Curiosity killed a cat! My Nyamiyaga boys are always up to date with the socials.
One of us encouraged us to visit what’s trending about the New Best Hotel in Busega. One scroll in and we were stunned. Some pictures and videos on the X account can shock the life out of everyone from Nyamiyaga!
Then we laughed, joked and of course the curious minds ran into so much stuff. Then boom, the mood switched as someone brought us the events that happened in Ggaba. Not funny anymore. It really makes you wonder what’s happening out there. Where is the soul of our society?
You see, there are tragedies that wound a nation. And then there are those that force it to confront its own reflection. Uganda has both. On the morning of April 2, 2026, in the suburb of Ggaba in Kampala, a man walked into a nursery school pretending to be a parent, and slayed the lives of four children. Not soldiers. Not criminals.
Children barely old enough to speak in full sentences. Did we miss such a tragedy on international news? It has thrown families into grief and ignited community outrage. And thankfully the President has quickly instructed for a mobile court in a community where the atrocity was committed.
May justice be expedited! In a place meant to nurture innocence and protect the future, violence erupted with unspeakable cruelty. The serene lake suburb is now synonymous with horror overnight. It is a grim awakening.
It is a reminder that beneath the rhythm of daily life lies a fragile society wrestling with violence, mental health struggles, moral uncertainty, and the illusion of progress. This was not rebellion. Something quieter. Something that is far more unsettling.
A man walked into a place of innocence and turned it into a crime scene. Things we used to hear about in foreign countries. There will be so many questions. Was this an act of madness? Social disconnection? Untreated mental illness. So many theories.
But at the heart of many acts of violence lies silent and often neglected crises; mental health, the death of conscience, greed and lost hope. According to the World Health Organization, one in four people globally will experience a mental health disorder at some point in their lives.
The judicial process will answer us. The horror in Ggaba also exposed how easily life can be taken for granted. In an era of fleeting headlines and endless news cycles, tragedy risks becoming routine. Names fade, statistics replace stories, and sorrow is swiftly eclipsed by the next crisis.
Yet each life lost carries dreams and hopes. Is it greed and moral erosion? As we journey toward modernisation, we face a paradox. Some argue that economic ambition and technological advancement have opened new doors of opportunity and chaos as well.
Yet in their shadow, traditional values are gradually eroding. But far from the sorrow of Ggaba, let us return to Busega, the New Best Hotel which is a place of modern urban culture, dazzling patrons with its vibrant nightlife and promise of luxury.
Yet it is deeply concerning controversy for alleged activities widely criticised as immoral. It’s sparking serious concerns about the morals around it and the participants. The challenge we have as society is the dictatorship of relativism where each one defines their own truth and path of life.
But we have some basics. Some argue that economic pressure has fuelled the rise of urban survival cultures. Some the pursuit of quick money becomes a dominant mindset. Informal hustles, while often legitimate, can also blur into questionable activities; fraud, exploitation, and transactional relationships.
The pressure to “make it” in the city, keep presence, combined with visible inequality, creates an environment where shortcuts are sometimes seen as necessary rather than unethical.
In some cases, this has contributed to risky trends, including substance abuse, reckless living, and the normalisation of superficial relationships. For in the end, the true measure of a nation is not its wealth or skyline, but the value it places on human life and virtues. We must remember a timeless truth: a society that cherishes its conscience safeguards its future.
The author is a concerned citizen.
