By Ahmad Muto
City hair stylist Kennedy Zziwa Katebalirwe of Hair by Zziwa said he used to believe Uganda had no rehabilitation. At one point, he wanted to go to Nairobi, Kenya for top notch facilities. However, Zziwa who was battling drug addiction, said he was surprised when a friend told them about rehabilitation facilities at Butabika.
Zziwa, who was appearing on a local television station, said he made the decision to go to rehab himself and called a friend to take him to Kenya.
“We had agreed to go to Nairobi, Kenya because it was the only place with a facility we knew about. One of our friends told us Butabika also has a rehabilitation centre. But still we did not think it was a proper rehabilitation centre. I knew Butabika as a place for the mentally ill,” he said.
Walking in, the place was green, quiet with less buzz. He joined the private section where, to his surprise, he was handled professionally.
In April this year, singer Jackie Chandiru disclosed that the reason she relocated to Tanzania was the state of Uganda’s rehabilitation facilities. She argued that there is a lot missing in them and that those who go there seeking help find themselves in an environment that makes their condition. She further accused them of putting money over welfare.
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