By Our Reporter
There are a number of places in Kampala, Uganda where your phone won’t survive on an average day most especially in the evenings. Most of these phones are snatched from their users (who happen to be passengers in a taxi) busy binging on their smart phone addictions. Here are the places just, so you don’t say we didn’t warn you in advance.
1. Queen’s Way/Clock-Tower and around Shoprite adjacent to the Hindu temple
Here is where the game of snatching phones begun. The clever boys from Katwe would come around and pretend to be moving through the grid-locked traffic jam looking for their prey. Once they see an open window with a user who’s not paying attention to what’s happening outside, they pounce without mercy and grab the phone. To save yourself all the burden, pass by Mutaasa Kafeero and there’s a high chance of re-buying your phone from one of those shops.
2. Around Pioneer Mall/Centenary Bank
That route coming from the old taxi park is also famous for its phone snatchers. Since it’s usually crowded starting from around 5pm, one won’t realize the phone snatchers. Regardless of the time of the day, this is the place where one ought to be extra careful. In fact, even for passers-by using that route below Barclays bank heading to the taxi park, the phone or wallet will be snatched.
3. Namirembe Road/ New Taxi Park area
Here, even using your phone during the day is a crime. You are advised to watch your back, watch your sides and watch everyone, because everyone is a potential thief in this area. Don’t joke with down-town. Use your phone at your own risk.
4. Kisekka market road all the way to Watoto Church
Since traffic jam is the order of the day in this area, once you bring out your Iphone 6s to get cheers from the hot babe seated next to you, you will live to regret the day you started impressing girls. Kindly assume that everyone in this area is a thief, better to suspect everyone than trust them.
5. Centenary Park Junction of Jinja road next to total
This is a red-zone. It actually spreads to the areas next to the railway as one heads to Namuwongo or Kibuli. The thieves in this area sometimes pretend to be venders. One will bang on the left side of your vehicle to steal your attention while another one will be busy stealing your belongings.
6. Lugogo-Nakawa Junction
This junction with one road leading to MUBS and the other road proceeding to Ntinda, Jinja, is one of the worst. If you dare to use your phone in this area, have some money saved aside to buy a new one because trust me your phone won’t survive an evening in this area.
7. Wandegeya-YMCA
This is the final hot spot for phone thieves in Uganda. Some are actually Makerere University students. They rob the smartphones and use them to brag to their coursemates the next day. My friend, you’ve been saving for years to buy that Note, know your hustle and hide your phone. Don’t facebook around this area unless all the windows are locked and you are the person seated in the middle.
Now that you know the famous wifi spots in Kampala, go ahead and risk. We shall LIKE and comment on your facebook statuses as you mourn the loss of your phones. But we won’t contribute “mabugo.”