KAMPALA, UGANDA, EAST AFRICA

In my post "Mombasa Kenya, East Africa" I had written:

"After we had settled down beautifully un Mombasa, started a family and made many new friends we were suddenly informed that we were going to transferred to Kampala, Uganda."

So in early January 1958, we packed our belongings and with our five-month-old Spiros-Steven, our cook Odiambo and his wife and his baby daughter, Jumma, we left by train for Kampala.  Passing through the incredible East African countryside we stopped at Nairobi, Nakuru, Eldoret and Jinja we finally arrived at our destination.

Jack Alexandroff and his charming wife, Jane Ralli,  were there to meet us.  We went to their beautiful home, where we stayed over the night.  The next day Aleco and Jack went on tour while Jane, Spiros and I had all the house to ourselves.  Jane and I got on very well together, as we had very much in common.  We were both of Greek parentage, with a British background and she was expecting a baby in six months.  When the men came back from their tour, Aleco, Spiros Steven and I with Odiambo and his family settled down in one of the new Ralli Bros flats in Naguru Hill.  It was a four apartment building, in a large blooming garden.  We had friendly neighbours a very pleasant Greek couple with two children, who lived in the flat above ours, and two bachelors in the other two apartments.

Kasubi Tomb

Buganda Court of Justice

A small summary of the history of Kampala.  The city was the capital of the Buganda Kingdom, from which period several buildings still survive, including the Kasubi Tombs, built in 1881, the Lubiri Palace, the Buganda Parliament and the Buganda Court of Justice.

In1894, the British established Uganda as a Protectorate and in 1905 it was declared as a British Colony.   The country was liberated in 1962.  In 1978 the absurdly ridiculous dictator Idi Amin Dada expelled all Asian and Jewish residents and declared war against Tanzania, which invaded Uganda, causing severe damages to many of Kampala's buildings.  The city has been rebuilt with new, luxurious hotels, educational institutions, hospitals, banks and very trendy shopping malls.

Kampala is a beautiful city and it is called the city of the seven hills.  As it is built on the Equator is has a climate without seasons and due to the elevation, it has a mild temperature during the day, although one needs a blanket at night.  Uganda is a landlocked country however Kampala is built close to lake Victoria, the second largest lake in the world.  Also, the river Nile has its sources nearby, therefore it is a town with lush vegetation and beautiful parks and gardens.

Kampala and Entebbe  are the two largest cities of Uganda and lie 37 km apart.  Entebbe, after which the international airport is named, is built on lake Victoria, while Kampala is 10 km inland, so the residents of each town enjoy the lake swimming, fishing and water skiing.

Unlike Mombasa, Kampala had a very large Greek community, so we were, often, invited to their hospitable homes.  A dear old friend from Pakistan, Philip Samoylis and his lovely wife were transferred from Alexandria, Egypt to Kampala due to the Suez Canal crisis.  We were very pleased to see them, but we also made many new friends of various nationalities.

I often invited our friends with their babies to play with Spiros Steven.  It was lovely seeing him grow up to be such an adorable, cheerful toddler, all smiles and dimples.

We also went swimming in lake Victoria.  It was enormous and the waters were clear but I ever quite got over the peculiar feeling of stepping on the soft silt that oozed right through one's toes. compared with the firm sand of the sea.

We went to the "pictures" (cinema) and watched films like "The King and I" directed by Walter Lang with Deborah Kerr and Yul Brunner and the "Bridge on the River Kwai" directed by David Lean, with William Holden and Alec Guinness.  Both films were great hits and had excellent critiques.

When Spiros Steven was six months old, to our great delight I was pregnant again.   We continued our life in Kampala for four months more, when we were suddenly informed that were being transferred by the company to Arusha, Tanganika or Tanzania as it is now called.

Aleco was furious and after profound and very serious thought and contemplation we decided that enough was enough, so he bravely resigned from Ralli Bros and we left for Greece. 

A Beautiful Public Garden Kampala

      

A Lovely Garden at a Private Home, Kampala