This archive report was first published on 28 December 2019.
As the festive season approaches, Kampala, a city of over five million people, transforms into a ghost town. The annual migration of two million residents to their villages of origin is a spectacle to behold, and it's happening right now.
Just a few days before Christmas, the city's high streets are deserted, and the only sound is the hum of a few remaining residents enjoying a cup of tea. This phenomenon is not unique to Kampala; it's a common occurrence in East Africa, where millions of people migrate to their villages of origin during the festive season.
According to estimates, over two million residents of greater Kampala take off, despite the doubling and tripling of transport fares. The migration is so massive that it's been likened to the great wildebeest migration in the Serengeti-Masaai Mara ecosystem.
However, unlike the Serengeti-Masaai Mara migration, which is a natural phenomenon, the Kampala migration is driven by economic factors. The residents of Kampala migrate to their villages of origin to buy festive season goodies, which are then sold in the upcountry markets.
This seasonal boom has the potential to put enough money in the upcountry pockets to power the national economic growth faster than it is today. The business community needs to take advantage of this opportunity by sending goods to the upcountry dealerships, so that the two million loaded migrants from Kampala find them there.
As the author notes, 'Just imagine the effect on the local upcountry economies if the two million seasonal migrants bought all their festive season goodies from their villages instead of picking them from Kampala!' This is a call to action for the business community to capitalize on this opportunity and create a win-win situation for both the upcountry economies and the residents of Kampala.
