Where the Rich and the Poor Live in Kampala

Just like a good number of other cities on the African continent, Kampala is by no means an exception. Kampala is split informally into the rich and poor sections where these different income classes reside.
The most re-known rich residential area in Kampala is Kololo.

Muyenga Tankhill area

This area is marked by high class houses and well-manicured gates, impressive landscaping not forgetting well tarmacked roads. Most of the government officials and the CEOs of the predominant private sector bodies reside here. Other rich suburbs include; the Tank Hill Muyenga, upper parts of Naguru hill, Buziga, some parts of Bukoto, Naalya, Najjerra and Mutungo. These places are equipped with good sanitation and unpolluted environment.
The urban poor on the other hand reside in densely populated slums like Katanga, lower Kamwokya, Bwaise, Kalerwe, Kawala, Nakulabye Kiwunya among others marked with poor sanitation, illegal electricity connections, poor waste management and haven for drugs like Marijuana.

The Urban Poor Areas

Where the Rich and the Poor shop in Kampala

Since the level of income is not uniform in the city of Kampala, it is not surprising that there are shopping centers that an urban dweller who has lived in Kampala for close to 30 years has never stepped his feet into. The rich and the poor shop from different areas.
The rich tend to shop in the modern complexes like Garden city, Nakumatt, quality shopping village Lubowa, Acacia shopping mall and the pioneer mall for a range of items including fragrances, clothes and food stuffs. If they really want organic fresh food stuff, they sometimes stretch to Nakasero Market.
Whereas the poor people go for cheap places most of which are down town. The Owino Market is the main shopping center for the poor when it comes to clothes. Kalerwe Market is the haven for food stuff shopping for the poor. However, the street still remains among the main sources of the items that the poor people purchase. In fact, with the banning of street vendors by KCCA, a good number of low income groups apparently shop at night when the vendors are operating illegal.

Shopping areas for the rich and poor

Health Concerns between the Rich and the Poor in Kampala

The economic inequalities in Kampala cause differences in where and how the people get the medical services. There are modern quality private hospitals some of which are on international standards. However, these centers are very expensive and are thus left to the rich. These include; International Hospital Kampala, SAS, Kadic Health Services, Paragon Hospital, Nakasero Hospital, Case Hospital among others.
The government and institutional owned hospitals like Mulago National Referral Hospital, Mengo Hospital, Nsambya Hospital among others have a mixture of poor and rich patients. However, the poor are kept on the lower levels and sometimes it is hard for them to access medication easily compared to the rich who opt for private units and intensive care.
A range of other small clinincs which are privately owned distributed across Kampala city support the great counts of the poor urban dwellers. The poor tend to take medication most especially tabs even when they have not tested for the disease but base on symptoms and speculation.

Health facilities for the rich and poor