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How the City Abattoir turned Lamba’s fortunes

Lillian Lamba inside her kiosk at the City Abattoir in Kampala. As a child, her desire was to become a nurse but her father was against it. PHOTO/JANE NAFULA

What you need to know:

  • Single parenthood is on the rise due to a deliberate failure by some people to take on parental responsibilities. Experts blame the cultural norms and socio-economic challenges that force young people into premarital sex and teenage marriages as some of the factors driving single parenthood. However, women like Lillian Lamba are navigating those challenges to educate their children singlehandedly. She spoke to Jane Nafula about her life in Uganda’s largest slaughterhouse.

The scorching sun beating down on Kampala City is a godsend for Lillian Lamba, who is literally minting money from selling cold drinks.

The 45-year-old woman owns a kiosk in the City Abattoir on Port Bell Road, where she sells beverages to cattle traders, butchers, and meat transporters. Her yellow-painted kiosk, nestled in the bustling abattoir parking yard, is among many similar establishments run mostly by women who serve drinks, cook food, and wash utensils.

A day in the life of Lamba
Lamba, dressed in all black, tirelessly works through the day, carrying soda packs into her kiosk. Inside, the small shop is dominated by two appliances—a red Coca-Cola fridge and a freezer. The freezer contains a bucket of omunanansi (fermented pineapple juice), which she measures in mugs and sells in empty water bottles. Between the two fridges, there’s barely enough space for a chair, which she later uses as her makeshift bed at night, sleeping on cardboard to save on transport costs.

“My home is in Kakiri town (Wakiso district), which is quite far. Transport from Kakiri to Kampala is Shs15,000 daily. To cut costs, I sleep in the kiosk Monday to Friday and go home Saturday night. I spend Sunday resting and return to the abattoir on Monday morning,” Lamba explains.

Beyond cutting costs, Lamba avoids loneliness at home. Her two younger children are in boarding school, while her eldest lives and works in Nsangi, 26 kilometers from Kakiri.

Challenges and resilience
Life in the abattoir comes with its own unique rhythm. The facility has bathing and toilet amenities, and women offer laundry services to those who stay there.

“Many women running kiosks here sleep on the premises. There are makeshift restaurants, so we don’t go hungry. Life becomes manageable when you have a goal. In five years, I plan to retire and settle in Wakiso,” Lamba says.

Her business includes selling sodas, water, juice, omunanansi, buns, cakes, cigarettes, and even basic medicine like paracetamol. On a typical day, she makes omunanansi, boiling pineapple pulp with tea leaves and ginger to produce the drink, which she sells at a profit of Shs15,000 per jerrycan.

“People prefer omunanansi because they trust that the water is boiled, unlike other juices. On good days, I sell about 20 liters,” she says.

Her hard work has enabled her to generate monthly profits of around Shs2 million, which she uses to educate her children and maintain financial independence.

From nurse to vendor
Lamba’s current success belies her humble beginnings. A qualified nurse and counselor, she worked for eight years in the nursing profession, earning a modest Shs120,000 per month—barely enough to cover rent and her daughter’s school fees.

“I loved being a nurse, but the pay wasn’t enough. I tried working with an NGO, but even that salary fell short,” she recalls.

In 2009, Lamba turned to business after advice from a neighbor. She used her savings of Shs300,000 to rent a kiosk and start selling beverages. Initially, she struggled with feelings of shame about the transition.

“At first, I thought I was too educated to sell juice. But I realized that the money I made here far surpassed what I earned in nursing,” she says.

Ms Lamba (R) poses for a photo with Barbra Bayiga and Bayiga’s grandmother during 7th graduation of Mildmay Institute of Health Sciences in 2024. Photo/Courtesy

A mother’s dedication
Over the years, Lamba has successfully funded her children’s education. Her eldest daughter, now a clinician, graduated with a Diploma in Clinical Medicine from Mildmay Institute of Health Sciences.

“I paid for her education and even her graduation party,” Lamba proudly says.

Her other children are also beneficiaries of her business. School fees are allocated from profits generated by different product lines, ensuring that she never has to beg for support.

Single motherhood and strength
Lamba’s journey as a single mother began at 32 after leaving her second marriage. Her first husband contributed little to their household, while her second denied responsibility for their two children.

“When I left him, he took over my house in Namuwongo, where he has lived with another woman for 12 years. But once I finish my home in Kakiri, I will evict him,” Lamba asserts.

Despite her challenges, she has refused to let bitterness define her life. However, she acknowledges the struggle of balancing loneliness and independence.

“Sometimes I wonder why I’m still alone, but I know my worth. Men often see what I’ve built and want to depend on me. I’d rather stay single than tolerate that,” she says.

Future plans
Looking ahead, Lamba envisions returning to the nursing profession once she retires from the abattoir. She plans to open a clinic on her property in Kakiri, where her children will assist as trained medical professionals.

“My first daughter is a clinician, I’m a nurse, and my second-born is training to become a laboratory technician. Together, we’ll run a family clinic,” she says with pride.

Advice to women
Lamba encourages women to overcome societal stigma and embrace any opportunity to earn a living.

“Don’t despise jobs. Do something about your situation and lead a dignified life, even if you’ve been abandoned by your partner. Those who fail to manage their challenges often fall into mental illness,” she says.

In the last 16 years, Lamba has built a stable life, educated her children, and laid the foundation for a better future—all while overcoming the odds of single motherhood and societal expectations.

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Produced by Nation Media Group in partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

General Manager Editorial Daniel Kalinaki Acting Managing Editor Allan Chekwech
Editor, Sustainability Hub Gillian Nantume Features Editor Caesar Karuhanga Abangirah Contributor Jane Nafula