Munyonyo Pay Phones

Situated on Lake Victoria, Munyonyo is one of the most upscale neighborhoods in Kampala, Uganda. The public phone game here and throughout Uganda is very strong, even as smartphone use has grown rapidly. But as demand for mobile internet infrastructure grows, the most innovative work in communication is still being done on the ground.

Some public phones are battery or solar powered, enabling them to be loaded onto tricycles or even boats. Attendants weave their way through villages—or over the waves—and are hailed by locals who want to make a call to loved ones or business associates. Though the phones are covered by umbrellas, attendants stop when it rains. But other days, they must deal with extreme heat and surly customers who don’t want to pay up just to leave a voicemail.

For callers, the convenience costs about the same amount as using one of these more traditional pay phones—which are, frankly, behind the times, given the way they cling to the walls rather than roaming the streets or seas of Munyonyo.

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