Naalya is one of those special suburbs of Uganda. It’s rated among Uganda’s Top 10 suburbs. In the ancient days, Naalya was popular for its matooke (banana) plantations. Once, when the Kabaka of Buganda was travelling from his Kyambogo Palace, he was amazed by these plantations and confirmed to his subjects that he will eat some matooke from this place. According to oral historians, the Kabaka said; ‘naalya’ and henceforth the place came to be known as Naalya. Naalya is bordered by Kireka/Kamuli, Kyaliwajjala/Namugongo, and Kiwatule.
Naalya became popular because of its housing estate, one of Uganda’s most organized residential setups. Since then, Naalya has also become a ground for adult relaxation and leisure in the form of massage parlours and spas.
Naalya (located in Wakiso district) is 11.6 kilometres from Kampala, about 20 minutes journey. One can use a taxi from the Old Taxi Park that charges about UGX 3000. Alternatively, one can use a bodaboda and the journey should cost no more than UGX 10,000. There’s also an option of ride-hailing and these could come to around UGX 35,000 depending on the hour.
Naalya is as diverse and inclusive and thus, if one seeks to spend a day in Naalya, there’s a lot to explore.
There are two major shopping malls in Naalya.
The first mall is Metroplex Shopping Mall. It’s one of Uganda’s well-maintained malls. Things to do at Metroplex Shopping Mall:
- Watch Movies at the Century Cinemax
- Do shopping for clothes at Woolworths and other boutiques.
- Enjoy a meal or coffee at the Food court. There is Krunchix restaurant famous for its chicken wraps and crunchy chicken.
- Shop at Carrefour supermarket
The Second mall is Quality Village. Sometimes Namugongo claims this mall, but the boundaries are not clear. At Quality Village, here’s what do to do:
- Enjoy a great meal at the Caramel Lounge
- If you’re into swimming, you can enjoy the Aquaworld water park.
- Go shopping at Quality supermarket.
- There are also other endless food places to enjoy at the mall
- Several shops at the mall to accommodate one’s needs
Naalya also features other exciting restaurants:
- Dim Lights for those who are into all-day dining
- Next to Dim Lights Naalya is the Chicken Xpress Naalya for fast-foods
- There’s the Bbrood café for coffee and good pastries at the Delight building
- The Delight Building also has Plum Café to appeal to one’s food needs
Once one has enjoyed these, Naalya then offers different spas and massage parlours. These include among others;
- Miami Wellness and Spa
- Relaxing Massage Parlour
- Attic Massage Parlour
- Massage Envy Parlour
Naalya also appeals to different faiths and religions. You will find:
- The Naalya Mosque
- Naalya Seventh Day Adventist Church
- Christ Embassy Naalya
- Naalya Catholic church
- The Uganda Martyrs Shrine is also a drive away from Naalya
In terms of accommodation, Naalya boasts of the Emperor Hotel, numerous Airbnbs, Edge Apartments, Sunrise Apartments among the many options.
Worry not about the hospitals in Naalya, there’s the Children’s Hospital, there’s also Link Hospital and TMR hospital to mention but a few.
If you plan to stay longer in Naalya, then you have numerous options of schools offering both the local and international curriculum. These include Pine International, Naalya SSS, St. Peters SSS, Hillside Primary, Harvest Academy to mention some.
For sports, Naalya has the ABJA parks for different games on the artificial turf. The Naalya estate also forms a good place for those into jogging, trekking or even hiking. You can enjoy different views of the Northern Bypass Road that borders Naalya.
The only thing to grace yourself for is the traffic on the main road that connects from Naalya to Namugongo. This is usually grid-locked in the morning hours and in the evening hours. But that shouldn’t stop you from enjoying Naalya.
Other Things to do in Naalya
If you want a feel of the local aesthetic, then hang around the Naalya trading centre. This will expose you to some of Uganda’s local street foods. The options can range from roasted maize to boiled maize. You can enjoy a rolex or some katogo in the evening. If you enjoy people-gazing, the moment is also an opportunity to interact with human traffic. The Naalya trading centre has a connection to Kireka/Kamuli with a pedestrian overpass at the Northern Bypass Road. This pedestrian road bridge also offers great sights in the mornings and evenings.
You can also use your time in Naalya to visit and learn from one of Uganda’s top agricultural food exporters- KK foods and have a business immersion. All in all, Naalya is a suburb of self-expression appealing to people from all walks of life. Some have likened Naalya to Berlin in terms of its cultural diversity. There is always something for every one in Naalya. If you desire solitude, there are parts in Naalya that will offer you that, if you desire interactions, you will have that. If you want to go shopping for groceries, there’s a fresh food market for that. Every Saturday, the Naalya trading centre also has the flea market aka Akatale K’omubuulo. Again, the quickest way to get yourself on cheap clothing, cheap stuff. It’s like getting downtown collections to your doorstep.
And in case we missed anything about Naalya, we apologize for there is so much in Uganda’s greatest suburb. Cheers to all those that call this home.
Or for the book lovers, there’s a bookstore along the way to Namugongo, Carrefour supermarket also features a book section. We’ve also remembered, for those into gardening and plants, Naalya has some of the best plant connections. You can visit Remi Blooms just as you enter Naalya or cross over to the small gardeners along the Naalya swamp.
Rental Prices
Concerning Rent in Naalya. A one-bedroomed house goes for about UGX 400K-500K in the Naalya upmarket, in Naalya downtown, one can get a house at UGX 200K. The two-bedroom house goes for about UGX 1 million and more.
