Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2004. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
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New Vision - December 7, 2004
Sarah Muwanga
Guests at the annual dinner for the Uganda Women Entrepreneurs Association (UWEAL), a body that brings together women in business, had a chance to listen to some of these success stories - stories of achievers and best performers in 2004.
On November 27, various categories of businesswomen converged at a dinner at Garden City, where the best performers got awards. Their voices rang with determination as they talked about their experiences.
REGINA MUKIIBI
Regina Mukiibi, the director of Uganda Funeral Services and Hajat Sarah Lubega, a lawyer, woman activist and entrepreneur, received awards in the senior category.
Mukiibi says things were not easy when she started Uganda Funeral Services. Being the first of its kind in the country, the venture was challenging. It was difficult to make the market appreciate the services.
"I had to offer free services to show people the need for decent farewell to a loved ones," she says. It is seven years since she started and people are gradually realising the benefits.
Mukiibi, a former banker, opened up Federico Tours & Travel Company after she left the bank. The idea to venture into funeral services struck her when she was abroad.
"I realised there was a gap in the public health sector. There was nobody offering dignified funeral services in this country. I did more research on how best the job could be done, and did many funeral undertakings in the US, the UK, Germany and South Africa. In 1997, we started the business, which I currently run with my brothers and sisters," she says.
She says the company runs a funeral home and offers a wide range of services which range from postmortem, dressing the remains, caskets, VIP wreaths and carnations, transportation of the remains, arranging church services, writing wills, grave construction, to mention but a few. According to Regina, death is just a change to a better life. She talks of Alice Karugaba of Nina Interiors as her role model. "I believe in what I want and when I handle something, I want nothing less than the best," says Mukiibi.
ANN ALING
The young woman entrepreneur award of the year went to Ann Aling, 26.
With an initial capital of sh200,000, a salary she earned in her Senior Four vacation, Aling, managed to escape from the jaws of poverty. She now owns a crafts business in Germany, and two crafts shops on Buganda Road.
Every mother's dream is to see her child grow into a courageous and strong adult. Such is the experience Monica Odyek, Ann Aling's mother has gone through. As she talks about her daughter, tears of joy fill her eyes.
"During her Senior Six vacation, she ventured into business. She invested her savings in crafts and jewelry. Her business has since grown," Odyek says.
She talks of one of the challenges in Aling's life, when she was denied a visa after she had bought and loaded her items to take to the UK. "But because of hard-work Aling managed to get over the loss," he mother says. Aling holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Makerere University.
SARAH LUBEGA
Hajat Sarah Lubega looks at Mrs Mbire as her role model. "She never gives up, and from her, I have learnt never to give up," Lubega says.
Her dream is to become a millionaire through real estates business. She has constructed the first floor of her estates located on Kira Road. Lubega is also the proprietor of Leila Company Ltd, which deals in undergarments.
Lubega is also the coordinator of Uganda Network on Law and Ethics and HIV/AIDS. She is a board member of PRIDE Uganda, member of Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Authority and former chairperson of UWEAL.
She partly attributes her success to her husband, Haji Nasser Lubega's support, friends, UWEAL and her family members. She is one of the lawyers who petitioned for a gender sensitive divorce law to the Constitutional Court.
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