Connections

I am learning, again, that connections matter in rural Uganda.  I knew you get better rates in the market if you build a relationship with the vendor over time.  That is the way I need to do it, because I do not have family in the area.  Family relations take top priority.  You take care of family.  However, being known to the family and introduced by a family member counts.

Now I have discovered it also pertains to transportation.  Moses has a brother that drives a public car on the Koboko – Arua route.  He introduced me and the driver drove up to my house in Birijaku so I would not need to walk to downtown to get a car to Arua.  I did not expect that.  I did not ask for it either.  I was just inquiring if the rate for public transport to Arua had changed like so many other prices have.  Of course, now I am expected to use his car if he is available.  Fine by me.  He has shown himself to be a good driver so far and he keeps a clean vehicle, and his car is in good condition.

Inflation

Uganda is experiencing inflation.  It is hard to tell how much because it varies by item.  I suspect it also varies by region.

I am in NW Uganda, in Koboko, a rural region.  Last January I passed through Entebbe and Kampala, the urban region of southern Uganda.  The petrol prices had only risen a small amount there, less than 10%.  Here in Koboko the petrol price was up 25% and has increased another 200 UGX since then (another 5%). 

A quick, perhaps hasty generalization of the situation in rural Koboko is the price of most imported items is up 25% while the price of domestic products is up 100%.  I have heard from several sources now that Uganda is not allowing the import of products that are produced in Uganda (sugar, cooking oil, laundry bar soap, coffee, etc.).  Without competition the price of these products has risen rapidly and often.  Landlords have begun raising rent too.  I have not heard reports of anyone receiving pay increases.  I have heard reports of people having little or nothing to eat because there is no food in the market, and when there is food in the market, they cannot afford it.

I know Uganda had high inflation in its past; however, this is the first time I arrived.

Heavy Rain

Sometimes English can be misleading.  The rain today was pounding, but I doubt there was any difference in the weight.

The wind was present, but not substantial.  I doubt there were any buildings lost to wind today, praise God.

The path to my home is normally dry, with just a small water trench across it for draining a field (garden) the neighbor has between my front gate and the road.  Today’s rain quickly filled the drainage trench he made in the garden, turning the path into a fast-flowing creek.  It turns and goes down hill just before reaching my gate.  Therefore, no water issues on the property.  The real creek is a short distance down hill from the house. It must have been running high.

The rain turned the path to my house into a temporary creek

The rain came several times, but none of them were too long.  However, it was enough to reduce attendance at the prison ministry team meeting to five (half what was expected).

Bishop Charles Andaku

I have been in Koboko, Uganda for over two years and this was the first time I heard of confirmation being offered.  It could be due to corona virus lock downs; however, I think it has more to do with when the bishop visits. 

St. John Birijaku, the parish church, was the second parish to host the bishop for the day.  The five mission stations attached to St. John sent their candidates for confirmation to St. John.  There were 134 people confirmed and one received.

It was not announced ahead of time, but the Archdeacon for Koboko (Archdeacon Daniel) came with the Bishop for Madi and West Nile Diocese, Church of Uganda.  It was my second time meeting the Archdeacon and my first time to meet the Bishop.

Bishop Charles Andaku (on left) and Archdeacon Daniel (on right) arrive

Bishop Charles Andaku confirming and Archdeacon Daniel presenting candidates for confirmation

Storm Damage

A couple weeks ago I wrote about the windstorms we have been experiencing.  I visited the Free Charismatic Church office recently to continue teaching computer skills to the archbishop.  When I visited, I noticed the building beyond the office was missing.  It was an old, corrugated metal building that had been a classroom at one time and now needed to have many of the metal sheets repaired or replaced.  The wind took care of that, it is gone!  Not just down, gone.  Only the slab and the spoiled charcoal that was inside an old bag remain.  (The charcoal is dust, not pieces, which is why it was not used long ago.)  Fortunately, that part of the building was not being used.  I did not note any concern over its absence, nor plans to replace it.  This is inside town, in Ombachi, which is one of the neighborhoods on the north side of Koboko.

Haircut

I recently noticed how different barbers cut hair.  In the US some were called barbers and others were called stylist.  I think the difference is in the licensing requirements they have.  In Uganda I have not heard either term (except from myself and the other missionary).

In the US I have seen a barber use a clipper with a built-in vacuum to collect the clippings.  I grew up going to a barber that did part of the haircut by clippers and part by hand (scissors) and then followed up with a vacuum that was a little larger than the clippers to collect the loose hair.  I have also had haircuts from stylist that did not have a vacuum, they just clip the hair and brush off the clippings they see when they are done.

Here in Uganda, I go to a place called a saloon.  No beverages are served, but haircuts are available.  He uses a brush to remove the loose hair after almost every stroke of the clippers.  He also used a wet rag (the size of a washrag) to wipe down my hair and my shoulders to remove any remaining loose hair when he was done.

Schedules

Planning has a different meaning in Uganda.  Plans need to be held loosely.  It seems like the last thing to request a meeting is the one that happens.  To me planning ahead means getting something on everyone’s schedule first so they will be available unless something with a significantly higher priority comes up.

I schedule prison ministry team meetings to occur on the same day of the week, every week.  However, anything that comes along can take people away because they are responding to the new thing, not thinking about their “plans.”  The computer skills ministry operates the same way, each location has the same time each week so they can “plan.”  However, attendance varies for the same reason.

Clothing (Bongola)

Technically ‘bongola’ is Kakwa for clothes; however, it is my understanding it is used for clothing too.  I was surprised to see a Seahawk jersey in church in Birijaku (a neighborhood in West Koboko, Uganda).  Jerseys are popular here, but they are usually for the English Premier league teams.  But there was number 25 in his Seahawk home color jersey seated with the instrumentalist at the front of the church.

I have seen vendors with piles of clothing along the side of a particular street on Tuesdays.  I do not have the resources to verify it; however, I am told this is where clothing that does not sell at Goodwill or St. Vincent de Paul end up.  It would explain why I have seen “western” style clothing being worn by so many.

Shorter Days

The days are getting shorter. 

I am in the northern hemisphere; however, I am close to the equator, approximately 3 and a half degrees north.  Now that the sun has passed my latitude on its trek north, the days are getting shorter again.

I still have more sunlight than I did in January.  The difference is about 20 minutes at each end of the day.  Daylight is approximately 12 hours a day year-round.  When we are near 21 December that can be 11 hours 45 minutes.  When the sun reaches my latitude, daylight is approximately 12 hours and 30 minutes.

Soap

The prices have been increasing in Uganda.  Some of the biggest increases are for items that are produced here in Uganda.  I used to be able to get a bar of laundry soap for 3,000 UGX.  A month ago it was 5,500 UGX.  I checked again the last time I was downtown, and my favorite vendor told me he was now selling it for 6,500 UGX.

The increase in the price of gas is the most common excuse.  It is up a little less than 25% (was 4,200 UGX a liter/quart, now 5,200 UGX a liter/quart).  Yes, that will affect the cost of bringing it to market, but it will not double it.  The latest price increase does not match an increase in the gas price.

Moses said he found soap for 4,500 UGX a few days ago.  I told him to remember where he found it so I could buy some too.  The next day that vendor was going compound to compound (door to door) selling soap.  I bought two.