Kampala - Post Report Question and Answers
What household or grocery items do you wish you had shipped to post?
This post lost its consumables shipment during covid and has not been able to get it back. This is really a problem with increasing limits and rejections from DPO. GF items are hard to find, but you can get creative with cassava flour, etc. The problem is cross contamination. I carry my epipen everywhere. They do not understand allergies here. It takes a lot of effort if you live in the easier commuting neighborhoods because all the specialty shops are on the north side of town. Everyone delivers and you can order via WhatsApp and some places will send the card reader to pay with Visa. - Jan 2024
We did not have a consumables shipment. Everything we have needed has been able to be shipped through Amazon. The one lacking element is good wine/liquor. The selection here is limited and average. - Jun 2022
The US mission employees no longer have consumables for this post. I preferred US dishwashing detergents, laundry pods, dryer sheets, and cockroach bait. - Dec 2021
Liquids and favorite snacks. Good beer, but since we don't have consumables you'd have to save room in your HHE. - Aug 2020
Lysol wipes, shelf stable milk, quality pet food. - Nov 2019
Cheese. - Oct 2019
We always ship toilet paper from the US. I am not a huge fan of local dish soap, either, so get that online. The rest is all great, though. - Mar 2019
If you have special sauces you can't live without, ship them. With DPO, dry goods come quickly. Liquids, however, would be best shipped via consumables. - Feb 2019
None. We can either find it here or we're able to ship via DPO. - Jan 2019
More kid snacks in our consumables shipment. - Dec 2018
I wish I has shipped more beer that I like. Although there are several local brands, they are not to my liking. You will find yourself entertaining a lot due to the amazing weather and tons of outdoor space. This is where all your good beer will go! Either ship more beer or only offer your guests the local stuff and save the good stuff for yourself! Aside from that, you can find pretty much anything and if you can't, you supplement with DPO. - Oct 2018
Toilet paper, laundry detergents, and lots of food items. You can order a lot through Amazon or smilier places but I think it's more expensive than if you had shipped it. We also lost our consumables for this post. - Sep 2018
Everything! All cleaning supplies, all beauty needs, any and every non-perishable item. - Sep 2018
We have found everything here, except perhaps some brands of breakfast cereals. The few items I have not found is real maple syrup, good quality cat liter and cat food, and Mexican dinner kits. I have not found Masa Harina flour here, nor good tortilla chips. - Aug 2018
Laundry pods are not available (or at least I haven't found them). - Jun 2018
Kid cereal, snack foods, tortillas, chulala or other spicy food/seasoning; Ugandan food seems very mild. - Jun 2018
UPS devices!!!! if you want to keep your electronics functional - power is very dirty and outages are regular occurrences. Rechargeable batteries Transformers as they allocate only a small number Dog crates (they sell for US$400 for small and US$700 for large ones) Candles (can't ship) Dog/cat food and cat litter if you don't have shipping through the Embassy - Aug 2015
More liquids--soap, cleaning supplies, salad dressing, bug spray, sunscreen, stain remover, etc. I'm glad we shipped plenty of TP, paper towels, canned goods. - Jun 2014
With respect to the pouch, anything liquid e.g., desired toiletries, shampoo, deodorant, etc. - Oct 2013
Not much. You can get most stuff here or order it online. Maybe just some of the bigger-ticket items for kids. Although there is a local guy who builds swing sets, clubhouses, etc., and he does a great job. - Mar 2013
American comfort foods - mexican food, maple syrup, things in glass jars, since you can't ship them. The climate is so humid, though, that even unopened cereal-based things spoil quickly, so it does not make sense to ship a year's supply of corn flakes or potato chips. Fried snacks are readily available anyway. How did Pringles get so worldwide? - Sep 2009
