The man and the bees

By Charles Musisi

PRESIDENT Yoweri Museveni christened him “Njuki”, a Luganda word for bees. That is what most people call him now.

In 1997, Museveni visited Masuliita in Wakiso District and was told that Veteran Sergeant Sam Serunjogi, 33, was minting money from the honey trade.

Museveni was curious about Serunjogi’s bee project.

He visited him. The President was impressed with Serunjogi’s enterprise.

Serunjogi’s passion for honey dates back to the early 1980s. Then, Masuliita was overrun by marauding government troops who wanted to smoke out Museveni’s ‘guerrillas’. The troops rampaged through the countryside, charging at enemies and threatening to kill the civilians.

Serunjogi was only 14. He had just completed senior two at Masuliita secondary school. Serunjogi and his parents –– Margaret Namatovu, 55 and Ssemakula Salongo, 75, fled from Masuliita. They took refuge in Kindeke village, Singo,where Serunjogi joined the ‘rebels’.

“I had no option,” he Njuki. “If I didn’t join the rebels, the soldiers would kill me. Food was scarce in the bush, sometimes honey was a substitute.”

For four months, Serunjogi underwent training in guerrilla warfare. Thereafter, he was deployed to Mubende in 1984.

“Mubende had been captured,” he says.

“I manned road blocks”

In 1985, he was transferred to Kabale. While in Kabale, Kampala was captured by the National Resistance Army (NRA)

“I was happy, I knew I could now go back to school.”

Serunjogi describes the bush days as “terrible”.

“Sometimes our friends who had gone to the front were killed. We were always worried about our safety.”

“Did you ever meet Museveni in the bush?” I ask.

“He used to visit us. He often spoke to our commanders.”

In 1987, Njuki was posted to Jinja Army Training school where he trained as a platoon sergeant for nine months.

From Jinja, he went to Nakasongola, where he worked as a detach commander at Kasira. Afterwards, he was sent to Pabo in Gulu to fight against Alice Lakwena’s forces.

“It was a fierce battle. Many of our soldiers were killed,” he recalls. Serunjogi was shot in the leg and was taken to Nakasongola. Later, he was transferred to Mbuya Military Hospital.

“After recovery, I asked for a transfer to Mbarara Kadogo School. I was promoted to a military inspector.”

One day, Serunjogi reflected on how he used to get honey in the bush. This idea would later change the course of his life.

“It is then that I considered the idea of bee keeping. I got empty bullet boxes in which I kept the bees. “My commanders were suspicious of my motives. They thought I was trafficking bullets. I was arrested.”

“I showed them what I was using the boxes for, and I was released.”

Serunjogi was posted to the production unit in Wabisojo barracks in Luweero, where he found other bee-keepers.

“I learnt a lot from them.”

In 1994, he resigned from the army and took to bee keeping.

“I got sh150,000 as a retirement package, which I used to buy bee hives,” says the man who has now come to be known as Njuki.

“Later I got sh200,000 and bought more hives. I had about 30 hives then.”

Today Njuki has 130 local hives and 10 modern ones.

“A modern hive costs between sh25,000 and sh35,000,” he says.

“A local one costs sh10,000. I have learnt to weave the local ones.”

He has domesticated his bees. They are like members of his family. The bees do not sting people.

“When I transfer them from the bush to my homestead, I am teaching them to live with people,” he explains.

“They learn people’s habits and realise that we are not their enemies. If you don’t disturb them, they don’t disturb you,” he says. Njuki gets about 550 kilograms of honey for every harvest; twice a year.

This is worth sh700,000 for every harvest.

Njuki says his business is not very costly. He only spends on beehives and honey containers.

He is reaping the harvest of his hard work.

“My life has changed,” he says proudly. “I have bought a minibus, a motorcycle and a mobile phone. I also pay school fees for my seven children from the proceeds of honey. My oldest child, Doreen Nakitende, sat the Primary Leaving Exams (PLE) this year at Masuliita Junior School. I mainly sell the honey in Kampala.”

Besides the honey business, Njuki also owns one-and-a-half acres of pineapples and 18 cows.

He has built a four-roomed brick house in Masuliita, where he lives with his family.

Posing with bees all over his torso, the beekeeper of average build exudes confidence.

He, says his major problem is shortage of land.

“Right now, I am keeping bees on one acre of land. I need five acres,” says Njuki.

The veteran soldier thinks bee-keeping is a viable and feasible project.

“The Government should support us. Bee-keeping does not require a lot of money. The public should be educated on how to do it effectively.” he observes.

“Financial assistance can enable us to package our products attractively.”