In Kabalagala, the lights never went out and bars never shut down until the last customer staggered out at dawn. Affluent clubs, shisha, pool tables, giant screens, gambling rooms, theme nights, celebrity invitations, sexy waitresses and not forgetting cheap sex workers, all debuted in Kabalagala bars before spreading elsewhere.
Unfortunately, all these have since closed down. When The Observer visited Kabalagala recently, the once thriving suburb was a shadow of its former self. A quiet place where only a few obscure bars were still in operation. De Posh, which was the biggest bar, closed business in February after eight years. The following year, Club Cyclone opened up at the same mall. However, by , both clubs had closed.
Kabalagala is now host to a large number of Congolese, Somalis, Ethiopians and Eritreans, and the party has since moved to elsewhere. In fact, currently, most of the bars and restaurants still operating in Kabalagala are owned by Somali and Ethiopian nationals. Hard to believe, if you once partied in Kabalagala, the music has died out and the night fuss is no more. The premises where De Posh bar was located are now occupied by a furniture showroom and a dental clinic.
The bars, clubs and restaurants still operating along the main roads struggle to get customers. The ones that have persisted, including the two Capital pubs on Muyenga road and Ggaba road, which once commanded a big chunk of revellers with three bar counters and eight pool tables, now look deserted with only a handful of customers.
The situation is the same at Ethiopian Village restaurant along Muyenga road, infamous for the World Cup bomb blasts. However, not all nightlife is dead in Kabalagala; shack bars in the slum areas opposite the Muyenga road are still vibrant. This is perhaps the remaining vibrant part of Kabalagala with food vendors and retail shops working till the wee hours of the night.
