In recent years, Uganda has witnessed a notable increase in the phenomenon of “side chics,” a term used to describe women who engage in romantic relationships with men who are either married or in a committed intimate affair.
The trend has sparked intense debate and raised questions about the societal, economic, and cultural factors driving this shift, with Najjera, a Kampala suburb, being named the official residence of side chics and single moms.
According to Hadijah Nakalema, a resident of Kawempe, the socio-economic pressures have led to an increase in side hustles in the country, especially in Kampala city.
Uganda’s economic landscape has undergone significant changes, leading to increased financial strain on many households.
“As men struggle to provide for their families, the majority seek comfort and companionship from side chicks. On the contrary, women engage in such relationships for financial security or stability where these men pay for their rent and shower them with gifts like cars, especially the harriers which have famously branded a vehicle for side chics,” Nakalema said.
Sheila Atukunda, a Divinity teacher at a school in Wakiso district, said that lack of fulfillment in primary relationships has contributed greatly to the rise of side chicks in Uganda.
She further attributed the vice to various factors, including communication breakdown, intimacy issues, or unmet emotional needs, adding that some individuals in committed relationships feel unfulfilled, leading them to seek emotional or physical connection elsewhere.
“Some people marry partners they do not love. There is a tendency for matchmaking among some families and communities where a partner is chosen for you. Everything in such a marriage is forced, beginning with communication, sex life, love, and commitment to the partner. Why, then, wouldn’t a man in such a marriage get himself a side chic whom he is comfortable with? The one he can communicate with ease and enjoy good sex with,” said Atukunda.
Atukunda said; “You even find that some wives go more than three weeks without being intimate with their husbands, yet somehow side chicks are always ready to offer massive sexual satisfaction and special attention to these starved men. There is this saying around: Do side chicks even get monthly periods? They are always available to give these men sex on-site with fairly conducive terms and conditions.
According to Ronah Nyiraneza, an accountant for a distilling company in Jinja City, education and empowerment have contributed to the increase in the number of side hustlers.
“Interestingly, the rise of side chics could be linked to the growing number of educated and financially independent women. With increased independence and confidence, some women are more likely to engage in relationships that fulfill their emotional or physical needs, even if it means challenging traditional norms. They prefer to have men that will satisfy their sexual needs and also take care of their bills, like trips in and out of the country, instead of getting held up in a marriage,” Nyiraneza said.
Traditional Ugandan culture emphasizes marital fidelity and respect for relationships. However, the changing social norms and values due to the influence of modernization, urbanization, and Western values have led to a gradual erosion of these norms.
The rise of social media has also created new avenues for connection and communication, facilitating the formation of extramarital relationships with the invention of smartphones, which require improved security to unlock one’s phone; hence, these side-chics can ably communicate with married men without their wives finding out.
