For anyone over 40 years and has regularly been in the Kam- pala city centre, the name John Jones may not be new.
Towering, well-built and stylish with short dreadlocks, Jones was one of Kampala’s most recognizable figures in the eighties and nineties. He was renowned for hanging out in Kampala Central’s happening places. His strong Jamaican-American accent also stood out but stories of his nationality and what he did for a living continue to divide opinion.
Until recently, the now 65-year-old had lived in City House since 1982 but the December 11, 2023, fire that gutted the building, has left him homeless. The traumatic event has since taken a toll on his mental health, and nursing injuries. Today, he lives off handouts from well-wishers as he crawls from one street to another for shelter, writes Yudaya Nangonzi.
On the fateful day, John Jones was inside his single room offered to him by the proprietors of the City House building. For more than 40 years, he had never witnessed such a harrowing experience which left one person dead.
“I have lived here since 1982 but all my property is no more,” John Jones said.
According to eyewitnesses, the fire started at around 9am from the basement comprising bars and several restaurants before spreading to the top floor where he stayed. John Jones was planning the day’s activities when he noticed smoke seeping through his door. He hurriedly opened the door to find an alternate route, but the thick smoke had engulfed the entire floor.
“I was half-naked by that time but I had to run out. Thankfully, I know all the corners of the building which eased my miraculous exit,” he said.
As the Fire Prevention and Rescue Services officers struggled to extinguish the blaze, John Jones was among the city dwellers standing by the roadside and watching their efforts in disbelief.
With only a short towel around his waist and barefooted, photos of him in the crowd went viral online. Social media revelers made several comments about his image with arguments that he had been in one of the lodges on the building. Some tenants in the building who have lived longer with John Jones are now distressed about their own who once lived a humble life and now languishing on Kampala’s streets day and night.
