Kampala Scams to Avoid in 2026 (Uganda)

Kampala has 13 documented tourist-targeted scams in our database, concentrated around taxi & transport (3 reports). The most consistently reported individual pattern is Express Robbery in Unlicensed Taxis at Night — After dark, unlicensed private cars operating as informal taxis pick up passengers near bars and restaurants in Kabalagala and around Garden City Mall. Travellers familiar with Nairobi or Cape Town will recognise the broad shape of the risk environment in Sub-Saharan Africa, though the specific local variations in Kampala are what catch first-time visitors out.

Specific documented risk areas include Kabalagala bar district along Ggaba Road, the stretch of Acacia Avenue near Kisementi, and outside Garden City Mall on Yusuf Lule Road after 9 pm; Boda boda stages near Kampala main taxi park, outside the Backpackers Hostel on Muyenga Hill, at the Old Taxi Park area in the CBD, and near tourist hotels in Kololo and Nakasero; Old Taxi Park and New Taxi Park in the Kampala CBD, matatu stages along Kampala Road and around Nakivubo bus station, and departure points for routes toward Entebbe and Jinja. A separate but related pattern is Foreign Exchange Shortchange Downtown: Downtown Kampala forex bureaus and street changers short-count currency bundles taking advantage of large denomination Ugandan shilling notes. The single most effective protection across these patterns: Use only Uber, Bolt, or SafeBoda with the ride tracked in the app. Never enter a vehicle that is not linked to an active app booking. Share your ride status with a contact before getting in. Avoid hailing any car from the street after dark in Kabalagala, Kisementi, or Kololo.