UG@60: First Ugandan to make mosquito-repellent jelly

As Uganda celebrates 60 years of Independence, New Vision highlights those inventions, discoveries and innovations that the country gave the world. Today, Carol Kasujja Adii writes about the first Ugandan to make a mosquito-repellant jelly. 

Many people know Sarah Kiggundu, 64, as a gardener and a retired civil servant, but many do not know that she was the first Ugandan to make mosquito-repellent jelly.

Kiggundu worked as a senior personnel secretary of the Uganda Land Commission before moving to the Judiciary, as a senior secretary.

She is the producer of the first mosquito repellent known as Amazing Grace Worldwide Limited abbreviated as AGWL. The jelly helps with burns, pimples, septic wounds, fungal infections, feet cracks and can work as a skin moisturiser. 

She sells her products in Uganda and Kenya to schools and hospitals.

The start

When she was about to retire, Kiggundu started thinking of projects that would help her survive during retirement. Thanks to her brother who introduced her to chia seeds.

“My idea was planting something during retirement, but I did not know what to grow. One day my brother came with small oval-shaped brown, grey, black and white seeds and he told me that a friend had told him to grow them as they were making profits for small-scale farmers in Uganda,” Kiggundu said.

When her brother introduced the idea, she researched more about the seeds on the Internet.

“I contacted ‘teacher’ Google and read a lot of benefits about the seeds. I got to know where they are planted most and which weather favours them. I picked interest and I contacted a friend in Seattle, US to tell me more about the seeds. After getting convinced that they were magical, I decided to grow them,” Kiggundu said.

She planted the seeds and when she started selling them, almost everyone in Kampala started selling them. 

“I prayed to God to give me more wisdom to see how I could add value to the seeds because they were now the in-thing in town. 

Their market had been penetrated by so many people and the profits were not a lot,” she said.

To add value to the seeds, she decided to research more about the benefits and that is where she landed on information that the seeds can be used as a mosquito repellent.

“When I found out that I can do mosquito repellent, I sold the idea to Gen. Salim Saleh. I told him about the benefits such as food and medical purposes and he gave me land at Kapeka Industrial Park in Nakaseke district. But because the piece of land I got had some issues, the yields were not good. I had to abandon the land and look for a better place to grow them on large scale,” Kiggundu said.

Mosquito repellent starts

When the seeds grew, Kiggundu got the leaves and smeared them on her skin. 

“The day I did that, no mosquito touched me. I started mixing the leaves with Tiptop jelly, but it failed to come out well. I went on doing other trials and I was using my skin for trails. 

“I put off the mosquito net from my bed and after a month of not having a single mosquito bite I started recommending the Vaseline to other family members.” 

Kiggundu said you cannot find any mosquitoes in her house. 

To produce a chemical-free product, she decided not to use insecticides to spray her chia seeds and since the seeds themselves are preservatives, every ingredient in the jelly is natural.

“Aside from their small size, mosquitoes are irritating especially when people are trying to sleep. 

The tiny flying bloodsuckers, during their active breeding months, are a menace because they transmit malaria parasites through biting. 

That is why every household should have a mosquito repellant,” Kiggundu said.

Challenges

Regulatory bodies that are supposed to certify her product are frustrating her. 

Kiggundu said she is not hitting international markets because the Uganda National Bureau of Standards has delayed giving her the quality mark.

She said chia seeds need to be handled well and professionally otherwise, you risk having a substandard product.

“You have to store the chia seeds in a cool dry place. After harvest, just pack the seeds and store them well. If the Government can help us and guide us on how to get the quality mark, our product will hit the international market,” she said.

Kiggundu said right now, fuel prices are high yet she has to hire tractors to plough her garden.

“Mosquito repellents have a market, but finances are a major hindrance. You have to pay for labour and also hire a tractor to dig a big chunk of land. Hiring a tractor costs sh150,000 per day. You cannot use hoes even if you are on a small scale,” Kiggundu said.

Kiggundu at glance

Kiggundu went to St Helen Primary School in Nyamitanga then Kololo Secondary School and later did a diploma in accounting at Nkumba College of Commerce and Advanced Studies. 

Other benefits of chia seeds

The many minerals and vitamins contained in chia seeds help to boost immunity and energy levels as well as improve metabolism.

Kiggundu notes that chia seeds are a good source of copper, which helps in the transportation of enzymes in the body.

“They are also a good sauce of magnesium, which is rich in antioxidants. The seeds are also rich in potassium, which helps the body cells to remain in shape. It is what I use. I am over 50 years old and I dig from morning to evening without getting tired,” she says.