He earns from shopping for others

There are many rural youth, who possess traits are associated with successful entrepreneurship once they are given the opportunity.

Peter Kawooya is one of them. With World Bank statistics (2012) indicating that Uganda has the youngest population in the world, the problem of youth unemployment is real.

Currently, youth unemployment stands at about 8 per cent and accordingly the ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development estimates that about 400,000 youth enter the job market annually to compete for only 9,000 available jobs.

A 2011/12 Ubos report indicates that one in every three youths in Uganda is unemployed exacerbated by the fact that they have no access to the government Youth Entrepreneurship Venture Fund initiatives as well as the Youth and Employment Productivity Enhancement Funds.

However, Peter Kawooya, who calls himself the “shopping doctor”, has defied all these odds. Kawooya currently works as a “broker” at Kalerwe market, a fresh food market along the Kampala-Gayaza Road.

He started this trade three years ago, after leaving his village of Bukuya, Kyamugugu in Mityana District. He is not sure of his age, but from his appearance he is between 16-18 years.

He did not go far with his education, having dropped out in P3, mainly because his parents could not afford the basic school needs.

He grew up with his stepmother who later got him a job as a house boy in Kampala, until he was introduced to Kalerwe Market.

Kawooya helps shoppers with identifying and shopping the good quality, fairly priced food commodities in the Kalerwe market.

What a shopper needs is to call him on his mobile phone, place orders for the foodstuffs, and he will do the needful.

This is particularly very convenient for the busy shoppers who want to avoid the hassle and bustle of shopping in a busy market like Kalerwe.

He has also developed rapport with many of the food vendors from who he buys the foodstuffs.

Kawooya wakes up as early as 4.30am to go and check out the food stuffs. He then calls his clients to inform them of the “new arrivals” and their quality. His clientele base spreads across areas like Kanyanya, Kawempe-Tuula, Mpererwe, Gayaza, Nalya, Kyebando and Kisasi.

When he is done with the shopping, he calls his clients and delivers the cargo to their waiting vehicles. He keeps a record of his clients’ list of commodities and their telephone contacts.

From the records, one is able to see names like mama we Gayaza, mama we Najeera, mama we Kyebando, mama Barbie (local music star Bobi Wine’s wife) and many others.

Brenda Kabasomi, one of Kawooya’s regular clients says she uses his services because of convenience.

“I just call him from my home to update my shopping list, and in a short time, he calls to inform me that the foodstuff are ready for pickup. This saves me a lot of time. He will also advise you on the quality of the foodstuffs” says Kabasomi.

Prossy Mbonye is another of Kawooya’s clients. “I like his services. He is clean, humble, respectful and trustworthy,” says Prossy Mbonye.

Kawoya rents a one-roomed house at Ssh50,000 at Kitala, Kanyanya -Komamboga.

He says he earns an average of about Uganda Shillings 25,000 per day.

“From what I earn, I save Shs10,000 and use the rest for upkeep. At the end of the month, I bank all the money I have saved in my account at Centenary Bank”, says Kawooya.

He says he has also managed to buy himself a sofa, a television set , a DVD player and is planning to save more money to buy a small plot of land in Gayaza.

Kawooya’s advice to other youth is to always be trustworthy in all their dealings, to always maintain cleanliness and good hygiene, be patient and persevere.

“My stepmother always told me to keep my hair short and dress well. This has helped me in my business because my clients think I am responsible”, says Kawooya.

It is the youth like Kawooya who need to be supported and nurtured so that they can exploit their full entrepreneurial potential.

The government should put in place interventions that can support these rural youth by providing more enterprise based trainings, access to finance, mentoring and coaching.

This will engage more the frustrated and unemployed youth who could be a time bomb in future.

The writer is a senior consultant, business development services, FIT Uganda Ltd.
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