Let us take lessons from Katatumba’s life

What you need to know:

  • Our view: Katatumba’s life was one of patient hard work and stubborn persistence in doing what one believed to be the tested way to success. He did not despise work – that is why he started out as a petty trader – and he worked tirelessly on his goals, always innovating and forging forward.

Boney Katatumba, one of Uganda’s pioneering modern day entrepreneurs, died last week. He was 70.

His story, as it was told in life and upon his death, is that he started out young as a petty trader, picked up penny after penny, and progressively ventured into the unknown wilderness of business which no Ugandan had explored until then.
Katatumba Academy was the first international school in Uganda to be owned by a Ugandan. Katatumba imported horses and let Ugandans ride them before anyone else did. These are just two of his pioneering exploits. He ran several other businesses and had interests in the hospitality and real estate sectors. In the process he acquired wealth and station in life. Until his death he was the honorary consul of Pakistan to Uganda.
Towards the end of his life, Katatumba was entangled in a dragging property wrangle with the businessman Mukesh Shukla of the Shumuk business group, which the courts of law unfortunately took too long to resolve. He borrowed money from the businessman and they disagreed over the manner of its repayment, hence the dispute.
In all, Katatumba’s life was one of patient hard work and stubborn persistence in doing what one believed to be the tested way to success. He did not despise work – that is why he started out as a petty trader – and he worked tirelessly on his goals, always innovating and forging forward. A number of businessmen of his generation and those that came shortly before him, like the late James Mulwana, were credited with these traits.
But these traits are rare these days. Very few Ugandans these days appreciate the importance of patient hard work, a trait that has largely been dropped in favour of quick accumulation. Whether at home or at school, no deliberate attempt is made to get children to understand the importance of patient hard work. The result is that most Ugandans are in a hurry to achieve big things, and they hardly take time to define what it is that they intend to achieve.
As we mourn Katatumba, therefore, it is important that we reflect on his life’s work and imagine how we can learn from it as we build Uganda. As a starting point of reflection, for instance, we should ask ourselves how many Katatumbas this country has nurtured in the past let us say 40 years.
To put it differently, how many young, self-made Ugandans are patiently doing unique things the way Katatmba dared to do so many years ago? What is the impact of whatever such Ugandans are doing? How much success are they registering?

The issue: Purposeful life.
Our view: Katatumba’s life was one of patient hard work and stubborn persistence in doing what one believed to be the tested way to success. He did not despise work – that is why he started out as a petty trader – and he worked tirelessly on his goals, always innovating and forging forward.