Somali business in Uganda: fuel stations, Kisenyi and the Oasis Mall

How it began

The first Somalis to settle in Uganda came in colonial times as the "Somali Scouts" of the British army; many stayed, took Ugandan citizenship, and worked in the meat trade. Thousands left during Idi Amin's rule and came back after 1986. After 1991 refugees arrived, some in camps such as Nakivale and others with relatives in Kampala's Kisenyi district (The Observer, Kampala, September 2009, reprinted by Hiiraan Online). A 2010 academic study, based on interviews with 40 Somali entrepreneurs, workers and students, described Kisenyi as known as "Little Mogadishu" because of its many Somali-owned businesses (CORE repository, 2010 study).

Fuel, money and shops

In 2009 the Kampala newspaper The Observer reported that Somali businesses held a large share of Uganda's fuel industry and also ran foreign exchange bureaus, money transfer offices and supermarkets. It named Somali-owned fuel station chains City Oil, Hashi Empex, Hass Petroleum and Hared. City Oil began in the 1980s as Mandela Auto Spares, selling spare parts, then tyres, before opening fuel stations. Its director said the firms' strength was sourcing goods through Somali links around the world (The Observer, 2009, via Hiiraan Online). See Hass Petroleum.

Gateway buses

Hussein Shire began in Tororo in the 1950s with a shop and a taxi, and in 1983 started the Gateway bus company, which grew to more than 100 buses across Uganda (Wikipedia, Hussein Shire; New Vision). See Hussein Shire.

Amina Moghe Hersi and Horyal Investments

Amina Moghe Hersi, born in 1964 in Bungoma, Kenya, grew up in her family's cross-border trade and opened a hardware store in Kampala after 1996. She became one of Uganda's largest distributors of cement and hardware and won the Woman Investor of the Year award in 2008 (Wikipedia, Amina Moghe Hersi; The Observer, 2009). In February 2018 her holdings were grouped under Horyal Investments Holding Company: the Oasis Mall, the Nakumatt Mall and Laburnam Courts apartments in Kampala, the Atiak Sugar Factory, Rabo Enterprises, Kingstone Enterprises and Kingstone Namanve (New Vision advertisement, 9 February 2018). Construction of the $120 million Atiak Sugar Factory in Amuru District, northern Uganda, began in 2016, with commercial production planned for 2017 (Daily Monitor, 23 March 2016; Uganda Radio Network, 2018).

Trade between the two countries

The first Uganda–Somalia business summit was held in Kampala on 9 and 10 August 2022, with more than 120 companies; Dahabshiil, Somtel, eDahab and Dahabshil Bank took part, and Dahabshiil said it already worked in Uganda (The Star, Kenya, 9 August 2022; Private Sector Foundation Uganda). Ugandan traders have in turn looked for markets in Mogadishu (Dawan Africa).

The 2026 debate

On 31 March 2026 members of Uganda's parliament asked whether refugees, naming Somalis and Eritreans, should run small businesses such as salons and shops in Kampala suburbs including Makindye, Ggaba, Kabalagala, Kansanga and Lukuli. The Minister of Internal Affairs, Kahinda Otafiire, replied that Uganda's policy allows refugees to work and run businesses to support themselves (Pulse Uganda, 1 April 2026).

For the community, see Somalis in Uganda. For other founders, see Somali business pioneers.