Introduction to Kampala

Kampala, the capital city of Uganda and by far its primary urban centre, provided the context to our field work. It is a dynamic, growing, bustling and chaotic city. Kampala is characterized by many features which are in common with the fast expanding cities of the Global South, such as the oft documented problems of unplanned growth, proliferation of informal settlements and decline in living conditions. Kampala has had a master plan since the 1960s which was most recently revised in 1994 but its implementation has been ad hoc due to lack of resources, complicated land tenure systems and pressures of rapid urban growth. Close to 44 percentage of the population lives in slums and informal settlements with limited access to clean water, sanitation facilities and basic urban infrastructure. .

Kivulu Acholi quarters