On the afternoon of Thursday June 11, I was leaving Luzira intending to go to Bwaise when I heard on the car radio that the former Energy Minister was presenting the National Budget. It meant the city centre had special security measures as the President must be in attendance so I had to quickly work out my route. At the former telephone exchange house of Bugolobi, I had to quickly decide whether to turn left with the former Marine Base flats further to the left and proceed via the former Coffee Marketing Board now former Agoa, or keep going ahead via the former Uganda College of Commerce to access Jinja Road.

This would give me the option of cutting through Naguru via the former Public Safety Unit, then the former airstrip and eventually enter Bukoto at the former East African Community houses, or follow the Ntinda route via the former Drive In Cinema, past the former Information flats and then turn left at the trading centre. Either way I would pass the former Blue Mango and former Boomerang Clubs.

But I chose to go left at Bugolobi and after the former Agoa, I reached the former Club Obliggatto and had to quickly decide whether to turn right towards former Uganda Argus-former Voice of Uganda- former Uganda Times so that I would go through the former Lugogo Bypass whose new name of Rotary Avenue, given by the former acting mayor has failed to stick, leaving the former Institute of Public Administration up left, or continue ahead and reach the former Celtel House which I hear might become the former Zain.

Turning left, I headed towards the former Jinja Road Roundabout and had to select the correct lane. If I took the inner right lane, I would turn at the former prisons workshop showroom and head to the former Shimoni school with the former Centenary Park now Centenary buildings to the right, but that would lead me towards the fortified former Nile Hotel where the budget was being read. All that zone including the former Apollo Hotel/former Kampala International Hotel /again former Apollo Hotel next to former Victoria Avenue where the President lives, must be security laden. It would have been nice though approaching Bwaise via the former Kitante Road, past the former Doctors' Village -soon to be former CMI, but I stuck to the middle lane and proceeded to the city centre, passing the former Central Purchasing Corporation- former Constitutional Commission, leading to the former Immigration Headquarters.

It was a smooth drive and soon the former Uganda Railways Corporation was to my left and the former Esso Corner to my right, with the former Udyam House also in view ahead. I continued past the former Delite Cinema to the left and could see the former Agip filling station to the right, with the former Foods and Beverages not far off. On the left, I soon passed the former Uganda Commercial Bank and reached the major junction with the former Cement Corporation and formerInternational TV sales to the left and the former Libyan Arab Uganda Bank to the right. I ignored the Entebbe Road turnoff for it would lead me to the chaotic former South Street where the former UTC Bus Park and former taxi park and former Baganda Bus Park are found near the former Mini Price Bata. So I just proceeded and passed the former Greenland Bank on the left and glided on reaching the former Grindlays Bank on the right.

At the former City Square, whose new name did not get amended with the constitution in 2005, traffic was a bit chaotic owing to the many taxis loading nearby. I managed to proceed and soon reached the former Odeon Cinema to the left and former Norman Cinema / former The Centre to the right. Thereafter the ride was smooth until a taxi man messed me up after the former Little Flowers in the former Bat Valley and I missed the lane that would have taken me direct to Bwaise, leaving me no option but to turn left.

But I did not worry for I knew I could still access Bwaise via the former Makerere University College, so I turned right through the main gate, passing the former CCE Hall and former Old Mitchell on the left and followed Pool Road after the roundabout. At the former Nkrumah Hall, I turned right and exited the university campus. I just cast one glimpse at the former Katanga slum behind on the right and finally headed to Bwaise past the former Red Pepper offices.

buwembo@gmail.com