Conducting Research in Uganda

For those of you reading who are considering going into research in Uganda, or a similar African country, or those of you merely interested in what such a experience might be like, let me provide you with a bit of personal insight I have learned thus far about setting up interviews in Kampala. Of course a lot of this advice is common sense and much of this applies to conducting interviews in general.

Transportation

Since I am a student only here for a few months (and I have no burning desire to die anytime soon), I obviously have no means of personal transportation. I am at the mercy of Kampala taxis (and the occasional boda boda, motorcycle). Public transport is cheap, constant and usually takes at least three times of going where you want before you find any sort of efficient route. This poses a problem for interviews done any place outside of home or school, which is every interview. One of the leading problems could be the fact that there are very few known street names in Kampala and fewer known addresses.

So here’s what you do: go to a main taxi stage (which for me takes one to three taxis and a bit of a trek), ask someone standing around for the neighborhood you want to go to, get off somewhere in that neighborhood and walk around asking boda boda drivers for the particular building or organization you are looking for. Now this could take anywhere from forty-five minutes to four hours, which leads to the next problem:

Time

For your first interview, you want to make a good impression, so you want to be a few minutes early. No need to be too early, you most likely won’t start you interview till at least 30 minutes after the allotted time, if your interviewee is particularly punctual. Of course, since this is your first interview, you may very well have no idea where the hell your going, so you must make time for getting lost, and for being in a location much further than you had ever anticipated. For my first two interviews I ended up arriving an hour and a half before my appointment time.

You may have an idea of how long your interview should last, but your interviewee may have a very different idea. In the few interviews I have had, they have turned more into a mini-lecture series where I have had to actually ask very few questions, with the interviewee taking the reins. Be prepared to be interrupted by at least one phone call, which could be a member of Parliament or someone’s mother. Both phone calls will be answered with equal importance.

An hour seems to be an acceptable amount of time to discuss issues with authority figures, but it is critical to make sure you get contact info from them. You may want a followup interview or merely ask for a few clarifications over the phone. Speaking of...

Communication

Many people have email addresses, few people use them as a means of rapid communication.

If you want to get ahold of someone, phones are the best way. Of course they come with their own set of problems, particularly as an American in Uganda. Though phone service is excellent here, the actual connection is not always the clearest. An in addition to usually having to shout over the noise pollution of the city, it is always a struggle of accents when a non-Ugandan is speaking to a Ugandan. More so than already necessary in face-to-face interactions, one must repeat over and over again. Yes or no questions are best. Of course, you pay as you go, so it’s very common to be cut off in the middle of a sentence. Top Up cards are everywhere to be found but it’s a good idea to keep a few thousand shillings of minutes with you just incase you run out in the middle of making a critical appointment.

If someone is calling you, they may just “flash” you, which means that they will call you, let it ring once, and promptly hang up. No charge to them, and now you have to call them back in order to satisfy your curiosity, since there are no answering machines to be heard of.

In an anomalous switch from the usually time-indifferent culture of Kampala, phone conversations are short and to the point. Time is money. Since most people pay as they go, you can expect all phone calls to be kept as short as possible. Do not be offended by blunt conversations or mid-sentence hang-ups, though you should avoid both. Also, if you are making an appointment, be ready with your pen and calendar before you call. A typical conversation could go like this:

“Hello Honorable Member of Parliament, my name is Kelly Allen, I am a student from the United States conducting research and I would like the opportunity to interview you.”
“Fine, how about this Thursday at 3:00”
“Fine, thank you”
THE END

Making Appointments

Flexibility is key. Also, it’s a good idea to call in the mornings, especially because many times the person will ask you to come in that very afternoon. For this reason, interviewing can be a bipolar experience of unpredicted successes and utter failures. You may trek across town for three hours for an appointment you made a week ago only to find out that the person has left the country and that there is no record of your appointment. This can sometimes mean that an entire day is wasted. On the other hand, you may walk into an official organization without introduction or appointment and get to meet the director that very day.

Typical (for Kampala) and other possible reasons an interview may be called off:
the person has left town, or the country
any sort of family issue
funeral
public holiday you may or may not have ever heard of
riots
sickness
it’s raining

Of course you may also never receive an explanation. Always call ahead if you can and try to keep a back-up plan for the day, which could be reading backup literature or going to an organization which does not require an appointment. Also, whenever you are at an organization or an institution, whether you meet with your intended person or not, always ask if there is someone else there who would be willing to speak with you. You don’t want to waste any opportunity you have while you are on-site.

So this is what I have gotten from my first meetings. I am sure I will have many more fun examples and additional words of wisdom in the coming three weeks in which I am to finish this research paper.