once in Kampala, David walks with me to the Ethiopian Airlines office, he has his doubts, and thinks I may need to head back to Entebbe. We see a truck off-loading bags outside the office. I breathe a sigh of relief. Go the office first, I’m told, as there are more bags there. My bags have a red ribbon and I spot them quickly.
David suggests I take the bus to Mityana — and he hails a taxi to take us to the bus station. Almost there, we’re stopped by the police. They are not happy with the driver, something about a permit. We get off and walk to the bus terminal through some busy streets in Old Kampala. There are cars, busses, minivans, pedestrians, and it seems, millions of boda-bodas, a constant stream of them moving in different directions, like ants.
The Link Bus Terminal is packed. Everyone is heading to their home city, town or village for the holidays. I’m too tired to wait in line for tickets and the bus to Mityana. I decide to stay overnight in Kampala at a mid-budget hotel David recommends. I’m also too tired to lug my luggage back up a hill towards the hotel. We take a couple of boda-bodas, each with a passenger and a suitcase balanced on the handlebars. It’s a short-ride. David then leaves for his meeting, and I rest.
Next day I’m searching for a way to get to Mityana. I don’t have the energy to lug both suitcases to the bus terminal. I shop around for private car rides to Mityana, rates vary, and sometimes the cost of fuel is extra. I call the hotel I was planning to stay at in Mityana to see if they can organize a ride for me, but no answer.
I look for other hotels, and find an airbnb type accommodation, where they can arrange pick-up. Fortunately, the owners are in Kampala that day, and they pick me up on their way back to Mityana. They had taken some friends to Mulago Hospital for some tests.
I mention that I was born in Mulago, a long, long time ago, and I share my reasons for returning to Uganda this time.
This is the first in a series of updates of my stay in Uganda. For the next update, see here.
