Income from water waves

Peter Miles Kanyike takes some clients on a cruise on Lake Victoria. Sometimes he gives the clients a treat himself as a bonus to the adventure. Photo by Edgar R. Batte

What you need to know:

Leisure to business: Local artiste Peter Miles, captivated by water given his childhood upbringing in Entebbe, often cruised to the lake for leisure. However, from this love, came his business idea to venturing into marine tourism.

Peter Miles Kanyike has always been a businessman. When his music career earns him money, he is clever to save and invest it. Right from the time he cut his musical teeth, he had dreams and went on to take baby steps in realising them.
Whenever he wanted to hang out, he hired a speed boat to go out and cruise on Lake Victoria. He would visit islands in Ssese, Ngamba Chimpanzee Sanctuary, Mutora or at Munyonyo. He would spend between US$100 (about Shs340,000) and US$200 (about Shs780,000).

Penny by penny
Born and bred in Entebbe, he has a strong affinity to water. As a child, he used to swim in shallower parts of the lake. When he got older, and went out as a tourist on the lake, he thought that marine adventure was something that he could explore from a business point of view. He started saving money from his different businesses and music shows to buy speed boats as opposed to canoes which mostly ply the lake. He wanted to create a unique experience for travelers, so his plan was to introduce music, drinks and snacks on the cruises. “I knew people enjoy going out to bars and spending money. I wanted to promote the enjoyment they would have while on water appreciating the beauty of nature and facilities around the lake,” the singer explains.

Marine tourism
While on a cruise, one can enjoy a birding expedition on the lake and shorelines. This is in addition to beautiful homes lining the beaches, visitors to the beaches and the fairly pristine nature of Africa’s largest fresh water lake body.
Kanyike has four boats so far; a 10-seater, nine-sitter, seven-sitter and four-sitter which he bought from marine companies here and in South Africa. He restored and repaired the boats to suit his business needs. At the moment, he says business is picking up since he started 18 months ago. He is confident that it is a matter of time before marine tourism picks up on the lake.

For now, he has not done considerable publicity about the business venture which he registered as Road Block Marine Limited. He spent about Shs700,000 on the registration of the company. He charges tourists between US$100 and US$400 dollars per hour for marine voyages and enjoyment.
He explains that the packages are expensive because of the uncertain nature of water. When the waves are rough, he says the boats consume more fuel. He adds that a litre of boat fuel is more expensive than motor fuel by about seven times. Maintenance of the boats is another big expense.
He is one of the captains that man the boats, so beyond the niceties on the boat, one gets a chance to interact with the music star and celebrity in an up-close and personal manner.

Secret to success
Kanyike is a graduate of tourism, so is partly pursuing a professional path. His passion for water is his other motivation. He is ambassador of Uganda Wildlife Education Centre (Uwec) and has been tipped by Uganda Tourism Board (UTB) Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Stephen Asiimwe to play an ambassadorial role for the body.
So far, he is doing a lot of the promotional trips to try and win hearts of potential clients. During the time he has conducted the marine business, he has made some losses but explains that the lessons learnt, like proper quotation for business, are important.

“As a businessman, I have learnt to expect losses and to endure. I am prepared to stay in it because this is something I am passionate about. I will go on,” he adds. He advises that it is important to love what one does or engages in, and also work within one’s means and what they can afford.
He says that with the marine business taking off, it gives him a peace of mind to make sober decisions for his music career. Experience has taught him that he needs more than one source of income since music does not guarantee one a stable income.