I will miss Naguru housing estate!

Sunday, 10th April, 2011
By James Bakama: I SAY SO IN a week or so, Naguru and Nakawa Housing Estates could be no more. Government has issued a final ultimatum that the residents vacate the area for re-development. As someone who spent most of his childhood in Naguru, demolition of the now dilapidated houses is like rubbing away part of my history. To the sports fraternity, it’s even more hurting as a chapter in Uganda’s sports annals is about to be wiped away. The estates, built in the fifties for African city employees, fast emerged into a conveyor belt for sports talent. The likes of Phillip Omondi, Moses Nsereko, John Oduke, Yayiro Kasasa blossomed into big talents courtesy of the nearby Lugogo sports complex. The estates were not only a breeding ground for sports talent, but also leading administrators. Milton Obote, who later became President of Uganda, Deputy Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga, ministers Bidandi Ssali and Kirunda Kivejinja all had stints in Naguru. But what brought the area most fame was the sport of boxing. Almost every child in the area had to get an idea of boxing courtesy of the Naguru Community Centre where talent was groomed. Boxing gained cult popularity in the area in the seventies. Just like in the Wild West where life depended on how fast one could draw a gun, survival in Naguru’s narrow lanes at one point depended on how well one could throw a punch. No wonder many children thronged the community centre to get initiated into the Sweet Science. Names like John “the Beast” Mugabi, Shadrak Odhiambo and John Munduga as a result emerged. Mugabi, a Munyoro boy raised in Nakawa, lifted the area into international limelight when he won a light middleweight world title. The area was again in the spotlight when Peter Okello came close to winning a world heavyweight title. The irony of Naguru’s story however lies in two seemingly illogical extremes. The area’s golden era was at a time when Uganda was under what most people describe as a dictatorship of Idi Amin. Uganda is said to have made strides in the last 25 years. Interestingly, as the country grew, the estates steadily went to waste. Kampala City Council ceased caring for its houses. Roads turned to bushy tracks with deep galleys. The Lugogo fields were sold off. Boxers were also thrown out of the community centre. Next week, the graders will roll, but as the estate is razed, the question will be whether government has any plans of putting in place another sports village.