Revellers at Capital Pub in Kabalagala, Kampala
Over the last 30 years, hangout spots have come and gone around Kampala City, but there has been one constant that never changes; Capital Pub in Kabalagala. It is the north star of Kampala’s night life. Never changing.
There is good reason to believe that Kabalagala would not be known as Kampala’s top hangout neighbourhood if it was not for Capital Pub.
The pub has been standing in the same spot right in the fork between Muyenga road and Ggaba Road since the mid 1990s and it seems to get full every night to date. It is safe to call it a landmark in the area now.
For some reason, it is the only place where all classes and nationalities of people mingle freely.
Foreigners are more patriotic
At Capital Pub, you meet Bazungus playing pool with boda boda riders, refugees from Congo and Eritrea competing for one curvaceous Ethiopian girl and a Nigerian scam artist smoking a cigar with an Irish tourist. Ugandans always seem to be outnumbered here. Foreigners are more patriotic about Capital Pub than local people. It seems that non-Ugandans often arrive in Uganda hell-bent on visiting Capital Pub because the pub’s notoriety precedes it.
One commenter on Trip Advisor says it best when he says: “This is typically a place where they bring expats to show them the 'darker' or seedier side of Uganda's rather overwhelming nightlife.”
Simply truthful. Capital Pub’s notoriety seems to be known across the world. It appears that many a tourist that have visited Uganda have something to say about this pub. If you are one of those people that have always known about Capital Pub even when you have never been there, you are not alone.
What is it notorious for? The girls of the night? Of course. Other than the good old Rock Garden at Speke Hotel, Capital Pub is the only other pub in Kampala worthy of the name that has always been notorious for hosting girls of the night.
Until recently, all the other pubs are either too dingy or too inaccessible to feature on most people’s lists of places to hangout in Kampala.
Nooks and corners
But while the former has gone through name-changes and low seasons, the latter has stayed put like your favourite president. And because of the steadfast consistency, its fame has grown larger than life to the extent than more often than not, visitors to Uganda will have heard of it before they arrive.
If you find yourself assuming that foreigners tend to gravitate towards Kabalagala because of Capital Pub, you may have a point.
So what really makes the bar tick? It is a spacious place with nooks and corners, indoor and outdoor spaces, countless pool tables, several bars under one roof, and a great ambience. Capital Pub is like an inter-racial child between a 1990s discotheque and today’s neighbourhood bar.
The indoor spaces sport disco lights and black walls covered in luminescent art, which is reminiscent of the 1990s discotheque, while the outdoor sections are erected under trees, allowing aeration and conversations away from loud music.
Music is on point
The proprietors also tend to take their music game seriously. The late Alex Ndawula was a DJ at Capital Pub for years at the peak of his djyeeing stardom. As a matter of fact, he was the DJ on the night that Capital Pub opened its doors in 1995, according to the pub manager who has also been at the joint from day one.
Ndawula later brought on board the late Allan the Cantankerous as DJ too during the days when the pub was cementing its name in the psyche of local drunkards. Over the years, their insistence on good music has not waned, at least going by the Trip Advisor comments. Alex Ndawula is said to have continued frequenting the pub for years long after he stopped working there. He always ordered a Jack Daniels.
Words scribbled in luminescent light
One commenter on Trip Advisor says of Capital Pub: “If you are interested in a good mix of mzungu's, politicians, civil servants, boda boda drivers and people from all walks of life, this is surely the place to be.
Especially if you are into playing pool which is quite fun in this place. Even if I come back after two years I will still find the same guys playing at the same table. The place might seem intimidating at first but in general its safe.”
The unofficial tagline for the pub is “Easy to check in but very hard to check out”. Some regulars are said to have come up with the name after failing to checkout on several occasions.
The words are scribbled in luminescent light on one of the walls but it is not clear whether it is a badge of honour or a warning. The pub makes 30 years next year.
