Bookstores in Kampala
Kampala, Kampala has 31 bookstores on the map. That's 31 bookshops mapped around Kampala, each with its own shelves and specialties. The used sections are where the real bargains hide. Give yourself an hour minimum — bookshops are the one errand that always takes longer than planned.
This guide covers every bookstore we could verify in and around Kampala (within about 40 km), built from OpenStreetMap's community-maintained data. Names you'll run into include Aristoc Booklex and University Bookshop Makerere, plus Aristoc Booklex. If a bookshop's missing from Kampala's list, it probably just hasn't been mapped yet.
The Kampala bookstore lineup
31 mapped within about 40 km:
Aristoc Booklex
BookstoreRun by Aristoc Booklex Uganda
Aristoc Booklex is Bookstore run by Aristoc Booklex Uganda. Aristoc Booklex also notes on the map: a phone number is listed — worth a call before a special trip; it has a website with more detail.
Phone: +256 414 253112
University Bookshop Makerere
Bookstore
University Bookshop Makerere — Bookstore. Also worth knowing about University Bookshop Makerere: the map lists its hours as Mo-Fr 08:30-20:00.
Hours: Mo-Fr 08:30-20:00
Aristoc Booklex
BookstoreRun by Aristoc Booklex Uganda
Aristoc Booklex is Bookstore run by Aristoc Booklex Uganda. Aristoc Booklex also notes on the map: a phone number is listed — worth a call before a special trip; it has a website with more detail.
Phone: +256 790 1234567
Christ the King Bookshop
Bookstore
Christ the King Bookshop is Bookstore.
Enjoy Christian Bookshop
Bookstore
Enjoy Christian Bookshop — Bookstore.
Learnig Unlimited Bookshop
Bookstore
Learnig Unlimited Bookshop is Bookstore. Learnig Unlimited Bookshop also notes on the map: the map lists its hours as PH,Mo-Su 08:00-21:30.
Hours: PH,Mo-Su 08:00-21:30
La Fotaine Christian Bookstore
Bookstore
La Fotaine Christian Bookstore — Bookstore.
Bible World
Bookstore
Bible World — Bookstore.
Aristoc
Bookstore
Aristoc — Bookstore. Also worth knowing about Aristoc: the map lists its hours as Mo-Sa 08:00-18:00.
Hours: Mo-Sa 08:00-18:00
Mukono Book Shop
Bookstore
Mukono Book Shop is Bookstore.
Uganda Bookshop
Bookstore
Uganda Bookshop is Bookstore.
Paulines Book and Media Centre
Bookstore
Paulines Book and Media Centre — Bookstore. Also worth knowing about Paulines Book and Media Centre: a phone number is listed — worth a call before a special trip; it has a website with more detail.
Phone: +256 414 256346
TBC Africa Ltd
Bookstore
TBC Africa Ltd — Bookstore. Also worth knowing about TBC Africa Ltd: a phone number is listed — worth a call before a special trip.
Phone: (041) 47130003
New Day Book Shops Limited
Bookstore
New Day Book Shops Limited is Bookstore. New Day Book Shops Limited also notes on the map: a phone number is listed — worth a call before a special trip.
Phone: +256 777 874204
Snad Agencies Uganda Limited
Bookstore
Snad Agencies Uganda Limited — Bookstore, found on Kikumi Kikumi in Kampala. Also worth knowing about Snad Agencies Uganda Limited: the map lists its hours as Mo-Sa; 09:00-17:00; a phone number is listed — worth a call before a special trip.
Kikumi Kikumi, Kampala
Hours: Mo-Sa; 09:00-17:00
Phone: 0701573423
Ayo-sec Uganda
Bookstore
Ayo-sec Uganda is Bookstore on Gayaza Road, Kampala. Ayo-sec Uganda also notes on the map: the map lists its hours as Mo-Sa 07:00-17:00.
Gayaza Road, Kampala
Hours: Mo-Sa 07:00-17:00
Quality Quick and Entertainment Limited
Bookstore
Quality Quick and Entertainment Limited — Bookstore, found on Bombo Road in Kampala. Also worth knowing about Quality Quick and Entertainment Limited: the map lists its hours as Mo-Su 09:00-21:00.
Bombo Road, Kampala
Hours: Mo-Su 09:00-21:00
Hosana Stationery
Bookstore
Hosana Stationery is Bookstore on Kawala Road, Kampala. Hosana Stationery also notes on the map: the map lists its hours as Mo-Sa 09:00-18:00.
Kawala Road, Kampala
Hours: Mo-Sa 09:00-18:00
Engineers
Bookstore
Engineers is Bookstore on Namirembe Road, Kampala. Engineers also notes on the map: the map lists its hours as Mo-Sa 08:00-18:00.
Namirembe Road, Kampala
Hours: Mo-Sa 08:00-18:00
Engineer's Services
Bookstore
Engineer's Services is Bookstore on Namirembe Road, Kampala. Engineer's Services also notes on the map: the map lists its hours as Mo-Sa 09:00-17:00.
Namirembe Road, Kampala
Hours: Mo-Sa 09:00-17:00
Parents Bookshop
Bookstore
Parents Bookshop — Bookstore. Also worth knowing about Parents Bookshop: the map lists its hours as Mo-Sa 08:00-18:00.
Kampala
Hours: Mo-Sa 08:00-18:00
Nina Bookshop
Bookstore
Nina Bookshop is Bookstore.
Nina bookshop
Bookstore
Nina bookshop is Bookstore.
Julie Computer Services
Bookstore
Julie Computer Services — Bookstore. Also worth knowing about Julie Computer Services: the map lists its hours as Mo-Sa 08:00-22:00; a phone number is listed — worth a call before a special trip.
Hours: Mo-Sa 08:00-22:00
Phone: +2560783103135
BGE bookshop
Bookstore
BGE bookshop — Bookstore.
Crystal Mind Book Store
Bookstore
Crystal Mind Book Store is Bookstore.
Industrial Area Kagugube Book Making Group
BookstoreRun by Rebuga Jane
Industrial Area Kagugube Book Making Group is Bookstore run by Rebuga Jane on Industrial area. Industrial Area Kagugube Book Making Group also notes on the map: the map lists its hours as Mo-Su; a phone number is listed — worth a call before a special trip.
Industrial area
Hours: Mo-Su
Phone: 0757616387
UDA bookshop
Bookstore
UDA bookshop — Bookstore.
Kampala Bible Centre
BookstoreRun by Nkwame John Mark.
Kampala Bible Centre is Bookstore run by Nkwame John Mark. on First Floor, Shop No. A/F-41, Mukwano Arcade, Ben Kiwanuka Street, Kampala. Kampala Bible Centre also notes on the map: the map lists its hours as Mon-Sat 08:00-07:00; a phone number is listed — worth a call before a special trip; it has a website with more detail.
First Floor, Shop No. A/F-41, Mukwano Arcade, Ben Kiwanuka Street, Kampala, P.O. Box 143355
Hours: Mon-Sat 08:00-07:00
Phone: 0781135896
Christ the King Bookshop
Bookstore
Christ the King Bookshop is Bookstore.
Uganda Bookshop
Bookstore
Uganda Bookshop is Bookstore.
What the map tells us about bookstores in Kampala
13 of the 31 list their opening hours on the map, which is genuinely useful — bookshops keep civilised hours, so the listed ones are usually reliable.
4 have websites listed. Worth a look for events — readings and signings get announced there first.
There's a cluster: 2 of them sit on Namirembe Road, so you can string those into one walk and drive between the rest.
The Kampala bookstore crawl
The efficient Kampala bookstore crawl strings these together: Aristoc Booklex, University Bookshop Makerere, Aristoc Booklex, Christ the King Bookshop, Enjoy Christian Bookshop, Learnig Unlimited Bookshop, La Fotaine Christian Bookstore, and Bible World — 31 stops, one logical order. 23 more are listed below.
Bookstore tips for Kampala
The regulars' playbook for Kampala's bookshops:
- Ask for the out-of-print hunters at Aristoc Booklex. Some used shops will hunt down out-of-print titles for you. It takes patience, but the find is worth it.
- Learn the remainders table at University Bookshop Makerere. Publisher overstocks sold cheap. Great for gift buying — new books at used prices.
- Don't judge by the window display. The front table is marketing. The back shelves are the shop's real taste. Walk the whole floor.
- Ask about the book club discount. Many shops discount book-club orders. If your club buys local, everyone wins.
Good to know
We searched about 40 km around Kampala — that covers the town itself plus the surrounding communities you'd reasonably drive to. Listings come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by local volunteers, so a brand-new bookstore in Kampala can take a while to appear. Spotted a closure among the 31, or a bookstore we missed entirely? The map is the source of truth here — one OpenStreetMap edit corrects it for everyone.
We don't list prices — they change constantly and vary by edition. What we list is the where: real shops, verified by real mappers, in alphabetical order with no favourites.
If you run one of the 31 listed here and something's wrong — a closure, a move, new hours — the fix is the same: update the shop on OpenStreetMap and the correction flows through to this page on the next daily refresh.
Bookstore listings for Kampala: 31 mapped from OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Photos from Wikimedia Commons contributors; individual photo credits appear in captions. Listing data was last refreshed automatically — verify hours before visiting.