Laftaz Lounge
Laftaz Lounge located in Centenary Park on Jinja road was one of the top hangout places in the past years. It used to be filled by Patrons from Monday to Sunday including the Directors; Jonathan Kyeyo, Jesse Felix a Comedian known as Dolibondo and Emma Napoleone among others. Laftaz has not been healthy, business-wise for a while now, and it even became worse when the hangout that gained its reputation as the home for comedy in Uganda, stopped hosting their weekly comedy night, forcing the comedians into new hangouts.
The bar has not been the same since two years ago and it is said that one of the Directors who was one of the biggest shareholders misused the funds by using the money from the hangout to travel to the US to watch Formula One and also go on vacations around the world. Apparently, the bar then started defaulting rent until a few months later when someone, according to our sources offered Shs50M to buy it off.
The directors turned down the offer saying it was very little money. Thereafter, the bar continued to struggle with sometimes going without drinks and sometimes not opening because they have don’t have the money to pay for electricity.
By the time it was sold off, they were surviving on the restaurant side of the bar that was preparing only lunch and had quite a number of customers for their meals till closure. As you read this, the owners have finally accepted to let go of the bar as the new owner took charge of the premises today and will start operating there very soon.
We contacted Dolibondo was one of the Directors of the bar and according to him, “the new owner will change the name of the bar and also operate his way but it is true we have, we have sold it off.” Dolibondo said. He however refused to reveal the price at which they sold off the bar.
Laftaz about 5 years ago was a comedy hub where all lovers of local comedy would converge to laugh to jokes from comedians like Salvador, Muhangi, Dolibondo, Kerekere, Emma Napoleone, Madrat and Chiko among others.