On a Monday afternoon, in a dimly lit bar in Kitembe Trading Centre, Fort Portal City, Brian Businge Amooti sips a glass of waragi. The 25-year-old casual labourer leans on a wooden bench, lost in thought. It is just past midday, yet the bar is buzzing with laughter, idle chatter, and the clinking of bottles.
This daily routine defines his life — manual work in the morning, drinking by early afternoon. “Every day, I look for work—digging, carrying bricks, or helping on construction sites,” he shares. “Once I’m paid, the bar is my first stop.”
He typically earns between Shs5,000 and Shs10,000, but often walks away with less than Shs2,000 by evening. Despite going to bed hungry, he continues this pattern. According to him, drinking eases the burden of hardship, even if it leaves him with regret.
Businge dropped out after Senior Four in 2019 due to lack of fees. His parents introduced him to casual labour, but eventually, peer influence and frustration led him into alcoholism. “I think about changing. Maybe learning a skill or starting a business. But without support, I remain stuck,” he confesses.
Unemployment and Hopelessness Drive Addiction
Brian Mugisha, 27, echoes a similar struggle. He walks around Fort Portal daily, job-hunting with a flash disk of academic documents. A certified Business Studies graduate, Mugisha once hoped to open a shop or work in retail. Six years later, no job has come through.
“I visit supermarkets, hardware stores, and construction sites. No luck,” he says. Each day ends the same—back at the bar. Alcohol numbs the pain of rejection and restores temporary confidence. “I drink to forget. Then I spend my last coin. My classmates see me here and sometimes buy me drinks. I feel ashamed, but I don’t know how to stop.”
Mugisha admits he may no longer be able to hold a job. Bar life has become his norm. These stories highlight a crisis — Fort Portal youth alcohol abuse is worsening with rising joblessness.
Bar Owners Profit While Youths Sink Deeper
Jocelyn Karungi, a 24-year-old bar owner in Rwengoma, says business is booming. “Most of my customers are young men. I open at 9 a.m. and close late. If someone has money, I sell. Even if they’re underage,” she says.
Her waragi goes for Shs500, making it easily accessible. “I’ve heard alcohol is for those over 18, but who enforces that? Some 15-year-olds ride boda bodas and earn enough to drink daily,” she adds.
Jennifer Katusiime, another bar operator, says young people make up most of her clientele. “Some drink from midday till late. They use their parents’ money or borrow. I can’t chase them. Sometimes, I pity them,” she notes.
She recalls regular customers collapsing or getting violent. “One boy assaulted his girlfriend. Another had to be rushed to a clinic. It’s tragic. If I ignore the profits, I see wasted lives,” Katusiime says.
Peer Clusters and Ghetto Life Fuel Addiction
Henry Kyomuhendo Atom, chairperson of the Ghetto Youth in Fort Portal, observes that more youths are turning to ghettos where alcohol and drugs are easily accessible. “Most of them are school dropouts with no direction. Cheap waragi is the only thing they can afford,” he explains.
According to him, this leads to rising teen pregnancies, STIs, and crime, including gender-based violence. He calls for urgent action to provide alternatives through industrial job creation, starting with the Kabarole Agro-Industrial Park.
Local Leaders Call for Mindset Shift
Yunisent Mubangizi, youth councillor for Kamwenge District, says youth unemployment is driving alcohol abuse. “Some youth despise agriculture and prefer office jobs, which are rare. Yet, they find money for cheap alcohol,” he says.
He cites a disturbing 2023 case in Kahunge, where three young men set up illegal roadblocks and raped several women. Only one was arrested. The others remain at large.
In Kyegegwa, Phillip Baguma, a local leader, laments that young men prefer bars to farms. “They want to eat but won’t dig,” he says. “Modern laws have weakened local authority. I can’t even chase someone from a bar without police interference.”
Health Workers Brace for the Fallout
Jenifer Kahumuza, coordinator at Joy for Children Uganda, says alcohol causes long-term harm to mental and physical health. “It impairs judgment, increases domestic violence, and fuels risky behaviour,” she warns.
She cites internal reports from safe spaces in Mugusu and Kichwamba, where 4 out of 10 youth link violence or early sex to alcohol use. According to the WHO Global Status Report (2018), Uganda’s annual alcohol intake per capita is 12.2 litres, almost double the African average.
The Uganda Alcohol Report 2022 found that alcohol users rose from 5.67 million to 12.67 million. Alarmingly, 53% of drinkers started before age 18, with the average initiation age at just 8 years.
Medical Experts Warn of Irreversible Damage
Dr Oscar Atwiine Kiiza, a physician in Fort Portal, says alcohol abuse leads to liver failure, mental illness, and even death. “We treat patients, but damage to the liver is often permanent. Some people even appear rich because of bloated stomachs, but it’s disease,” he explains.
He warns that alcohol first causes fatty liver, then cirrhosis, and may eventually trigger liver cancer. It also suppresses the immune system and disrupts brain function.
Understanding the Addiction Cycle
Alcohol triggers a dopamine surge, creating a temporary mood boost. However, this relief is short-lived. As effects fade, anxiety and depression intensify. Over time, the brain adjusts by reducing natural dopamine production. This makes people feel emotionally flat even when sober.
Eventually, drinking becomes a crutch. The more someone drinks to escape negative emotions, the more dependent they become. Sadly, many youths in Fort Portal have fallen into this trap, unaware of how deeply it affects their future.
