How Mujuzi survives as a smartphone middleman

Every year, thousands graduate from universities across the country– pushing the demand for the already crowded job market significantly. But what would one consider as a decent job?
The International Labour Organisation (ILO) defines a decent jobs as one that is; “productive and delivers a fair income, security at the workplace and social protection for families, better prospects for personal development and social integration, freedom for people to express their concerns, organise and participate in decisions that affect their lives, equality of opportunity and treatment for all women and men.”
For many of Uganda’s unemployed, failure to find such jobs has pushed them to do anything, just to get by each day – plying indecent jobs where one has to hustle and scratch out a living.
However, some like Rodney Mujuzi make the best of their situation. The graduate of Information Science could have ended up in a field within his forte, but no. Factors beyond his control pushed him to the least expected job – phone brokerage.
“When I finished campus, I looked around for some time but nothing was forthcoming. I had a friend with whom we started a smartphone shop at City Square, Kampala,” he tells his story.
The 24-year-old says whereas the incomes were low it prompted him to think beyond the smartphone shop and that is when the phone brokerage idea came into the picture through advice offered by a friend.
“At the time, I could make on average Shs50,000 a day but it was not enough because once I deducted daily costs like airtime and transport, then I would remain with almost nothing,” he says.
“It was Steven Mukasa, the owner of Dons Bar and Restaurant, that sat me down and explained the several options I could pursue to make more money on top of the smartphone shop and the idea of phone brokerage seemed most attractive.”
To contextualise Mujuzi’s exploits; a cell phone broker is an agent that has connections with several phone dealers, finds you the best rate for a new or used phone and sells it to you factoring in an extra cost as his commission.
It is not the kind of job one would consider decent but for Mujuzi, it is the life blood on which he now survives.
“At first, I was skeptical about the entire thing. I did not know how to go about it or what it entails. However, with Steven Mukasa’s guidance I was able to start it off last year.”

The beginning

The Uganda Christian University graduate recalls the tumultuous beginning.
“In January 2013, I started it off. The first days were not easy. I had to walk the streets looking for customers. The weather was a great problem. On hot days, the sun would leave me dehydrated and on rainy days, I would be rendered helpless, unable to reach potential buyers.
“There were days I felt like giving up,” he says. “But it is the urge to succeed that pushed me on.”
Mujuzi says much as the beginning was difficult, the rewards were worth it. That he made more money than he would usually make sitting in his shop all day.
“I remember making between Shs100,000 and Shs200,000 on good days. Sometimes, I would sell two or three phones making a Shs100,000 profit off each. And some days, the buyers would be scarce and I would go home with nothing.”

The shift to social media
Mujuzi says it is mainly the challenges he encountered in attempting to reach buyers such as weather, transport and the like that offered him alternatives.
“I pondered on how I could reach people conveniently to let them know about the availability of phones at friendly prices without walking over to their work places and homes.”
This, Mujuzi says, made him explore the alternative in social media. He took to marketing his products online by posting phone prices in several Facebook groups.
“Ever since I started marketing on social media, my sales have more than doubled. I now make on average about Shs400,OOO a day and sell more than three phones but that fluctuates a lot. There is a day I made about Shs1m,” he recalls as a smile flashes on his face.
“I think it boils down to the fact that the phones are original and are the cheapest in the market.”
He says most of the phones he sells– especially the used ones – are imported from UK into Kampala shops that he deals out of.
“For Dondolo (cheap), it is a friend of mine that sends them. For example, I sell a brand new HTC M7 one for Shs900, 000 yet in places such as Forest Mall, the same goes for Shs2m,” he says.

Aspirations

On whether he hopes to pursue this line of work in the years to come, he hesitates and mutters.
“I or anyone else can succeed. All they have to do is take that business idea they have in mind seriously. So if any other idea popped up and it has the potential for greater success, I would pursue it.”
He notes however that the idea mentioned has not come along yet so for now he is remaining put and enjoying phone brokerage.
Some clients

Mujuzi operates out of several other phone shops notably Mukisa Smartphones and Accessories also on Kampala. He prides himself in not only providing quality phones at the best prices but also in providing the best customer care.
“I do not provide phones to individuals only. There are also special arrangements by groups and even companies that request for phones. I have served the Housing Finance Sacco before and also some members of NSSF,” he points out.
Isaac Mugyenga, a board member of the Housing Finance Bank Sacco confirms Mujuzi’s assertions.
“Rodney did provide some of our members with phones and the feedback was of great appreciation. The great thing about him is that he is always available to attend to any issues. Whenever we call him, he responds with haste and fixes the problem,” he says.
Mugyenga is aware of about 30 people both in the Sacco and outside that Mujuzi has served so far and reiterates that when it comes to phones Mujuzi is their go-to-guy.
Mujuzi says he is proud of his line of work and that it has given him a start in life. He notes that he has managed to not only save substantially but also afford himself a comfortable lifestyle that most graduates pray for.
“I now drive and have a place to call home in Ntinda,” he says.