In his address last night, President Yoweri Museveni said that malls will be allowed to open but arcades shall remain closed. This has caused a mixed interpretation on what malls and arcades are.
As always, Ugandans have loosely stated the difference between the two with many carrying a myth that malls have English names while arcades have Luganda names. However, to our ‘local’ understanding of things, it might work that way to tell the difference though not conclusively.
The two terms ‘mall and arcades’ are interchangeable as many people use them to refer to the same thing. In general, both mall and arcades refer to a large space which allows a person access to more than one shop.
Nevertheless, there is a slight difference between a mall and an arcade. Arcades are large enclosed spaces containing many stores that sell merchandise to the public. However, a mall does not necessarily have to be an enclosed space; it can be a shopping mall, strip mall or a pedestrian street. Thus, an arcade is only a type of mall.
Some Famous malls in Uganda
- Acacia mall
- Pioneer mall
- Forest mall
- Oasis mall
- Lugogo mall
- Village mall
- Victoria mall
- Garden City
- Kingdom Kampala
Some famous arcades
Namaganda, Mutaasa Kafeero, Zainab Aziza, Galilaya, Jesco Beauty Centre, and Nalubwama Arcade among others.