Prior to Covid-19, Bandali Rise was the place to be in Uganda. This street annexed on the road that leads to the Bugolobi flats was the ultimate party life street of Kampala. If somebody doubted Kampala’s night life, you swifted them through this street. Then turned around, glanced at them, and popped the question; “you gerrit?”
Kampala’s night life has always shifted. It was first in Kabalagala. Then, Kabalagala was the place that never went to sleep. There was Capital Pub, there were all sorts of bars, speak of Al’s bar. Speak of the diverse international community in the area, not forgetting the peddlers of the night. And what was life without having stepped into Deposh? Then came the bombs at Ethiopian Village and the constant raids by KCCA. “Kabalagala night life was never the same after this. The media also branded it as the harlot capital, so some people feared to be associated with Kabalagala,” a former reveller reveals.
At around the same time, the Kampala night night temporarily shared spaces around the Railway square, these were the days of Club Rouge. These were the days when the Kenneth Ntaros of this world deserved the Desire Luzindas of every man’s dream. But this space too would close. And the night life would permanently find a spot at two places in Kampala. That was Acacia and Bandali rise.
But Bandali rise won the day, it kept innovating at scale. And it had higher standards. You just couldn’t saunter into Alchemist or Thrones anyhow. They were the first people to bring in valets, to help clients park their cars. Then they hitched up the bottle nights. And the food at the hangouts. Before this, Kampala bars were slow at introducing the food option at their location. Even when they did, it was always snacks or some fries and chicken. Bandali rise did raise the standard. And Bugolobi came with that extra layer of security. You would never hear of a missing side mirror.
Fast-forward, the covid-19 lockdown came to Uganda in 2020 and life was never the same. “The quickest thing is Ugandans got to know the price of their alcohol. They also realized that they could recreate the same Bandali experience in their suburb bars, without the whole hustle of Bandali,” a bar proprietor tells us. Post-covid-19, it became hard to run a bar.
Bandali rise had capitalized on having these great interior designs, every other bar in Kampala could now do the same. There was no real differentiation. The competition for the best Deejays started. Then the whole affair of the band nights kicked off. “Honestly, the margins don’t make sense anymore. That’s why we closed that business. Today, to put up a proper night, you need a lot. Speak of bar hosts, the deejays, then the service, it’s expensive,” another former bar owner tells us.
Now, although Bandali rise still exists, the Kampala night seems to have shifted. It’s shifted slowly to the suburbs. The Kafundas have become modernized. Today, the future of the bar is the hometown Kafunda that grows with its organic crowd. And the thing about the Kafunda, people know each other, they become networking spots. Kafundas are even organizing weddings for their members. Some kafundas have started saccos. It’s this value proposition that Bandali rise cannot match anymore. Will the bars at Bandali rise innovate one more time and challenge the suburb trend?
“You see, the people who always frequented Bandali, most of them stay in Najjera, Kyanja, Kisasi, they are on this other end of town. And now they have better things next to where they stay. Bandali doesn’t have that diversity of entertainment as their suburbs,” Joy a Kampala party animal narrates.
What is the future of Bandali rise? Is this the fall of Bandali rise, as was the fall of the Roman empire?
Keep on BigEye.ug for the continuation of this story…
