Kololo Hill

By: Neema Shah

Narrated by: Aysha Kala

From the green hilltops of Kampala, to the terraced houses of London, Neema Shah’s extraordinarily moving debut Kololo Hill explores what it means to leave your home behind, what it takes to start again, and the lengths some will go to protect their loved ones.

'[An] incredible debut' Stylist

'Shah is excellent on the theme of home . . . an absorbing storyteller' – Daily Mail

When you’re left with nothing but your secrets, how do you start again?

Uganda 1972

A devastating decree is issued: all Ugandan Asians must leave the country in ninety days. They must take only what they can carry, give up their money and never return.

For Asha and Pran, married a matter of months, it means abandoning the family business that Pran has worked so hard to save. For his mother, Jaya, it means saying goodbye to the house that has been her home for decades. But violence is escalating in Kampala, and people are disappearing. Will they all make it to safety in Britain and will they be given refuge if they do?

And all the while, a terrible secret about the expulsion hangs over them, threatening to tear the family apart.

Critic reviews

An impressive, confident debut about family and survival, against the backdrop of a history that is not written about often enough. (Nikesh Shukla)

Devastatingly beautiful . . . every sentence is a revelation. (Nikita Gill, author of The Girl and the Goddess)

This is a novel about home, about belonging and exile; a compelling and complex insight into a recent past that still resonates.

Shah explores the chaos and fear of ordinary people’s lives during Amin’s rule, weaving personal stories of love and betrayal into heightening tension and violence . . . nail-biting.

Utterly heartbreaking and so moving . . . a thoughtful reflection on what home and belonging mean. (Haleh Agar, author of Out of Touch)

A moving portrayal of a family uprooted from a life they have worked so hard for. At times devastating, I found myself gripped to this story rooted in our history yet scarily still relevant. (Louise Hare, author of This Lovely City)

Kololo Hill offers a glimpse into a terrifying and fascinating period of history. Neema Shah evokes Amin’s Uganda and early 1970s suburban England with both nuance and a fresh and wonderful vivacity. This is a book with a huge amount of heart; I was entirely captured by the stories of Asha, Jaya and Vijay. Their dreams and dilemmas resonate with many of today’s key questions around culture, identity and the places – and people – we can each call ‘home’. (Joanne Sefton, author of The Guilty Friend)

A searing, timely, and beautifully written tale of displacement, the meaning of home, and developing identity across generations. I loved it. (Stephanie Scott, author of What’s Left Of Me Is Yours)

Voyage back in the past

This book is incredible. I listened to it and lived again memories I thought I had completely forgotten. if you ever been in Kampala or lived under a dictatorship this book will bring back your worst memories. for me It brought back my childhood in Kampala. it was just impossible to stop listening until it was finished. So many memories came back, not all pleasant. I warmly recommend to listen to it. So many people believe democracy is a given and do not understand how fast it can be replaced by Dictatorship. I lived through I Armin DAda regime and was also expelled with the entire family as a child. I would like everyone to understand that liberal democracy is a jewel we need to protect. Thanks again for writing this book.