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#OutToLunch Lessons from Sekanyolya’s 20 years of remote-controlled gates

By Denis Jjuuko Research from an international body shows that Uganda is the most entrepreneurial country in the world. Many adults are involved in businesses as owners. Others have ambitions of starting businesses. Many of the employed workforce have side businesses that they run whenever they find time off their official employment schedules. In our markets, millions of people are self-employed, running stalls of so many things. Graduation parties are full of speeches urging people to be ‘job creators.’ However, many of these businesses collapse before their fifth birthday leaving owners either in debt or with egos more bruised than that of Donald Trump after losing re-election! Given that kind of background, I am always excited when I come across a Ugandan company that defies the odds — enters the big league and survives for many years. This is because Ugandan entrepreneurs don’t fail because of being lazy or lack of trying. Doing business is a lot of work this side of the world — expensive capital, an untrained workforce, a poor population, an environment generally that isn’t pro-business. Over the last few weeks, Sekanyolya Systems, a pioneer in security systems has been running a show on NBS TV every Sunday evening to celebrate its 20th anniversary. It is remarkable how far the company has grown to the extent that it can even have its own televised show to celebrate its achievements. For disclosure, I know the founder of Sekanyolya Systems — Elijah Zizinga and I consider him one of my mentors. As a university student 20 years ago, I always approached him every October to do ‘kyeyo’ during the UMA Tradeshow, where I worked as a support sales agent for the week-long exhibition. Once in his company, you will always learn a thing or two about business in Uganda. Like many genuine Ugandan entrepreneurs, he is media shy and rarely gives interviews. He abhors self promotion. He always prefers the Sekanyolya brand to shine. And he has worked so hard to ensure that the brand is out there. At every building where his security systems are installed, a label of his brand is put in the most prominent place. Razor wire is known as Sekanyolya same way people used to refer to every detergent as Omo! For many years, there was always an advert every day in the newspapers and occasionally on TV and radio about his company. I think he believes in a common advertising thesis that posits that “doing business without advertising is like winking at a girl in the dark—you know what you are doing, but she isn’t aware of what you are doing.” Many Ugandan entrepreneurs are quick for self-promotion showing off their fifth-hand SUVs and gigantic homes and trying as much to show how they are wealthy whereas in real life they are suffocating in unbelievable debt. You will never see Zizinga showing off or claiming to be wealthy. This a critical lesson for entrepreneurs because trying to live rich has left many in debt, crippling their businesses. In the earlier episodes of the Sekanyolya Security Show, Zizinga gave a rare interview of how he moved into the security systems business. While going through a yellow pages book (a list of mainly business addresses in the pre-google days) of Johannesburg, he saw an advert that intrigued him — remote controlled gates. He flew to Johannesburg for an exhibition where the company that made these gate systems was showcasing its products. The more he talked to this company, the more he realized that this is a business opportunity he could bring to Kampala. It is a key lesson for entrepreneurs — reading is essential. I know many people in Uganda don’t want to read but if you are going to succeed in most things, there is need to be alert by consuming a lot of media through which ideas surface or get refined. Reading is also said to be one of the ways through which you can exercise your brain. I know that many Ugandan entrepreneurs cannot read or write but there is a need to learn to do so. I know some business people who have taught themselves these things and have become even more successful. So if you are an entrepreneur who flies to Asia or wherever for business, you can always look for the English newspapers or magazines and go through them or surf the internet as much as you can. Like the founder of Sekanyolya, you may find an advert that changes your fortunes. The writer is a communication and visibility expert. djjuuko@gmail.com

December 9, 2020

News

#OutToLunch Opportunities for entrepreneurs as demand for wood doubles

By Denis Jjuuko The biggest source of energy in Uganda is said to be wood, which many households use for cooking and sometimes even lighting. Some of the households which may not use wood as we may know it, use charcoal, a byproduct of wood. A joint statement by Uganda Bureau of Statistics and the World Bank Group released last week painted a very grim picture for our country. “Uganda could run out of forests outside of gazetted protected areas by 2025, if the current rate of depletion, driven by population growth, urbanization, and poor management of natural resources is not checked,” the statement read in part before offering an opportunity for entrepreneurs. “Demand for wood is projected to more than double between 2015 and 2040,” it said. There will be demand for wood in the country, which may not be available around after 2025 given our rate of depletion. I highly doubt that the current rate of depletion will be checked in the next few years. So if you invested in a wood business today, in about five years or so, you will be smiling to the bank. You could plant fast-growing trees that will be ready for harvesting starting 2025 to meet the demand for wood as many people including high-income earners still need wood or its byproducts. I have heard many say that they can’t imagine eating Matooke that isn’t cooked on firewood or traditional charcoal and in many urban homes of the wealthy, there is an ‘outside kitchen’ where firewood is used. Apparently, they argue, Matooke cooked on LPG or even electricity doesn’t taste as nice. Schools and prisons depend a lot on firewood to cook their food while some modern hotels use firewood to lit up the sauna and such other facilities. However, they don’t have to as they produce enough raw materials for biogas, which is another opportunity for entrepreneurs. Homes, schools, prisons, hotels, and even offices create a lot of organic waste that can be turned into biogas, which can light up our homes and provide a source of energy for cooking. This would actually check the rate at which forests are being depleted. Entrepreneurs can invest in modern systems where households and other facilities mentioned can sort waste and use it for biogas. We love Matooke in this country, which creates a lot of waste which can feed the plants for biogas and then create the fertilizers that can be used in the gardens. But also, studies show that about 40% of the food that is cooked is not eaten. Just observe at functions how much food people pile on their plates and then look at the workers as they collect the plates after people have eaten. This food is usually thrown away yet it can provide the energy we need to wean ourselves off firewood. There is also human waste from which biogas can easily be created. However, there is stigma about it. One of the so-called modern schools in this country whose alumni boast about it at any opportunity they get once installed a good biogas system so it could cut down on its costs spent on wood. The biogas system once complete started providing the energy needed to cook the students’ meals. The students went on strike that they can’t imagine they are eating food being cooked using ‘pupu.’ To quell the strike, the school promised to return to the old ways of cooking — using firewood. The students celebrated. They had won. So for biogas and alternative sources of energy to work, there is a need for awareness campaigns so people get to know that there are more ways to cook food than solely depending on firewood. This is the work of the government and I have heard that the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development is launching a pilot campaign in Kampala, Jinja, Mbale, Masaka, and Mbarara with support from UNDP to promote the use of organic waste as sources of energy. If this campaign kicks off, then entrepreneurs can start to position themselves to install affordable systems so that electricity is generated. Uganda has also been building its capacity in electricity generation over the years. Isimba and Karuma dams as well as others under construction should be making electricity affordable for households and businesses to use to cook food. Of course, there is a lot of investment needed in distribution but electricity in homes should be affordable enough for people to use for cooking so that we can reduce the strain we are currently exerting on the forests. The writer is a communication and visibility consultant. djjuuko@gmail.com

December 9, 2020

News

#OutToLunch Is Kikuubo’s end as the region’s trading hub nigh?

By Denis Jjuuko There is a video circulating on whatsapp showing empty shops in some of the arcades in downtown Kampala. The shops are on the ground floor and accessible. After watching it, I called a few of my friends who work downtown to confirm availability of these shops. They told me, the story is largely true and many people are willing to sell their shops and relocate. Kikuubo and indeed downtown Kampala used to be the hub of trade for wholesalers for the entire country and beyond. Traders from all over Uganda used to flock it to buy stuff to stock their shops. Others traders came from Congo, Sudan, Rwanda, Burundi, and some even surprisingly from Kenya. Today, Kikuubo is starting to lose its influence. There are many reasons. Factory owners are sidestepping Kikuubo to deliver goods directly to traders across the country. When you drive to all major towns (some now called cities) you will find many trucks of distributors delivering merchandise to traders in those towns. So the traders no longer have to come to Kikuubo to buy stock, it is delivered to them wherever they are. Many traders are also simply buying directly from the factories, cutting out the Kikuubo middlemen. Factories are being set up outside Kampala as well. Some towns have also grown. A small town like Gayaaza now feeds traders in Ziroobwe and Kalagi. Mukono supplies traders from nearby towns. Kampala’s traffic jams mean that a trader makes a saving if he avoids shopping from Kikuubo. Nateete is booming because it is more accessible than Kikuubo for traders from the nearby towns like Nakawuka, Bulenga, and Mpigi. Also, rent is 10 times cheaper in the suburbs than in Kikuubo. One of the people I called told me that he is closing his shop in Kikuubo and is going to buy a few smaller trucks and have a delivery system. He will only maintain a store where his trucks pick up the merchandise and deliver it directly to his customers. He has been creating a database over the years but also he will be able to get new customers on the routes he will chose. He thinks he will become more profitable that way. He is basically changing from a trader to a logistics entrepreneur. I was also recently in Masaka and Mbarara and I saw that these towns are growing massively with many arcades coming up. A trader in Kyotera, which is less than 50km from Masaka will not travel to Kikuubo to buy stock when he can get it from Masaka. A trader in Bushenyi will prefer to restock from Mbarara than Kikuubo. Remember, that factories and distributors are also delivering directly to them. The same applies to Mbale, Gulu, Arua, Lira and many other towns. Because the traders from Masaka or Arua are growing, they have started flying to China, Turkey, and other countries looking for cheap bargains. Kampala traders no longer have the monopoly of flying out of the country. Don’t get me wrong. Kikuubo isn’t going to collapse today, it’s influence, it’s status as the region’s trading hub is simply going to wane. Kampala’s population is going to grow to 10 million people in the next 10 years from four million in 2014 so there will still be some business downtown but not at the rate it has been over the last few years. As small towns like Mpigi, Nakawuka, Ziroobwe, Kalagi, and Lugazi among others grow, so will Kikuubo’s decline accelerate. The real estate moguls in Kikuubo need to start thinking about these changing dynamics and find strategies that can keep their buildings relevant. Because of COVID-19 and the growth in internet and logistics, Kikuubo traders who vacated the shops for the suburbs are feeling liberated. They no longer have to keep awake wondering how to make the rent. This challenge isn’t unique for Kikuubo alone, it happens in all cities as they grow. Population growth and infrastructural developments make some areas less significant as they previously were and downtown Kampala finds itself in such a situation today and in many years to come. Some buildings may have to be repurposed, rent rates may have to be significantly cut, and Kampala Capital City Authority may have to work with the real estate entrepreneurs to create campaigns that promote Kikuubo and other places. Traders who will prefer to remain in Kikuubo can no longer wake up, open the doors and wait for buyers like they currently do. They will need to market, find innovative ways to reach retailers happy not to come to Kikuubo or downtown for anything. The writer is a communication and visibility consultant. djjuuko@gmail.com

November 2, 2020

News

#OutToLunch Is Uganda ready for vintage investments?

By Denis Jjuuko Coming from this part of the world, for many years, I was always baffled by what some of the people in the developed world spend their money on. I am interested in world news, and once in a while, I would hear that a piece of art was sold for millions of dollars at an auction. I wondered why in the world, would anybody pay top dollars for a mere piece of art. Not that I didn’t appreciate art, but as somebody with my background, I thought it was a total waste of money. My bewilderment or naivety if you like was that some of the pieces of art that these people spend a lot of their money on are not even by Picasso or Michelangelo. Many were made by ordinary painters though their owners had kept them in good shape for many decades. I decided to read more about this crazy arts business. I realized it wasn’t just art. Watches, guitars, whiskey, wines, books and many other such items were sold at crazy amounts. Only in August this year, basketball legend Michael Jordan’s game-worn sneakers sold for US$615,000. Jordan had won the pair in a game in 1985. Yes, a pair of shoes slightly order than NRM has been in power sold for a whooping Shs2.2 billion. As an ordinary Ugandan, you probably now understand why I was always puzzled by what folks in the developed world spend their money on. As I read more about this weird behaviour of spending a lot of money on ‘non-essentials’, I came to understand that art, vintage cars, and such others relics were mainly investment vehicles for the wealthy. The person who bought the Jordan Nikes will make a lot of money in 10 or 20 years. All that they need to do is simply keep them safe and in the conditions they are. These particular Nikes are already making the owner money same ways Ugandans invest in land or buy treasury bills. At one stage, somebody else will buy them at a lot more money and the cycle continues. In Uganda, given the size of our economy, we may not have grown to a level where we can buy paintings or even shoes expensively even though we can participate in this global business. South African president Cyril Ramaphosa was fascinated by the Ankole cows and bought some of them. At an auction in South Africa, Ramaphosa sold an Ankole bull at ZAR640,000 or Shs143.8m! A well-bred Ankole bull in western Uganda is sold at less than Shs3m. It can be worthless during a severe drought. So imagine if one had Akii Bua’s shoes he used when winning his famous gold medal, somebody would buy them today at an astonishing price. Joshua Cheptegei simply needs to keep his shoes and vests; one day long after he has stopped breaking world records on the track, he might be making millions of money from his sportswear. However, there are some Ugandans already making money from this industry. They mainly concentrate on vintage cars. One of my friends has a BMW, which is about 30 years old, he drives it mainly on Sundays and many people stop him offering him crazy money. He always smiles and continues to drive. I have another friend who specializes in old Mercedes Benzes. Anywhere there is an old Merc on sale, he will buy it. If it needs restoration, he will put in money and turn into a unit that turns necks in Kampala. He gets good money whenever he decides to sell. The Kingdom of Buganda has been relentless in their pursuit for the government to return its old Rolls Royces one of which was recently returned, 54 years after it was taken away during the attack on the palace. Although the Kingdom may never put it on the market, when fully restored, it would cost more than a brand new one. And since we are willing to buy old cars expensively, we could be able to buy other old stuff too. So a business model based on vintage stuff could bring a lot of returns to those willing to invest. Old houses, for example, that have been restored could be of interest to the growing ‘middle class.’ I know we have destroyed many of them for shapeless apartments and arcades, but I believe if you found one and restored it, it would bring a good return on investment. The writer is a communication and visibility consultant. djjuuko@gmail.com

November 2, 2020

News

#OutToLunch The car industry is ready for the taking

By Denis Jjuuko Cars are the second-highest value import in Uganda after petroleum products. It goes without saying that the majority of the petroleum products imported are used in cars, making the automotive industry one of the biggest in the country. In many countries, the automotive industry is a key actor in the economy where many independent small and large enterprises supply parts that put together to make a car. Cars also naturally use a lot of consumables once they are off the assembly lines — fuel and oil to grease the parts of internal combustion engines and many other parts. We saw during the 2008 economic meltdown that the United States moved swiftly to bail out their auto industries as they create millions of jobs directly and indirectly. With poor infrastructure and lack of reliable public mass transport, the automotive industry has enormous potential. Once many people in Uganda get a somewhat meaningful job, one of the first assets they spend their money on is a car — many times a fifth hand they spend more time under repairing than inside enjoying it. A few years ago, I witnessed a transaction that amused me where somebody bought a very old car. The transaction took place in a famous restaurant in Kampala in the evening. The buyer came with about five friends and once he received the car logbook and keys, the party started. His friends high-fived and hugged him and all admired the car after which several drinks were opened and enjoyed. The buyer sat in the middle cross-legged, like a prince. You could tell his friends admired him immensely wondering when they will be able to achieve as much as him. One of their own had become “middle class,” he was now a “my car.” Young men tell me that these days girls of their dreams first inquire whether they have cars before they decide whether to date them or not. Once they own a car, the question of which car is also asked. I don’t know why one would be so interested in a car that doesn’t belong to them but I think I have heard that it is easier to cry in a car than some ramshackle bicycle! A car isn’t just a means of transport; it is a status symbol. You may argue that we are exchanging values for possessions but that is the reality today. You have heard about washing bay workers in Wandegeya crashing their clients’ cars around hostels where female university students reside or those who thought they had landed on a young millionaire just because he had access to car keys. I remember during my university days, a young man who bought a car key and dropped it on the table the moment he sat down to create an impression that he had a car whereas he didn’t even know what a gear lever was. We always laughed at his theatrics. As long as people migrate from rural to urban areas to escape poverty and the cities or towns remain with poor public transport, a car will be one of the most important assets people will ever buy. We won’t be like in some countries in Scandinavia where a prime minister rides a bicycle to office. Ugandans also love buying and building their own houses which are now located 20km or more from their workplaces. Those who are joining universities today will live further away from the city. They will need cars to ease their mobility unless significant investments are made in public mass transport. The majority of the imported vehicles are very old and susceptible to frequent breakdowns, which creates massive opportunities. Uganda is also developing its automotive industry with the construction of a plant in Jinja nearing completion. With poor or non-existent public transport as mentioned above, Uganda’s automotive industry potential is enormous and due for disruption. Technology advancements in 3D printing and availability of machinery on the world market mean that an entrepreneur can start looking for opportunities to make some of the parts right here in the country. We have the raw materials and a market that is so huge and ready for disruption. What one needs is to think of ways to disrupt the industry as it is ready for taking. The writer is a communication and visibility consultant. djjuuko@gmail.com

November 2, 2020

News

#OutToLunch Draft automotive industry policy opens up opportunities in car repairs

By Denis Jjuuko A week ago, my friend became the latest victim to the thuggery perpetrated by some car mechanics in connivance with the Police at Kisekka Market. As he drove along the road that connects Bombo Road to Old Kampala, he was incessantly waved down by mechanics claiming his car was in a dangerous mechanical condition and some “bearings’ had fallen out and therefore offered to repair it. The bill after fixing the ‘bearings’ was Shs3m which he objected. The mechanics refused to budge and he decided to involve the Police. Unknown to him, the Police around Kisekka Market are partners of the crooks and they were keen that he pays as much as possible. The Police advised that he pays Shs2m. He smelt a rat. How could the Police be quick to offer to mediate and significantly drop the figure by a million shillings? He ended up paying Shs0.5m and learning immediately, that his car had no problem and the “bearings’ which they claim had fallen from his car where actually of a Toyota whereas he drives a Subaru. Many people have fallen victim to these thieves and parted with substantial sums of money. At the same time as my friend was going through this ordeal, the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation was publicizing the draft Automotive Industry Policy, which aims at providing an enabling environment to attract value addition investments for import substitution through supply chain localization across the automotive industry value chain, enhance motor vehicle standards and environmental stewardship and regulate vehicle imports and promote export. The draft policy also aims at reducing the importation of used vehicles by 60% and increase brand new ones by 50% by the year 2030. Additionally, it proposes that by 2030, at least 10% of the cars in the country should be electric vehicles. One of the main reasons mechanics at Kisekka Market have resorted to underhand methods is because of their inability to repair newer model vehicles. For a couple of years now, Uganda capped the importation of used cars at 15 years, meaning that today you can only import a car made in 2005 or later. The majority of our mechanics have never been to any professional training school, learning their trade mainly from makeshift garages of relatives and village mates. Some have ended up excellent mechanics, but the majority have no skills beyond bolting a nut. The technology in newer model cars is so advanced that it needs some skills which the Kisekka Market lot has failed to master as many can’t read or write so they can’t teach themselves a few things off the internet. The easiest way for them to survive is to become conmen looking for people like my friend to shortchange. For many years, car repair workshops have been for the riff-raff operating mango trees. Many times, the cars are repaid based on guesswork without any devices or deployment of technology to confirm what could be wrong. Some get it right some times while many times, the guesswork leave many car owners frustrated. The garages that belong to brand new car dealerships are unaffordable to the majority of Ugandans who buy cars that were made when they were babies. This new automotive industry policy, if passed and implemented, it will put many of the current mechanics who don’t want to learn anything out of jobs. However, it will create a new type of car repair workshop or garage as we prefer to call them. The future car owner in Uganda knows how to read and with the internet can quickly source parts from anywhere in the world. Before they take a car to a garage for anything, they would have read about it and only need somebody who can fix it. Diagnosis kits are going to be necessary for a mechanic to own —continuous learning of how technology in cars works will be priceless. Many electric and even internal combustion engines are going to be updated the same way we update the apps on our smartphones. Some of the stuff that previously required a mechanic will now be repaired through app and system upgrades. The garage under the mango tree is also over. Somebody isn’t going to take their fancy car to a guy who can’t spell their name anymore. Fancy garages are going to replace those under the mango tree same way electric hair clippers eliminated the guys who operated under a tree shade. I have seen some entrepreneurs coming up with such fancy garage along the Kiwatuule-Najjeera Road and to say that they are swamped is an understatement. The writer is a communication and visibility consultant. djjuuko@gmail.com

November 2, 2020

News

#OutToLunch Could Barkcloth be the new gold?

By Denis Jjuuko Before Arabs and missionaries came to Uganda, the people of Buganda had invented the barkcloth, which is processed from a fig tree known as Mutuba (Ficus natalensis for the scientists). In most villages in Buganda, there was at least one ‘factory’ — an open shade with a long square wooden log where barkcloth was processed. The process involved removing bark from the Mutuba tree (after which the tree would be wrapped in banana leaves for a few weeks to regenerate), hitting it with different mallets until it turned into a soft tissue, which was then washed-sometimes boiled-and then dried in direct sunlight for weeks. The boiled one was the premium version. Members of the Ngonge (otter) Clan are the official barkcloth makers for the Kabaka and the royal family as it was invented by them. Barkcloth is worn by both women and men though women used a sash to tie it around. It was also used as bedding material, mosquito net, and for cultural and spiritual functions. At burials even today, dead bodies are wrapped in barkcloth while at the coronation, the Kabaka wears a ton of it. Like most pre-history inventions by Africans, Arabs and Christian missionaries relegated barkcloth as backward in the quest for markets to promote products for their industries. Cloth made from cotton and other cheap materials like polyester became the order of the day. Barkcloth which provides more warmth, was disregarded in favour of nylon bedsheets and woollen blankets, which are unaffordable by most Africans. Pneumonia started killing children and even adults. The Mutuba tree is one of the easiest trees to plant and almost doesn’t need special care for it to thrive. Families simply planted it in the banana plantation and it provided clothing for generations. Its dry leaves provided mulching for banana and coffee plantations which meant that where families had Mituba trees, they experienced better yields during dry seasons. It is said that a single Mutuba tree can provide as much as 200 square metres of barkcloth in over 40 years. Barkcloth is still commonly used in Buganda for burial and other cultural and spiritual functions as well as a decorative material. However, in many villages, the factories have since gone silent. Of recent, European fashion designers have been descending on the country to acquire this unique cloth to make expensive designs such as shoes and dresses. As a country, there is a need to tap into this growing trend and market. We must encourage households to plant Mituba trees again in their banana and coffee plantations and ensure that elders who know the craft of making barkcloth pass on the skills to young generations. However, since we have cameras and we know how to read and write, we can document this process so that people can have it on their smartphones whenever they need. We need to upgrade the ‘factories’ as well so that after barkcloth has been processed, we add more value. We can export shoes and the fancy dresses that I now see online made from barkcloth. We can make hundreds of stuff from these materials. The world is interested in renewable stuff and many people are interested in paying top dollars for them. That way, we will create more jobs and have more people interested in working with this very unique and historical product that our forefathers invented. The guys at the National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO) can come up with more varieties that perhaps grow faster and provide more square metres of barkcloth. The ministries of agriculture, trade, environment, tourism and innovation combined can promote it. We can create the world’s centre of barkcloth materials and ensure that on the world’s fashion runways in Milan, London, and New York, there is always a special category for barkcloth and other vegetative materials. Meanwhile, Uganda Tourism Board would create a Barkcloth Tourism product where tourists come to visit the ‘factories’ and learn how this material is made and go back with handmade barkcloth products. Automotive companies like Kiira Motors can replace automotive cotton textile with barkcloth. Other players in the automotive value chain can make barkcloth for high-end luxury products. The world is fascinated by handmade stuff and barkcloth has a fascinating story that starts around the 13th century. Barkcloth is gold. It can get people out of poverty, provide food security for households, and protect the environment since people won’t be cutting down Mituba trees given that they would be making money out of them. Millions of jobs would be created effortlessly. The government simply needs to put money where its mouth is. The writer is a communication and visibility consultant. djjuuko@gmail.com

September 29, 2020

News

#OutToLunch Investments in public transport necessary to reduce public health expenditure

By Denis Jjuuko The Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) was on a roll last week issuing contracts totalling almost Shs500 billion. They have been doing this for a while only that this time, two major contracts will see the upgrade of two major roads in greater Kampala. The Kira-Kasangati-Matugga road through Buwaate and the Busabaala road have been some of the most talked about roads in Kampala given the state in which they are causing untold suffering to residents and road users. I like using the Kira-Kasangati-Matugga road whenever I am going to the northern region as it shortens the journey since I could easily avoid the traffic nightmare in Bwaise and Kawempe. Some roads in Masaka town (or is it city) that are going to be worked on had become impassable. Recently, I heard that construction commenced on the Mpigi Expressway, which will connect to the Entebbe Expressway and the Northern Bypass. When these projects are complete, they will help in a way to decongest the city and open up areas that are today considered too far for city workers to commute. Mpigi is 40km away, a distance shorter than Kampala to Entebbe Entebbe International Airport but to get there is a hustle. The traffic jam from Nsangi to Busega is for those who have academic qualifications in patience. With the Entebbe Expressway, once you get on the Northern Bypass after Kalerwe, you are at the airport in a matter of minutes. The Kira-Kasangati-Matugga road will make it easier for people to live towards Kapeeka and Bombo while commuting to their workplaces in Namanve or Kampala. These new roads will make housing cheaper as the cost of land is affordable; the further one goes away from Kampala. Buganda Kingdom is already planning a massive affordable housing estate in Mayembegente near Mpigi town. Other investors could start similar projects in areas like Bombo or Luweero. However, the construction of these roads alone won’t make people move into greater Kampala where housing will be much more affordable due to the cost of transport. Kampala’s public and/or mass transport is unreliable and costly. Taxis charge different rates at different times of the day. They are unreliable too. Many people who work in Kampala prefer to live in squalor conditions as long as they are within walking distance to their workplaces. Just stand at Clock Tower or follow Kampala’s railway line in the morning and evening as people either go to work or retire to their homes. The salaries they earn can’t enable them to afford motorised transport hence preferring to walk. When people live in squalor conditions as many Kampala dwellers do, the country spends enormous amounts of money on them in terms of health as many fall sick routinely. The economy loses many working hours as people are sick. In Uganda, when one person falls ill, many other people don’t work — the wife takes leave to attend to a sick husband or child. Sometimes the mother or grandmother also joins in. It is not uncommon to find five relatives looking after one ill person. Even though our country’s population is one of the fastest-growing in the world, there is still a lot of land in greater Kampala, which is affordable where people could live in better conditions. The challenge is transport for people to get to work in the city. The government needs to start planning for affordable and reliable public mass transport so people can live 40km away and still spend a small amount of their monthly earnings on transportation. I believe many people would be delighted to live in a better environment in Mpigi or Bombo than in a slum in Makerere or Makindye if it wasn’t for transport costs. So as we embark on these roads around greater Kampala, we should think of affordable and reliable mass public transport. We can’t leave this just to the private sector. Kiira Motors is already making electric buses that carry 90 passengers. Deploying them on these roads would be smart for the government as it would significantly reduce the cost of living and doing business in Kampala and other cities. The number of people falling sick would also reduce thereby reducing public expenditure on health. The writer is a Communication and Visibility Consultant. djjuuko@gmail.com

September 17, 2020

News

#OutToLunch Lessons from the first virtual Rotary Cancer Run for entrepreneurs

By Denis Jjuuko In March this year, with COVID-19 creating disruptions the world had never seen, I thought about an event that was five months away. For a while, I felt that by the end of August, the world would be normal again. Like many people, I trawled the trustable news websites to check how far the scientists were moving to find a combination of drugs that could cure people of this unwanted disease. The more I read, the more realized that it would take a very long time to find a cure or vaccine. At the back of my mind was the Rotary Cancer Run that was due Sunday, August 30 of which I was the chair of the organizing committee for this year. When we started preparing for it in September last year, I had created an executive committee which was mainly made up of people who had been in my position before for the previous few years. I know them personally, and they are friends. However, I knew that they would never tell me what I want to hear instead of what I needed to hear. So in late April, I called them and said we need a crisis meeting. This COVID-19 pandemic isn’t going away but even if it does, do we have time to organize an event that attracts more than 50,000 people in 50 towns across the country and a few other cities outside Uganda? The consensus was that this isn’t possible. We didn’t even think it would be possible to get the funding we needed to pull off this event. However, since everything was now being done at home, we could try uncharted waters by organizing a virtual Rotary Cancer Run. I then called the organizing committee to hear their views. Every year, a group of volunteers is identified to organize the event. I asked them what I had asked the executive committee and everyone said we can’t organize the event the way we have previously done. We agreed to do a virtual event. A small committee was then tasked to come up with ideas and what we needed to do to organize the virtual Rotary Cancer Run. We sent letters to the key partners and sponsors informing them of our decision, and they too agreed with us. Monthly, then bi-weekly and eventually weekly meetings were held were each subcommittee would present their plans for the virtual Rotary Cancer Run. All our energies were to do this event where people would run from wherever they are across the world. Plans were made and we went ahead to implement them. Some of the key sponsors like Centenary Bank, LycaMobile, and Uganda Breweries among others and all media houses said the times were tough but they won’t let us down. Along the way, I received a phone call from a PR executive with an agency that does work for Centenary Bank. The agency was proposing that we sell face masks this year. I didn’t like the idea at first. Everyone had a face mask and the hustle of making them. But I didn’t veto the idea either. I said we would think about it. An hour or so after the phone call, I realized it was a wonderful idea and I presented it to the organizing committee. They loved the idea too and we incorporated it into our plans. Many people who participate in the run contribute by buying a vest for the day. We had decided not to sell vests this year due to logistical challenges as a result of the lockdown. The face masks, although presented their own challenges, they were not at the scale of vests. One Saturday afternoon, a friend on the executive committee called. He had found contact with world athletes. They had agreed to do videos to encourage people to participate. Bryan Habana (famous Springbok), sprinters Tayson Gay and Yohanne Blake indeed sent the videos. Ugandans and Rotarians from all over the world started sending videos and photos that they will participate and they indeed participated. We had become global. We turned a crisis into a first for us and pulled off a run of that scale across the country and in many parts of the world. We set up a command centre at the Uganda Rotary Cancer Programme office in Muyenga from where we streamed the event live to millions of people on TV and online. People were able to send their videos in via Zoom. As an entrepreneur, I learnt that we could turn whatever crisis we face into opportunities. The writer is a communication and visibility consultant. djjuuko@gmail.com

September 17, 2020

News

#OutToLunch Money for 22 Landcruisers is enough to set up a high tech cancer treatment centre

By Denis Jjuuko Since the last Sunday of August 2012, Ugandans have become accustomed to doing one thing annually – waking up to participate in the Rotary Cancer Run. Every last Sunday of August, cancer has been the talk of the town. From a few participants in 2012 to approximately 50,000 people in 2019. From a parking lot of a shopping mall in Lugogo to the more spacious Kololo Independence Grounds and then to 50 towns across the country. The Rotary Cancer Run was the first and only event in Uganda that was carried out simultaneously in every major town of Uganda. Last year, the run even moved to outside Uganda. Working with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Rotary Cancer Run was held in Mombasa in Kenya, Kigali in Rwanda, Pretoria in South Africa, Berlin in Germany, and Moscow in Russia becoming the first Ugandan event to have a global presence. A few Rotarians ran in Florida and Pennsylvania in the United States. Over the years, the Rotary Cancer Run has raised awareness about cancer and built a 36-bed cancer treatment centre at Nsambya Hospital and donated funds that led to the construction of the Rotary Blood Bank at Mengo Hospital — the only second such bank in Uganda. All this was achieved in the first four years of the run. Over the years we have raised approximately Shs3 billion net, but with our network, we have managed to do stuff worth much more than the money we have raised. The building alone at Nsambya is worth more than Shs1.5 billion but was completed when we had raised less than Shs300 million. Our network as Rotary enables us to achieve a lot. Nevertheless, this wouldn’t be possible without the generous support of Centenary Bank and the Parliament of Uganda among many other key partners. From 2016, the Rotary Cancer Run has been raising money to build bunkers at Nsambya Hospital, which will be used to house modern cancer treatment machines. Construction will soon commence following approvals from the Atomic Energy Council. I have been privileged to work as one of the organisers of the Rotary Cancer Run since 2015 as a Rotarian and volunteer. This year, I am serving as Chair for the organising committee. I was appointed to this position about a year ago and last September, we started working on the 2020 edition of the run. We wanted to maintain or even increase the number of towns in Uganda to participate and also have the run in more cities across the world than we managed last year. This year we were planning to become the first Ugandan run to have at least 55,000 people participating. Then COVID-19 happened! We were all frustrated, and our spirits dampened. How can we just cancel the run that people have become to note on their calendar, for now, nine years? As we deliberated on how to inform people that the run won’t be possible given the COVID-19 pandemic, we realised we could do it and break new ground for virtual events. We announced that we will have a virtual Rotary Cancer Run 2020. This has given us opportunities to hold the biggest run ever in Uganda and we expect that more than 60,000 people will be able to participate in Uganda and many others elsewhere. As I was writing this, I received news that many global superstars have agreed to participate in this year’s Rotary Cancer Run. You will see their videos soon and we hope that the messaging will create more awareness about cancer. Since around February 2020, as a country, we have focused a lot on COVID-19 and it is perfectly understandable given the rate of its infectiousness, but we shouldn’t forget that cancer is still here as well. We need to do all we can to inform people about this scourge and what we need to do to avoid it and go for regular medical check-ups. We also need to ensure that we have the facilities in place for people to get treatment at an affordable cost. Flying to India or even Nairobi that is usually the case isn’t sustainable and COVID-19 has even made the case better that cancer treatment must be carried out within the country at an affordable rate. Many companies donated a lot of money to COVID-19 as well as brand new pick ups. The cost of a modern cancer treatment centre costs less than 100 brand new ordinary pick up trucks or just 22 Landcruiser V8s. The writer is a Communication and Visibility Consultant and Chair Rotary Cancer Run 2020. djjuuko@gmail.com

August 19, 2020

News

#OutToLunch. 10 businesses one can start with capital of Shs150,000

By Denis Jjuuko There is an increasing number of Ugandans especially in Kampala starting roadside businesses since the partial lifting of the lockdown. On the roads to the suburbs where people live, there are more people selling fruits, liquid soap, and other such household items. Some look like people who have been formally employed before given their dress code and some how they speak. Some vend from fancy and expensive vehicles. With many jobs lost, this is a good thing. Over the weekend, there was a post circulating on social media (mainly Whatsapp) where somebody was inquiring what business they could do with start up capital of Shs150,000. Some people ridiculed the post as something impossible while others argued it was possible. I thought of businesses one could start with Shs150,000 and came up with 10 of them. In no particular order, here they are. Fruits vending 60 passion fruits (Masaka type) are retailed at Shs10,000. This means that one can start such a business. So with Shs150,000 one can start with more than 15 packs of 60 fruits. An apple is sold at about Shs1,000 at whole sale prices and retailed at Shs1500. So one can start selling them with 140 apples. Many other fruits can be sold with the said start up capital. Toilet paper Toilet paper vending in traffic is common these days. Retail prices range from Shs10,000 to Shs20,000 depending on the quality and location. This is another business one can start with Shs150,000. Liquid soap Making liquid soap is so easy and ingredients are readily available. One just needs to learn how to make it. A 5-litre jerrycan is sold at Shs10,000. This means that one can easily start the business with 75 litres. Shoe shinning The new normal of working from home seems not to be working. Offices are open again and Kampala is full of people. The dust in Kampala isn’t about to go away. So this is one business one can be able to start with Shs150,000 if they identified a busy location. Household supplies If you identify a few families in your neighborhood, you can start supplying them with household items. With a capital of Shs150,000 you can buy stuff from the market and you are paid on delivery. Hair plaiting Once you have the skill, you can identify a salon which you sub rent per a hour whenever you have a client. The capital is then used to purchase hair braids or weaves. Where weaves are more expensive, you simply ask a client to pay in advance or identify a shop where you can get them on credit. Fresh beans and peas vending In Kampala’s traffic, you can easily vend fresh beans, peas and vegetables all of which you can start with Shs150,000 or less. You can also identify buildings with many offices and ask for permission to deliver to clients in their vehicles as they depart after work. Bricks and sand supplies A small tipper (Elf) carries about 800 bricks. Each brick made out of ordinary soil is about Shs150. You can hire a truck and deliver them to people’s construction sites at a profit. You can also deliver sand to sites. Social media influencer I assume you already have a smartphone. You can start a business of tweeting, and making posts for organisations and individuals. Many of those standing for election don’t know a thing about social media. You can start making favourable posts for them. All you need is data and OTT. If you don’t have a phone, you can still get an affordable one. Cleaning services There is need for cleaning services in homes and business premises. You simply need soap and some pieces of cloth all of which cost less than Shs150,000. You can even employ other people to help. Where you need machines such as vacuum cleaners or high pressure pumps, you can hire them. Imagine if you negotiated with an office block and they allowed you to wash cars as office people worked, you could easily clean 10 cars a day earning Shs100,000 a day for at least five days. You can also hire brush cutters to slash compounds. There are hundreds of other business ideas one can start with Shs150,000. I just picked these ones. The writer is a Communication and Visibility Consultant. djjuuko@gmail.com

August 5, 2020

News

#OutToLunch Time to turn our domestic waste into power plants

By Denis Jjuuko A few years ago, while on the Kampala Northern Bypass, a couple in their newly acquired 16-year old sedan stopped a few metres ahead of me. The driver, wearing a nice suit and looking every inch a corporate lawyer or investment banker jumped out of the car, opened the trunk and dumped a load of rubbish by the roadside. It was towards 7.00 am. He jumped into his car and drove I think to work with his lady doting on him. Kampala generates a lot of waste. We love eating fresh food which we peel generating a lot of waste. We also don’t preserve a lot of food. We tend to cook more than we can eat. This isn’t just a Kampala issue though as studies show that 40% of the food we cook is wasted. Before the COVID-19 lockdown, you only needed to attend an event and see how people load their plates with food at events. Most of this food is obviously not eaten. Waste from food eaten or not creates a nightmare for many households. The couple that dumped rubbish on the northern bypass isn’t isolated. If you walk in many of our suburbs you will see a lot of dumping or a signpost warning others of severe consequences if they dumped waste. Still, it is not uncommon to see people eating their sweet bananas or corn while dumping whatever they can’t eat through car windows. Even on Kampala Road! Some entrepreneurs have set up companies that charge a small fee to collect waste from offices and homes at least once a week. In Kampala, such entrepreneurs dump the waste at KCCA’s landfill in Kiteezi. For plastic waste, companies such as Coca Cola buy it by the kilogram to recycle for new plastic bottles. They like to call it the circular economy. However, the other waste that we create mainly around food is a nightmare to deal with yet it shouldn’t be. In many of Kampala’s ‘elite’ suburbs, investors are building housing estates to sell as condominium units. Others are buying large pieces of land and partitioning it into small pieces and selling them to those who dream of building their own houses. When people start building on these small pieces of land, each constructs a septic tank and some even complement it with pit latrine (I have never understood the purpose for pit latrines when one has a flushing toilet. We can turn them into energy hubs too). Housing estates building condos are building mega septic tanks. Schools and hotels are doing the same. A few months ago, there was even an uproar when a shopping mall in Entebbe was leased some of the land belonging to botanical gardens to expand its septic tank. Schools, hotels, malls always hire cesspool emptier trucks to deal with their human waste challenges. I am told they even pay National Water to have the waste dumped there. National Water then turns into manure and sells it to us. Although we have increased our electricity generation by building many power dams, its supply to the final consumer is still a challenge. We usually run to Twitter and Facebook to complain whenever it rains and electricity supply from the national grid gets interrupted. Yet we live with a source of untapped energy that can supplement what we can get from the national grid. We can turn our septic tanks into sources of biogas used for cooking and even lighting. Uneaten food and other such waste can easily be turned into energy. Imagine a housing estate with 50 units with each occupied by about five people, how much energy can it create from the waste people create every day? Each housing estate or household can be a power plant to supplement what is provided from the national grid. Most Ugandans use firewood to cook, creating energy from biogas would save our forests and protect our planet. The sludge from biogas plants can then be used as fertilizers. So the money we pay to dump our waste can instead be saved and we even earn from it. We just need to practice sorting waste and then invest in biogas technologies to turn our waste into energy and fertilizers. It is not just energy that our homes or offices can create. We can recycle wastewater and use it again in our homes for stuff such as gardening, washing cars and such other tasks. The writer is a communication and visibility consultant. djjuuko@gmail.com

July 28, 2020