Modest gardens rake in money for retired couple

It is a bright Tuesday afternoon. I jump on a boda boda and head to Bunga to meet Clement and Fellista Ndyashangaki, a couple that now earns from turning their residential compound into a party reception gardens. At 15 minutes to 5pm, I arrive at their premises. I find Mr Ndyashangaki in office which is just adjacent to their residential house.

Dressed in a kitenge shirt, open shoes and glasses, he offers me a seat before taking me through their business journey. Later on, his wife joins us in the middle of the conversation.

How did it all start?
Ndyashangaki says he conceived the idea in 2005 when he was about to retire from his job at Bank of Uganda. He wife, just like Mr Ndyashangaki, retired from his job at Bank of Uganda. He thought of something that could give them continuous income even after retirement and because he had seen people in the neighbourhood earn from gardens, he decided to set up a garden just within his compound. His home which he bought in 1990 at Shs24m seats on two acres and the compound is almost half an acre. So the rest of the rest of the land which had been used for subsistence farming is what Ndyashangaki counted on as land for the gardens.

“When I conceived the idea, I discussed it with my wife. And she seconded it. We used the Shs5m we had saved and our salary to start the gardens. She looked for a garden designer as I looked for workers to clear the banana plantation. It was hard to take the decision to clear the bananas but I thought it was necessary becasue there was no way we were going to rely on bananas for a long time,” he explains.

On her part Ms Fellista Ndyashangaki got the garden designers , who with a deposit of Shs500,000 started to landscape the area and later began planting flowers and palm grass. “By 2007, the gardens had been well established. But we had to wait for another year because we had not yet bought chairs and tents where people could sit. We officially opened the place in 2008 and named it Bunga Leisure Gardens. However, the place did not get known as fast as we expected. There was stiff competition from neighbours who were dealing in the same business,” she explains.

When the project failed to take off as fast as they thought, they decide to make it known through adverts. They used flyers, posters and adverts on radios and newspapers. “We advertised the place for about two months. People got to know about it. The attitude changed within the shortest time. Since then, we get numerous customers coming from all corners of Kampala, East Africa and the western world.” Ndyashangaki says when the number of customers went up they had no money to expand the premises since they had retired in 2006. So they waited until 2010 when they got their retirement benefits.

Ndyashangaki had retired in 2006 but had been retained as a consultant of BoU. “My wife got about Shs100m. I got half of her gratuity. We invested all our money and built a guest house and restaurant in 2012.

According to Ms Ndyashangaki the new innovation has tripled their income where on average, they receive about five guests per day. There are those who come for holidays while others come to book the venue for their forthcoming events mostly weddings, introductions, birthdays, baptisms, graduations, wedding and political meetings.

Average earnings
Although the couple shies away from telling us their exact earnings, Mr Ndyashangaki says in a single day, they can collect between Shs150,000 and Shs250,000. This means if this happens every day, they can earn between Shs1m to Shs1.75m per week and between Shs4m and Shs7m per month. Their estimates indicate that they have so far invested more than Shs5.8b (about $2m).

Life lessons
The couple says they have learnt that life is about commitment and determination. “If it was not the determination and commitment we had, we wouldn’t have achieved what we have today,” says Ndyashangaki.

Future prospects
There are plans to construct a swimming pool this year. They also plan to expand the guest house conference hall, kitchen and restaurant.

Changing attitude
Ndyashangaki says the tendency of taking parties to villages is becoming old school. For instance he says people no longer take to their parents homes. “Today people want to serve their guests in places that can easily be accessed by workmates, schoolmates and friends,” he says.

He adds because of the increasing demand, many people have ventured into establishing gardens and hotels for business giving an example in Bunga where more than eight gardens have been set up. He says it is rare to find gardens that have not been booked for a whole week, which explains why people do not want to take parties to villages.

Advice to upcoming entrepreneurs
For Ndyashangaki, enthusiasm and self-motivation are important aspects for a successful business. “There are very many tentative blockages in the path of an entrepreneur,” they say, but “One can only go around them if they continually retell themselves that abandoning is not an option.” The former banker stresses the importance of patience and looking beyond fear.

He says young people tend to want quick results yet they are reluctant to put in the energy that such results require. He says the hindrance one meets before a business finds its breakthrough is a priceless experience for any entrepreneur to master how to transform an idea into a money-making venture.

“It takes a brave heart to make a choice to start a business, but one should always be determined to achieve their dreams. The youth should also learn to start with what they have. They should look beyond fears such as how things will turn out or the imagination of a slow progress,” he say.

Origin
Clement Ndyashangaki was born on July 7, 1948 in Buyanja in Rukungiri District. He is the third born in the family of four children. He graduated with a degree of statistics in 1973 from Makerere University and also holds a Masters’ degree in agriculture economics which he acquired in 1976 at the same institution. He worked with Uganda Commercial Bank, now Stanbic Bank from 1995 to 1996 but later moved to Bank of Uganda where he worked from 1996 to 2006.

After his retirement Ndyashangaki was retained as a consultant from 2006 to 2010.
Fellista Ndyashangaki holds a diploma in secretarial studies from Uganda College of Commerce now known as Makerere Business School. She was born on August 10, 1952 in Buyanja Rukungiri District. She is the second born in a family of eight children.

Achievements

Mr Ndyashangaki says they have been able to construct a new structure that accommodates a conference hall, a bar, sauna, restaurant and bath steam. They have been able to educate their children and help some relatives.
“Through the profits we get from our business, we have contributed to the society by constructing a church in Rukungiri District which can accommodate more than 100 worshippers,” Mrs Ndyashangaki explains. They also say their income has continued growing. “Our business is able to sustain itself and gives us continuous income. Money finds us home,” they said with a smile.

Challenges

The main challenge the couple faces is air pollution by the neighbours who release waste during rainy seasons. They say their clients sometimes complain about he stench and some whereas some will understand that they have less control others won’t. Also the poor drainage system, which is partly to blame for the stench, does not allow effective flow of sewage.

Worse still, electricity bills are always high. Every time they receive bills doubling the amount they expect to pay. “During Ramadhan and lent period there is no much business. We cannot give you a clear reason, but we have noticed that during that time we get very few clients,” they say.

Type of clients

Mr Ndyashangaki says they get both local and international clients. For instance, they get clients from all suburbs of Kampala like Ggaba, Nsambya, Kasubi, Kawempe, Seguku, Nakulabye, Kabalagala, Naguru, Mukono and Wakiso, among other places.

“We also get customers from East, West and Central African countries like Rwanda, Kenya, Congo, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Somalia, Nigeria, and Cameroon including customers from western countries like Germany, USA, Netherlands, Austria, and England,” they explain. They say foreigners normally come for holidays or to attend their relatives and friends’ parties.

Number of employees
Mrs Ndyashangaki who works as general manager says they have 20 employees. Out of these, 13 are permanent and the rest are part-timers. They have employees who speak international languages like French and dosh so that they can communicate effectively with foreign clients who are not well conversant with English.

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