Balancing personal values and trade

William Kalumba. His business does not make him compromise his personal values of honesty and hard work. The Masaka based business man shares his life story.

His business popularly known as Bakalumba is the largest distributor of Bell Beer products in Masaka area and yet he does not take alcohol. His theatre is a Pentecostal church during the week and a disco of sorts that hosts musicians over the weekends. Such are the ironies of William Kalumba Ssalongo’s life.

A former district inspector of health, Kalumba confesses that soon after his schooling in Mbale School of Hygiene, he stopped taking alcohol and became a crusader for responsible drinking, little wonder his zeal for making profits goes hand in hand with priceless tips to his customers on how to manage their alcohol consumption. He also discourages his distributors from selling alcohol to people who have had their fill.

Honesty and hard work
Perhaps this also has a lot to do with his business motto, “Honesty and Hard Work” which drives his Bakalumba business empire that comprises a farm, transport company, real estate, recreation hall, commercial buildings and the beer distribution chain. “I owe my success to my father the late Bulasio Mumuka who introduced me to hard work at a young age,” Kalumba, who was born in 1946 in Butenga, present day Bukomansimbi District, says.

However, he became a trader by accident soon after the war that ousted President Iddi Amin from Uganda in 1979. “There was a big demand in Masaka for soda and there was a lot of it coming into the district through the lake at Bukakkata to the east of Masaka Town. I had saved some money as a health inspector and I used it to buy the soda in bulk for distribution to retail traders in the region, which turned out to be very good business. Later I switched to Bell beer,” he says. His major challenges in business have been I the distribution arm. He reveals that breakdown of the trucks and accidents tend to slow down business and create losses.

Venture into politics
A hands-on entrepreneur who sometimes drives his distribution trucks himself, Kalumba strongly believes in making an impact in ones’ environment, hence trying his hand at politics.
The former secretary for finance for Masaka District and councillor for Butenga Sub-county, says, “I have always belonged to the NRM Party and I was approached by some opinion leaders in 2006 who told me that I was viewed as the best person to defeat the strong DP candidate in our area for the position of councilor.” Kalumba also contested for the mayoral seat in 2011 as an NRM candidate, but unfortunately lost to FDC’s Godfrey Kayemba Afaayo.

“I was disappointed to lose in the elections, but I believe that the voters made a very big mistake. I was not seeking to earn a living from the position. On the contrary, I meant to turn the town into a much better place for us to live in,” he says adding, “when you acquire property in a town it becomes your home and there is that need to struggle to turn things round. The best person for that post should be somebody that is not seeking riches. Our town would not be as bad as you see it today, with such bad roads and uncollected garbage.”

Some low moments
His low moment in politics was when the media reported that he had taken a water tank for personal use. “At one time we were challenged by the accommodation of Masaka Local Council Football Club. I own a house at Ssenyange and I considered it large enough to accommodate all of them. It had a temporary water shortage and we agreed with the district administration that we borrow one of the large plastic water tanks that were by then lying at the district headquarters, waiting to be sent out to primary schools. This was a sports matter and we were borrowing the tank which we knew we had to return quickly to be taken to a school. After all, schools belonged to the same Ministry of Education and Sports. But some journalists reported that I had grabbed the tank for my personal use,” he says.

Looking ahead
Kalumba loves socialising and takes pride in being a person who does not discriminate against anybody on political or religious basis. To illustrate this he reveals that one of his daughters is married to a Muslim despite his Anglican faith while another is married to a Catholic who was once a staunch member of the Democratic Party. The business man believes he has led a successful life and will continue making a difference in the lives of others.

mssali@ug.nationmedia.com