China Town opened with a bang in Kampala. Located at the former Game Stores in Lugogo, it sells all manner of things from cutlery to furniture to electronics to bicycles to footwear. The place has already drawn thousands of people due to its unbelievably low prices for some items. It has also become a sensation on social media as influencers outdo themselves in promoting the place. Yet the excitement and frenzy it has generated tells us certain things about Ugandans. Here are five of them
1.Ugandans love new places
It does not matter whether it is a supermarket, a bar, a restaurant or a shopping mall. Ugandans just love to identify with something that’s new. Ugandans flocked to Game stores in droves when it was opened in 2004. It happened at Garden City in 2003, at Four Points by Sheraton in 2023 and at Cafe Javas in 2006. For many, it gives them the satisfaction of ‘having been there’ when such and such a place opened. For others, it is about curiosity.
2. Love for ‘cheap’ things
Secondly, we Ugandans love a bargain. We don’t know whether it is poverty but clearly, Ugandans love ‘cheap’ things or things that appear inexpensive. It is not uncommon for a Ugandan to spend Shs 10,000 in transport to buy an item that costs only Shs 2,000 less than where they live. A Ugandan can move from Jinja to Kampala simply because they have been told that a phone that goes for Shs 290,000 in Jinja is sold at Shs 280,000 in Kampala.
3. We go with the flow
Ugandans like going with the flow, never stopping to question. We are a herd community. We have seen it on our roads. When one motorist moves out of the main lane and forms a new one, other drivers unquestionably follow him or her. Therefore the many people flocking China Town are doing so because they have seen other people do the same or because they feel it is “the in-thing”. We don’t think that some have even realized that items like the Hoffman Air Fryer that goes for Shs 300,000 in China Town is sold at Shs 240,000 or less at electronic shops along Kampala Road
4. No brand loyalty
Just like Ugandans love new things, they don’t have deep attachments to them. Don’t be shocked if a month from now when the excitement has worn off, the corridors within China Town will be empty and tellers will lie idle, playing with their phones. Ugandans will have moved on. Some will even try to find fault with China Town, do videos about the poor quality of their products, and boom! That will be it. It happened before to nice hangouts!
5. Classless society
The commotion at China Town reinforces the notion that Uganda is truly a classless society. The rich man from Muyenga who drives a BMW X6 will fight in line with a poor man from Kasokoso who walked to the store on foot simply because they wanted a bargain. In the end, there are no defined economic classes in Uganda. ‘Classy’ people will not shoot videos and brag about buying a handbag for 30,000.
