#behindthefish...

What comes to mind when you think of Kalangala? Holiday resort, deep-fried crispy tilapia, white sand beaches, hammocks, sun loungers, jet-skiing, lots of water… ?
I don’t want to be the spoilsport here…. Yes, there’s plenty of beaches, white sand and fish, but Kalangala also has plenty more that we never see.
I’ve spent a week in the district, on the main island of Bugala. I ate fried tilapia and oily chips on the night I arrived, and that was it with the fried fish. The other days were spent traversing the different islands, speaking to the people who live there, and seeing what business they do. And I also found out a lot more. By the way, I have tried to find out why they are called Ssese Islands and the only answer that came close was that they once upon a time had lots of tsetse flies and trypanosomiasis once a upon a time (don’t know how true).
Did you know that Kalangala is made up of 84 islands, Bugala being the biggest, the one where the ship from Entebbe and the ferries from Bukakata arrive and depart.
Of the 87, 64 islands are inhabited by humans. The other islands have lush green forests and are a habitat for birds and insects.
Some like Nkose are so remote and yet they are heavily populated, mostly by a nomadic fishing community who come and go depending on the fishing seasons.
Some of these islands have no schools and yet there are many children who have been born and bred on them.
Others have no health centers and because of the remoteness of some of them, no medical outreaches ever come here. So, if the medical workers do come, make an appointment with sickness, or short of that, never fall sick.
A group of 13 years olds doing their P7 exams told me they had never watched TV. They had heard of something called TV, but they have never seen a box or a set.
People living on these inhabited islands come from all parts of Uganda.
Transport to the mainland and back to the island is one of the biggest challenges the people face. One of the means of transport is called “ekinaala” which can carry all sorts of things from bales of dry stinky fish, cows with their legs and horns tied up, to sick-with-dysentry children,  swearing fishermen and women in advanced labor. Depending on the length of your journey, your fare could range from between 10,000 and 20,000 shillings.
By the way, there are no toilets on the ekinaala. So, if you want to do your short call, or if you have diarrhea, then you are in deep s***. And that journey is not short- four hours at least. Imagine “tying dios” for that long!! Men pee in the water. Women???
A “special-hire” boat sets you back at least 160,000 shillings. You have to pay the coxswain, pay for his engine and pay for the fuel which costs 4,000 shillings per liter. Most times people avoid using special-hires because of this expense, and opt for the cheaper means- the ebinaala. But when cases of severe illness or expectant mothers with complications arise, then one has no option but knock on his neighbors’ doors for donations.
There are no cars on most of these islands. However, there have been cases of cars that have been transported on big canoes. I didn't get the chance to see any, but it would have been one of the best stories I’d have returned with.
There are times when the winds are so strong and the water so rough, and travel is virtually impossible. And when the fishermen refuse to go out on the waters, then be assured that is a really, really bad storm coming on. Now imagine if you have an emergency.
I did not see a single mobile money stall on any of the islands I was at. Teachers and nurses/ health workers who are paid through the bank have to jump on a boat to pick their money from the mainland, Masaka or Entebbe. Now, that comes with a hefty cost. On a government salary!