Nambuya hawks malewa in Mbale after school closes

Driving along the Kamuli/Namugongo road in Kiira division, Wakiso district in the evenings, one sight stands out. A young woman hawking a variety of unique foodstuffs. Donning a green T-shirt and black trousers, the jolly lady came towards our vehicle in a traffic jam, and courteously said: "Welcome back citizens. This is a delicious malewa sauce, a gift from God to the Bamasaba. You want to try it out, don't you?"



Upon meeting Mary Doreen Nambuya, one of the most noticeable things about her is the pride with which she hawks malewa (bamboo shoots). The 32-year-old diploma holder from Kumi University, was working at Dream Africa School in Mbalwa-Bweyogerere as a storekeeper before schools were closed in March in a bid to stem the spread of COVID-19.

She had started working there in January. "After a month with faint hope of schools resuming, I had to figure out something profitable to do instead of being idle at home. I thought of something which was uncommon, but desirable. An area where I would dominate the market as an entrepreneur," Nambuya says.

She chose to vend malewa, a delicacy in her home area (Bugisu, near Mt Elgon).  "I realised I could market it well since I had knowledge about it." While doing market research, she realised that most Bagisu living in central Uganda yearned for malewa but could not get it, thus she would provide it.



 STARTING OUT 

She started with sh50,000, but today her capital is over sh500,000. "The lockdown was a blessing in disguise because I am earning handsomely," she says.

Nambuya hawks her products door-to-door in the morning hours from  Monday to Friday. She moves to various places displaying some of her products in her hands, while carrying the rest in a huge backpack.



She hawks her products in Kireka, Namugongo and Najjera on specific days. In the afternoons, she is stationed along the Kamuli-Namugongo road, targeting motorists stuck in a traffic jam on their way home. Here, she uses her fluent English coupled with trendy dressing, humility and a wide smile to attract customers.

On a good day, Nambuya makes sh80,000 and after deducting operational costs, her profit is sh20,000. On a bad day, she saves sh10,000.

She also markets her products through WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter and references from her loyal customers. 

Now that schools have partially reopened, Nambuya leaves work at 4:30pm to hawk malewa as a side business.



WHAT MAKES HER TICK?

Nambuya says her winning strategy is handling her customers and potential clients well. Her products have a long shelf life because she dries them properly. "Even if the person does not know this product, I convince them," she says.



 CHALLENGES 

When it rains or in hot weather, her sales are low because her movement is curtailed. Another challenge is transport while delivering her products to her clients who are far away. For example, if a client is in Jinja, they will not pay for the transport and subsequently, her business will be affected.

She also recounts when she suffered a big setback mid this year when a client who had ordered online stole her phone and sh150,000 after delivering the products.

Inspired by Nambuya, Mike Oturu, her husband, has also opened a soft drinks kiosk in Bweyogerere, Waksio district. Nambuya plans to rent a shop to increase her clientele and expand her business.



 EARLY LIFE 

Nambuya was born to William Wangisha, now deceased and Jane Beatrice Masawi. She is the fifth-born in a family of nine children. She went to Fairway Primary School and Nakibisho Primary School in Mbale district, where she sat her Primary Leaving Examinations.

She then joined Manafwa High School in Mbale for O'level. She did her A'level at Wanale View High School, where she was also the head girl. Her headmaster paid her school fees plus Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education registration fees because she was hardworking.

During her Senior Six vacation, she got a job at Photo Lab, where she used to mix chemicals. She later joined Kumi University, where she graduated with a diploma in public administration.

After failing to secure a job on graduation, she set up a kiosk in Mbale city, where she worked with her mother. She later opened a restaurant in Mbale town, which she left in the hands of her mother after getting a temporary job with the Electoral Commission as an enrolment officer.

While working with the Electoral Commission, Nambuya secured a stall in Mbale Central Market, where she vended foodstuffs in the evenings. It was here where she met her husband, who is a teacher.

In 2016, Nambuya's husband got a job at a secondary school in Kampala and she joined him. She left her stall in Mbale Central Market in the hands of her elder sister.



 Packaging ‘malewa' 

Nambuya processes tinned malewa manually. Using a skill she learnt from her aunt when she was young, Nambuya cuts the malewa into small slices and spreads them on a tarpaulin to dry.

After cleaning it, she adds groundnuts and soda ash and dries it again. She then packs them in 100gm and 200gm tins that she buys from downtown Kampala. However, the demand is low as she sells three to four tins in a month. Nambuya started this venture with savings of sh60,000.

She also deals in another product called kamalele , which grows on trees. She sources the raw materials in bulk from Mbale district through a friend based there. Nambuya sends the friend mobile money to buy the raw materials and send them by bus. 



 WHAT OTHER PEOPLE SAY 

MIKE OTURU, HUSBAND AND TEACHER AT VINE SECONDARY SCHOOL

I have known Nambuya for a long time. We used to go to the same church in Mbale and got married in 2015. She can do any kind of job as long as it brings money. At the beginning of this year, she learned how to make liquid soap. When COVID-19 broke out, we all became jobless since schools were closed. Liquid soap now was on demand since people were advised to wash hands with soap. People made a lot of orders for both the soap and malewa , which helped sustain the family during the lockdown. We are thinking of making this bigger, God willing. Our dream is to set up a processing plant and process products for export.

DR STEPHEN WATITI,  REGULAR CUSTOMER

As I drove along Namugongo Road, I came across a young woman hawking well-packed malewa . Because I grew up eating it in Mbale, I slowed down and I called her. She was jolly and I greeted her in Luganda. I later came to learn she hailed from Mbale and we started talking in our local language. She told me she was a diploma holder, but she didn't have a job after the lockdown. I was impressed by her innovativeness of using her marketing skills to sell something unique. She even offers to teach those who do not know how to cook malewa . Whenever we need malewa, we call her and she delivers.