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Framed within debates about the inclusivity of urban development, Ubuntu philosophy and an interest in non-metropolitan growth of ordinary places, 15 small but developing towns were selected across Uganda and Tanzania. Growth and development were evidenced by increase in night-time lights and densification/expansion of built-up areas. Analysis of c. 4,000 individuals asked which towns were more, or less, inclusive and why. An inclusivity index considered infrastructural, social, economic and political inclusion. Data from focus groups with diverse residents add important interpretive insights. More inclusive towns were those better organised and experiencing hierarchy promotion and external investments (Babati in Tanzania; Masindi in Uganda). The least inclusive towns (Chalinze in Tanzania; Luweero in Uganda) had either low political inclusion scores, denoting a local discontent with government, and/or economic structures influenced by trucking, sex work and smuggling. The work suggests why some towns’ growth benefits are better distributed across their citizenry than others.