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Seeds of success: Kunihira's journey from farming to prosperity in Uganda
Jovia KAVULU | 04/03/2024
As the rest of the world was battling Covid- 19 induced lockdowns between 2020 and 2021, Kunihira, who was by then a fresh graduate from university, hardly felt the pinch of the effects of a strange epidemic that claimed millions of lives and paralysed economies globally. As most families spent most of the time indoors as it was directed by the government to contain the spread of Covid-19, Kunihira spent most of turbulent years practicing agriculture to make ends meet. He grew crops like maize and beans. When the Covid- 19 dust started settling and the lockdown eventually lifted, he embarked on an expedition searching for white collar jobs. One of the market research organisations in Kampala attempted to offer him a volunteer job, but he could not grab the opportunity.“The company was willing to pay me a monthly allowance of Shs 600,000 but I turned down the offer, because I could not afford the high cost of living in the city,” he says.However, he never lost hope. He decided to engage himself in small scale farming, as he waited for better opportunities to knock at his door.Last year, Kunihira was selected to participate in the Work Readiness Programme whose aim was not only to sharpen his agricultural skills, but also better his soft skills including communication and teamwork skills. Like many other graduates who benefited from the project, Kunihira was attached to Honda Enterprises Limited in Fort Portal, where he was exposed to a more detailed practical part of his career. The enthusiasm exhibited by Kunihira prompted management to retain him as an employee.“I have benefitted a lot. I can now process organic manure. We tried to do it when I was still at university, but the results did not come out well because we lacked materials to cover it,” he says. He says that most universities offer less time for practical lessons and lack adequate materials and equipment that students need to turn theory into practice. He believes this kind of mentality must be changed if the education offered by tertiary institutions is to remain relevant.His experience at Honda enterprises has been different. All materials used in practical work such as dehorning, pasture management, parasite control, animal management were availed to him. Besides, he has been able to invest part of his salary in agriculture. He recently bought a cow at Shs 2.3m. He also invested in maize growing. Last season, he got eighteen sacks of maize.“I have been able to save some good money and invested it. My target is doing business alongside my career. I plan to set up a demonstration farm and offer agricultural advisory services to farmers so that they can adopt better farming practices for better yields,” Kunihira says.He says an organisation dealing in herbal medicine has consulted him to use his professional expertise to guide them on selecting the right and best herbs.
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Atukunda Kirsten's rise in Uganda's tourism industry
Jovia KAVULU | 04/03/2024
After graduating in Tourism and Hotel Management from Kampala International University, Atukunda Kirsten, engaged herself in petty trade to make ends meet. But since she loved to do things that were in line with her career, she kept the ear on the ground until she landed on the Work Readiness Programme. She was placed at Adventure in the Wild Limited, a Tour and Travel company located in Najjanankumbi, along Entebbe Road in Kampala. “When I heard about the programme, I got the encouragement to join. I applied online and I was invited to participate. I love tourism because you move and adventure. You see beyond what you should have known,” Atukunda says. Six months later, Atukunda was retained to work as a Travel Consultant, a position she still holds. One of her responsibilities is to write content which is posted on the company’s website and links so that it can be accessed by potential tourists. Before Atukunda embarked on the journey of content writing, she was tasked to traverse different parts of Uganda to have a feel of what Uganda has to offer in various national parks. This enabled her to compile content from an informed point of view. Atukunda writes details of different animals found in different National Parks and the animal classes that they belong to, location of the national parks and other interesting information about Uganda. Uganda is known for being a very hospitable country, which is equally a bait used to attract tourists into the country. Her contents are mainly consumed by international clients. “ We mainly deal with international clients. They like reading more than the domestic clients. When I am writing content, the client reads and sends an inquiry, and we respond” Atukunda says. She however says that when you are a beginner of writing content, you must know all tourist attractions in Uganda before you can go to other East African countries. The content helps clients to have an idea of what the place has to offer. She states exactly what the clients will be able to see when they get there. “You don’t have to give wrong information. Those international clients are intelligent. They will say, in your blog you said this game park has got this type of animal, where is it?” Atukunda says. By the time Atukunda joined the company, it was struggling to recover from Covid-10 shocks. The Tourism Industry was among the sectors of the economy that were hit harder by the lockdowns. Her unique communication and marketing skills that she acquired during the training have helped her to attract more clients not only to her company, but also to Uganda.“When we came in, we had to increase the number of clients because of the content we were writing. About 90 percent of the clients are international tourists and 10 percent are domestic,” she says. Although Ugandans have started embracing tourism, Atukunda says it still takes a lot of time to agree with them on payments due to over bargaining. She says the tourism industry is lucrative, but so competitive and that players have to be alert all the time to remain on top of the game. “When a client sends an inquiry at 3:00 am, I must wake up immediately and answer it. If you delay, you lose them to your competitors. There is a lot of competition but, it is a good business because when you do it well, you earn a lot,” she says.
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Mugabe gives Kagiira Skills Development Centre in Uganda a new lease of life
Jovia KAVULU | 04/03/2024
When you step a foot into the compound of Kagiira Skills Development Centre premises in the Western district of Ibanda, you will probably catch a glimpse of a jolly young man, clad in a well-fitting suit. The smile that John Baptist wears on his youthful face and his great sense of humour are enough to demonstrate the impact of the training he attended under the Work Readiness Programme he attended at Kagiira Development centre. Other participants are Nakayiza Gloria, a food scientist, and Akundwe Sarah, a horticulturalist.The training covered both technical and soft skills that one needs to thrive in the world of employment. After the training, Mugabe was retained to work as the company’s accountant as well as an administrator. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree of Science in Accounting and Finance, from Uganda Christian University. He graduated in July 2022. A few years ago, Mugabe had a dream of working in a reputable organisation as an accountant. Fortunately, his prayers have been answered. For the few months Mugabe has worked as the company’s accountant, he has been able to change the face of the organisation. His first task was to organise the institution into departments to ensure smooth running. “When the organisation was starting, it had no departments. It has since been organised into different departments including finance, horticulture, value addition among others. They assigned us duties because we are graduates who had been empowered with management skills at the skills centre,” Mugabe says.He also learnt how to remit taxes, compile and manage financial reports, which he says guide management in making financial decisions and accountability. Like other graduates, Mugabe says he has acquired hands-on skills. He has now enrolled for a CPA course so that he can become a professional accountant. In a bid to diversify his sources of income, Mugabe is also venturing into poultry farming.
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The hustle for job hunting ends for Samason-Uganda
Jovia KAVULU | 04/03/2024
Samson Mwandara, 29, hails from Kiteere Central Division, in Fort Portal. Mwandara is the second last born in a family of 10 children. He graduated in 2022 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Agriculture at Mountain of the Moon University. Searching for a job was one of the hardest tasks he was confronted with, after graduation. Mwandara says he needed a job to support himself and his single mother who had toiled for years to educate him and other children. This was after the cruel hand of death grabbed their loving and caring father, at the time when they needed him most.Fortunately, the long journey of job hunting was cut short when he was selected to participate in the Work Readiness Programme at Honda Enterprises Limited, where his skills were polished. After the six months of training elapsed, he was retained by Honda Enterprises.“It is not easy to get a job in the Uganda of today. I must say that it was a blessing for me to be retained after the training. My friends are still struggling to get jobs yet I’m earning a living, who am I?” he says.Official government estimates indicate that between 600,000- 700,000 people in Uganda join the labour market every year and 95 percent of these are youth, yet hardly 10 percent can be absorbed in the formal labour market due to lack of the required skills.In 2021, the Uganda National Bureau of Statistics (UNBS) reported that youth unemployment for persons between 18 and 30 years increased from 12.7 percent in 2012/13 to 13.0 percent in 2019/20, despite a reduction in the overall national unemployment rate, from 11.1 percent to 10 percent during the same period. Today, Mwandara’s future is bright. He plans to use the skills he acquired to set up his own poultry farm. He hopes to start with 500 birds. To make his dream a reality, he saves Shs 200,000 every month to raise capital for his proposed project. He says the training helped him to acquire the knowledge needed for one to mint money from poultry farming. According to him, he is now an expert in making poultry feeds for both layers and broilers. For layers, he mixes 200kgs of brown maize, 150kg of maize brand, 100kgs of KLC lime, and while for broilers, he mixes 300kgs of brown maize, 100kgs of maize brand and 100kgs of KBC Koudiz. He says that producing the right quality and quantity of poultry feeds results in good quality birds. Mwandara is also an expert in silage production. “The training has been so good that I acquired so many skills. I wish we could have such training for all graduates, their future would be brighter. It is a fact that universities are not doing enough when it comes to the practical part of training. It is one of the causes of unemployment among the youth. They have papers but they cannot do the jobs assigned to them,” he says.
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Aijuka attracts more clients to IT firm in Uganda
Jovia KAVULU | 04/03/2024
Stephen Aijuka, 29, graduated in 2021, from Kabale University. Studying procurement and logistics did not stop Aijuka from becoming a marketer. In November last year, he got the opportunity to be enrolled on the Enabel – Private Sector Foundation Uganda Work Readiness programme. He was attached to the business development department at Ahuriire Uganda Limited where he was working as a business development personnel.Two weeks into his new job, he applied to be part of the Work Readiness programme. He was exposed to a variety of skills including work ethics, communication and teamwork. Although he had studied marketing at university, it was more of theory. However, the training introduced him to the practical side of his career. Teamwork!“I was introduced to online marketing. I’m here but I get orders for my products online.” he says. Aijuka markets his products like honey online. He says the communication skills he acquired during the training have helped him to learn how to express himself in front of clients. He has so far been able to get business from various companies due to improved communication skills. A big number of organisations have also promised business. Besides his formal job, Aijuka practices bee keeping and goat rearing. He markets them online.
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How a WhatsApp message changed Akundwa’s life-Uganda
Jovia KAVULU | 04/03/2024
Akundwe Sarah graduated in 2021 from Mbarara University of Science and Technology. She studied Bachelor of Science in Agriculture. Like it is the case with many other fresh graduates in Uganda, Akundwe was jobless for more than a year. However, she saw light at the end of the tunnel when her best friend shared with her a WhatsApp text message that was encouraging professionals who had graduated within the last three years to apply for a training opportunity. “My application was successful, and I was attached to Kagiira Skills Development Centre for training. Hadn’t it been my friend’s effort, I wouldn’t be here today,” she says.Her area of focus was horticulture. She learnt how to grow and manage different types of vegetables and spices. She was also trained in the production of organic fertilizers and pesticides. The pesticides are made from a mixture of rabbit urine and herbs.“Whoever had an idea was given a chance to innovate with the guidance of our supervisors. When I came here, I found that animal waste was not being utilised so I brought in an innovation and started making manure out of it,” she says.Her pesticides and fertilisers have become a household name for several farmers in Western Uganda.“I receive orders from farmers in Ibanda, Fort Portal, Kyenjojo Bushenyi and Kamwenge and Mbarara. Farmers who have appreciated the quality of my products also refer their friends to the centre,” she says.Kagiira Skills Development Centre is in the process of seeking Uganda Bureau of Standards certification of the products so that they can legally penetrate the market. When she is not engaged at Kagiira, she offers extension services to farmers’ groups.“I can’t take a day without a farmers group contacting me on phone to go and train them how to make organic mature and pesticides,” she says.Akundwe who now heads the Department of horticulture at Kagiira Skills Development Centre trains students in horticulture. According to her, a good future is in agriculture.“I don’t think a banker is better than me. I’m my own boss and I can generate a lot of money from agriculture, but it needs passion,” she says.Akundwe used part of her savings to purchase half an acre of coffee plantation. She also practices piggery to supplement her income.
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Meet Doreen, the marketing guru in Uganda
Jovia KAVULU | 04/03/2024
Advertising and marketing are key components of a successful business. Anyone can become a marketer as long as he or she has passion for it, in addition to sticking to the basics of marketing. This was evident when Ankunda Doreen, who recently graduated in Information Technology from Mbarara University of Science and Technology decided to take that direction. When Ankunda was attached to Ahuriire Uganda Limited, an IT firm under the Work Readiness Programme, she was asked to join the business department. At first, her heart skipped a beat because she did not know much about business. However, when she attended the training, she was taken through the basics of marketing after which she was tasked to market the company’s online App, dubbed Rembo Finance System. It targets Savings and Cooperative Organisations (SACCOS).Her role was to convince different SACCOS to embrace the system in member enrolment, savings and credit management online and mobile phone banking, among others. She says that every month, she recruits at least two SACCOOS into the system.“I thought I would be a programmer but when we attended a hands-on training in business innovations, communication skills, and project management, I became a good salesperson. I applied the skills I learnt. That is why I have been able to work smoothly,” she says. She has gained confidence. “Before I attended the training, I was shy, I couldn’t stand in front of 100 people and talk to them. But I can now do it. I have also learnt how to handle customers with different attitudes and backgrounds. Customers are the ones who sustain a business, if you fail to handle them well, the business will obviously collapse,” Ankunda says.She says that when a customer is rude, it is important to keep calm and listen to the clients’ concerns and address their problems accordingly. Since Ankunda believes in being self-employed, she plans to venture into programming. She is considering developing a system that would help schools track teachers to check absenteeism. Teacher absenteeism remains a huge barrier to effective teaching and learning in Uganda. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) estimates that at least 60 percent of Uganda’s teachers are not present in classrooms at half of all public schools. Teachers are normally engaged in petty businesses like vegetable selling and boda boda business, to supplement their meagre income. At regional level, teacher absenteeism is higher in Uganda than other neighboring countries like Kenya and Tanzania. Ankunda says the world is going digital and it is important for all sectors of the economy to embrace technology. “IT knowledge is an added advantage. Everything is getting digital, if you don’t embrace it, you lose out,” she says.
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From Graduate to Business Partner: Aijuka Moreen's journey of success
Jovia KAVULU | 04/03/2024
When she graduated in 2021, the only thing Aijuka Moreen, a 24-year old graduate of development studies from Makerere University prayed for, was to secure decent employment from a reputable organisation. A year later, this prayer was answered. She was attached to CEMM Group Limited Company in Bugolobi, Kampala, under the Work Readiness Programme, for hands-on training. The enthusiasm and commitment exhibited during the training prompted management to retain her as an inside business partner.Some of her responsibilities include conducting business research, building a healthy relationship between the company and clients, writing business proposals and training clients in different fields. Aijuka says that she has written five business proposals, of which one was successful. She continues to hunt for more potential organisations and companies that can give them business.“At every workplace, it is important for every person to contribute to the main goal of the organization for it to stand the test of time. I have managed to get business for the company,” she says.She is also part of the team from the company’s education department charged with conducting talks in schools and universities. During these sessions, learners who wish to take different career paths are taken through career readiness while those who are holding leadership positions in schools such as prefects are trained in leadership skills. The exact content given to learners during such training depends on what the institutions have paid for. Every Friday Aijuka and other staff are exposed to a learning session where they are taken through programme management, entrepreneurship, client management and presentation skills. “When you are here, you experience the real 21st century skills needed on the labour market. I have also learnt that the skills we think are minor when you are out there such as communication, teamwork, problem solving are the most important ones.“Communication skills have helped me to get business for the company,” she says.She considers herself lucky to join the working class immediately after graduation and that it is every parent’s dream to see their child placed somewhere upon graduation.
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From struggle to success: Baguma Lucky's journey to empowerment and agricultural excellence
Jovia KAVULU | 04/03/2024
Baguma Lucky, 24, scooped a first-class degree in agriculture, from Mountains of the Moon University in Fort Portal. Despite being among the best students, his journey of searching for employment opportunities was not a walk in the park.“I attempted to secure jobs in a number of companies immediately after graduation, but I was always let down by the kind of skills I had to offer. I had theories and I always got stuck. I couldn’t operate simple machines like silage slicing machines. This made it hard for me to compete for jobs,” Baguma says. As he was still contemplating the next step to take, luck struck his way. His former course mate at the university shared on social media a text message about the Work Readiness Programme that Enabel and Private Sector Foundation Uganda (PSFU) with funding from the European Union, had initiated to empower fresh graduates with skills that would enable them compete for job opportunities or create their own jobs.“I grabbed the opportunity and went through a vigorous six months’ training at Honda Enterprises limited. I received hands on training in various disciplines, including organic manure production, animal feeds processing, formulation, preservation and application, biogas production, zero grazing and poultry farming,” he says.With rampant deforestation that is greatly contributing to climate change and its diverse effects like prolonged droughts that continue to cause food insecurity in the country, shifting from use of charcoal and firewood to biogas as an alternative source of energy is key in conserving the environment. Baguma is among the lucky graduates who were retained by the institution after undergoing a six-month training. He is confident that he can now face the world of work, since he has what it takes to confront the labour market. A total of 12 graduates from Fort port participated in the training. Baguma, like other graduates who were retained by Honda, has been able to produce quality animal and poultry feeds for the company, resulting in increased milk and egg production.Every day, the company is able to get over 100 litres of milk from the six cows on the farm and 120 trays of eggs. Each tray of eggs goes for Shs.120,000. He also practices piggery and grows maize as his side business. His budding farm is situated in Fort Portal along Kamwenge road. Baguma hopes to become a millionaire in a few years’ time. Every month, Baguma bags over Shs. 600,000 from his current employer and he counts himself lucky, as his name suggests. He says that most of his course mates are still pacing between offices in search of employment in vain. His salary has also helped him to fend for his mother and siblings. His dream is to pursue a master’s degree in Crop Protection and Plant Breeding.
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From hardship to harvest: Douglas Mirembe's journey in agri-business in Uganda
Jovia KAVULU | 04/03/2024
When he lost his father at the age of three, Douglas Mirembe’s mother thought that her children would not make it in life. However, through hard work and determination, Mirembe’s mother and his maternal grandmother who were both peasant farmers from Rwengaju Subcounty in Fort Portal City struggled to raise him and his siblings.“They could grow maize and do odd jobs to ensure that we stayed in school and had something to eat. Through the grace of God, I was able to study up to university,” he says as he recalls the dark days. Upon graduating, Mirembe chose to concentrate on small-scale agriculture. He reared goats, rabbits and practiced poultry farming. He says that he never bothered to apply for jobs, since he knew that it was not an easy task. At that time, Mirembe did not think of taking farming to another level, probably because he had no one to guide him. Besides, his practical skills were limited. It was after he got the opportunity to participate in the Work Readiness Programme that he came to appreciate that he could utilise the skills acquired to take on agriculture as a lucrative business.“The training sessions were hands on. I fell in love with my profession, and I realised that it was time for me to concentrate on agriculture, “he says.Mirembe is gradually expanding his business empire. He has established a farm in Kamwenge, where he grows coffee and maize. He has also purchased two cows, twenty hens and three goats.“Agri- business is the way to go. Agricultural products have ready market. People eat food on a daily basis. It is a lifetime job that other young people should try out. The training has been an eye opener to me,” Mirembe says.Before attending the training, Mirembe says he kept both animals and birds in the same structure. However, the skills he acquired have helped him to construct separate standard structures. He says that he has no plans of applying for jobs elsewhere because he believes that it is hard to get a job without paying a bribe.“For now, I want to concentrate on agriculture. I have a big business plan and skills. The challenge is that I lack capital but I’m sure that when I get a financial boost, my business will grow,” Mirembe says.
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Justine Murungi's journey into tourism in Uganda
Jovia KAVULU | 04/03/2024
Justine Murungi is a graduate of Leisure and Hospitality Management from Makerere University Business School. She stands out because she got a part-time job immediately after Senior Six results were released by Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) in 2017. During her year, she emerged the best Senior Six student in the whole of Mubende district in Central Uganda. This prompted Murungi’s former school to offer her a part-time job. She was tasked to teach A-level students. She taught History and Christian Religious Education over the weekends. As some of her course mates went out to have fun over the weekends, Murungi was busy teaching. She could travel on Friday and return to Kampala on Sunday night or Monday morning to attend lectures. After graduation, she continued teaching since it was the only thing that would occupy her.During internship at Kampala Serena Hotel, Murungi realised the need to venture into tourism, since she was passionate about the sector. As she was contemplating her next step, a friend sent her a link with information about the Work Readiness Programme. She was interested so applied. “It had a lot of things to fill, but I made sure that I filled everything, and I went through,” she says.Murungi was attached to Adventure in the Wild Limited, a Tour and Travel company located in Najjanankumbi, along Entebbe Road to acquire hands on skills. She started writing content that could be shared with potential tourists on the company’s website. The content gives a detailed report of different tourist attractions in Uganda and different types of animals found in the various national parks. According to her, the training helped her to have a feel for the practical part of her profession.“I had never been to any tour company but when I came here, our director gave me an opportunity to learn. I can write good content about various tourist attractions,” she says. “Basically, when you are still at university, we focus so much on grades, but they don’t help in writing content. Most of the students doing tourism and hospitality stop and learn about tourist attractions but they don’t get a chance to visit them. “You study about Bwindi, but you don’t know the animals found there,” she adds.
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Why Uganda's Juliet found passion in record keeping
Jovia KAVULU | 04/03/2024
Juliet Mary Nakalembe, 25, is a holder of a Bachelor’s degree in Records and Archives from Makerere University. When Nakalembe was growing up, she wanted to become a journalist. According to her, journalism makes one famous in addition to having the power to change things through story writing. It also gives someone the opportunity to freely interact with people from different backgrounds, including government bigwigs.Unfortunately, her dream to be a journalist was never realized. Frequent intimidation and attacks on journalists by some security agencies forced her to change her mind. She quickly found passion in record keeping. She is a beneficiary of the Work Readiness Programme jointly implemented by Enabel and Private Sector Foundation Uganda with funding from the European Union. She is among the seven graduates who were retained by Steel and Tube Industries Limited in Namanve Industrial Park, along Jinja Road.She currently works as a Data Clerk. When different products are manufactured, she records them into the system. Nakalemba says that the skills she acquired during the training such as communication and management will help her set up her own business in future.
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Uganda: PSFU, Enabel are a friend to lean on
Jovia KAVULU | 04/03/2024
Twesigye Oscar, 26, is among the few lucky graduates who have been able to find something to do, immediately after graduation. Hunting for jobs after graduation is something that some graduates must endure for a longer period, since job opportunities in Uganda are still scarce.When Twesigye graduated in 2021 from Makerere University, he was employed at Kyagalanyi Coffee as a Finance Assistant. Although the Company is in Mbarara in Western Uganda, Twesigye handled Kampala Operations. His daily pay was Shs 30,000. It was a temporary position, but it gave him a fresh start. His contract was initially supposed to elapse after five months, but it was extended to a year since he still had tasks to accomplish. When he heard about the Work Readiness Programme, he resigned from his job and concentrated on the training.Twesigye was among the graduates who were attached to Chemiphar Uganda Limited. After the training, he was retained by the company. Today, he works as the company’s Accounts Assistant. According to him, the knowledge he acquired during the training has helped him excel in what he does. He currently handles debtors and creditors as well as bank reconciliations.“When we give a service to clients, they must pay. I make sure that they pay. It is a whole process.When they request for a service, I quote for them the price, send an invoice highlighting the amount they are supposed to pay. After service is given, they must pay,” he says.He also processes payment for the company’s suppliers. He does this in partnership with the Procurement Officer. Twesigye considers himself lucky because the debtors he deals with are not so complicated. Whenever he contacts them, their response is positive. When it comes to handling cash, Twesigye says he always follows guidelines to avoid misappropriation of resources. He admits that handling cash is so tempting, but he sticks to ethics to avoid causing losses or being caught on the wrong side of the law. Twesigye says the salary he earns has been able to turn his life around for the better.“The salary has helped me to cater for my expenses and I have also enrolled for CPA course,” Twesigye says. He encourages his jobless peers never to lose hope but keep searching for jobs.
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Mukello and Umar raise the bar for Steel and Tube Industries Limited at quality awards
Jovia KAVULU | 04/03/2024
Steel and Tube Industries Limited recently scooped a Consumer Choice award. This award recognises business excellence by conducting an independent market research survey to determine brand reputation, customer satisfaction and business excellence for the quality of services.Umar B, 26, a graduate of Industrial Engineering and Mukello Emma,27, a graduate of Chemical Engineering who were attached to the company during the Work Readiness Programme training are some of the brains behind the success of the company. Both graduates did and continue to do what it takes to produce quality products. Umar is in charge of one of the production lines at Steel and Tube Industries Limited. He manages the production line right from the wire drawing to the final stage of production.“We receive materials from South Africa, India and China and do material inspection to ensure we have the quality that we need,” he says.One of his tasks is to study the chemical composition and physical structures of the materials in comparison with the shipping certificates. If the two rhyme, the materials pass the quality test. He says quality measures value for money and that it is critical for the company to produce quality products to ensure that customers get value for money. He also says that the skills he acquired have helped him to confront challenges.“I have become more analytical and learnt how to handle problems. We have been prepared to handle challenges at the workplace,” he says.Mukello, says that he was assigned to manage the night shift, and that teamwork enabled them to scoop the prestigious quality award.“We have many companies producing the same products, but the customers chose us,” he explains.Mukello works in the chemical section of the company. He undertakes chemical analysis of the raw materials before they are used to ensure that they have the right material compositions. He says that one time, they were supplied with billets used to make iron bars. His analysis indicated that they were not of the required quality. He informed his boss, and they took them back to the supplier. Management has promised him a new contract.
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Lubega saves Coffee farmers from middlemen’s exploitation
Jovia KAVULU | 04/03/2024
Andrew Lubega was attached to Kasaali Farmers’ Cooperative Limited (KACFAN) in Kyotera district. This was almost a year after he graduated from Kyambogo University in Kampala, where he was awarded a Bachelor’s degree in Micro Finance. Immediately after joining Kasaali, he was exposed to practical skills in the areas of credit management, report writing, communication, teamwork and mobilisation skills among others.“I learnt how to create a mutual understanding with clients to be able to recover loans from them. You don’t need to be arrogant or too soft, the tone of your voice has to be balanced. When you are too soft or rude, you may not recover loans from people,” he says. The professionalism he exhibited during the training prompted the organisation to retain him as its first Loans officer. The SACCO gives loans to members during planting seasons, and they are expected to pay back after they harvest coffee. Since he took on this task, SACCO’s share capital has increased from Shs. 7, 810,000 to Shs. 14,780,000. The membership of the SACCO has also grown from 383 to 665 people, most of whom are embracing borrowing to expand their farms. On August 31, 2023, for example, he received loan applications from eight coffee farmers, worth Shs. 65,200,000. His initiative of encouraging farmers to borrow from the SACCO and pay back during harvesting season, has saved them from middlemen exploitation.“They were convincing farmers to sell immature coffee at a much lower price. I encouraged those who needed money to come for loans to allow the coffee cherries to mature before they could sell them,” he says. Farmers could sell 10kgs of raw cherries at Shs. 10,000 yet the same quantity of ripe coffee cherries costs Shs. 50,000. “The money was going to the pockets of middlemen,” he says.
