Plan for retirement the day you get that job, says Kananura 

Having worked as a primary school teacher and head teacher for 37 years, Martin Kananura retired into farming. 
He had started teaching in 1983 at Biharwe Mixed Primary School, but this wasn’t for so long, he was soon promoted to deputy head teacher and later transferred to Katojo Primary School, Mbarara Primary School and Mbarara Junior School in Mbarara District.
It is at Mbarara Junior School that he was promoted to the position of head teacher where he served for ten years and later Mbarara Municipal School where he served for 17 years. 

Preparing for retirement
Kananura says that during his days as a teacher, he had thought about the best way he would retire that even when he was earning so little, he planned for it effectively, always looking for areas that he could invest to increase his income.
“You must plan for retirement the day you get that job. That’s regardless of how long you hope to have that job,” he says adding that he started planning his 37 years ago.

Kananura also says that there is a misconception that you can only save when you get a decent pay or after working for some time.
“I started saving when I was only getting Shs470 a month,” he says.
He says that he saved three months of his first salary to buy a bicycle.
“I was the first person in the Sub county to buy a bicycle and I treasured it so much that I did not ride it when it rained, I did not want mud to touch it,” he says.
After that purchase, he embarked on saving and investing to supplement his income; “I started investing in small things that people considered inconsequential as business ventures. I ventured in husbandry buying chicken, goats and a bull. I progressed to land.”

Kananura says that his colleagues earned as little as he did but had opted for luxurious lifestyles hoping that their pay would improve and thus would save. On the other hand,  improving pay only helped him save more.
“By the time I was planning to retire, I had invested enough, I was an established farmer with a number of projects,” he says. 

Future plans  
Kananura now plans to expand and upgrade his establishment into a model farm.
“I want to contribute to the development of the country by training and empowering the community, especially the youth and women by using my farm as a training centre,” he says.
He also plans to put up a factory with an aim of adding value to the produce from his farm, at the moment, he thinks of venturing in pastries using banana flour.

How he spends his time
Kananura spends most of his time supervising his projects. 
But he’s an active community member who serves as the president Mbarara City Development Forum, chairperson Uganda Meat Producers Cooperative Union, chairperson PTA Ntare School, among others.
He is also a member of the Mbarara Sports Club, Mbarara Business Club and Lugazi Landlords Association.

Education background
Kananura went to Kitagata Boys Primary School, Ntare School for O’level and Shimoni Teachers College for Grade III, NTC Kakooba for a Diploma in Education, Makerere University for Bachelors of Education and Kampala International University for Master’s degree in Education Management and Planning.

QUICK BIO

Kananura went to Kitagata Boys Primary School, Ntare School for O’level and Shimoni Teachers College for Grade III, NTC Kakooba for a Diploma in Education, Makerere University for Bachelors of Education and Kampala International University for a Master’s degree in Education Management and Planning.

He started teaching in 1983 at Biharwe Mixed Primary School where he was promoted to deputy head teacher and later transferred to Katojo Primary School, Mbarara Primary School and Mbarara Junior School in Mbarara District.
At Mbarara Junior Schoo,l he was promoted to the position of headteacher, he served for ten years and later Mbarara Municipal School where he served for 17 years.