​I couldn’t help but notice while working with Bobi Wine recently that social media fan wars are no joke. People on Twitter and Facebook can get brutal and out of control, and sometimes opposing fans and artistes physically come to blows.

​Do fans really know their favourite celebrities so well? Ruyonga didn’t think so (see screenshot ->). The way he described the piecing together of information to assume a whole person seemed accurate to me. I thought: could some of these fights happen because the fan misunderstands what their leader wants from them?

Thinking about the relationship between artiste and fans in these conflicts, I asked Navio if he thought any fan wars on social media were not called for by the artist.
 
Navio: Most of them. That’s what I mean about control.
 
Most times you want to say your point directly to another artist and have that be that. But that rarely happens. Your fans will follow up until the threat is eliminated. And some artist brands never die. Fuelling a fight for a decade. Like Robert and Moses.

A decade of war does not sound like a good time to me.  I asked Enygma what he thought about social media fan wars in Uganda, what was at the root of all the fighting tweets and Facebook comments.
 
Enygma: Ugandans love to hate. Gologa, Uganda cranes, our athletes at the Olympics, etc… Any opportunity to point at and mock somebody, our people will snatch it with both hands. Radio and Weasel were nominated for a BET Award and people didn’t give them due recognition. When they failed to win, they shitted on them, saying things like ‘they just went to take selfies with real stars.’ When Kenzo won against all odds, they said he didn’t deserve it, that the dancing kids should have taken the award. Then they spent weeks mocking him for failing to speak fluent English on his red carpet interview. Some even mocked his clothing. Ugandans don’t like to let somebody win.

I asked Ruyonga how it made him feel as an artiste to read the negative comments he finds in his social media notifications.
 
Ruyonga: I am starting to learn that it comes with the territory and the best one can do is let it be. They don’t know you’re human. They don’t know Madam Whitehead could possibly ever ask you how you feel about it. When you’re popular, you’re common knowledge. And in a sense, common property.

Common knowledge; common property. Hm. Ruyonga. Man, that’s why I like having conversations with these rappers: philosophers and poets.
 
I asked Navio how he handled it. Does he ever step in and try to clarify or direct?
 
Navio: Always have to. But sometimes human nature wants the enemy to be beholden unto the full measure of thy rage!

 ​They do speak like kings sometimes, these MCs. I asked Navio about the divides in Uganda’s Hip Hop industry, and he described it in terms of a King Mentality, which is so deep in Uganda’s roots. There is a respectable togetherness and mutual support within “music kingdoms,” but the problem I see is the hating attitude toward other "kings" and their supporters.
 
Why not wish everyone well? Five years from now, that person could be your greatest ally. You don’t even know them, fully. Maybe you have similar interests. I differ in opinion in some way with all my greatest friends, and that’s what makes the conversations interesting. We still care about each other and get things done together.

I asked Ruyonga for some final guidance.

Ruyonga: You can’t bring a three-dimensional peace treaty to a one-dimensional fight. At the end of the day, you have to let people be people. They have opinions, want to be heard and social media is their platform. Now, success in life is all about best using the tools you’re given. Social media is a community building interactive money making networking behemoth on a global scale, but if we’d rather pull our industries down with it and not collectively see the bigger picture, that’s on us. There’s room in it for everybody and their artistic preferences. But hey, I guess that’s just the way the Luwombo is arranged…
 
We see the nasty tweets, the angry Facebook comments, people see them, and it doesn’t make anybody’s day better. Maybe I need to stop trying to control it, just let people be people, but allow me once more to encourage "togetherness" in the words of one #UgandanHipHop king:
 
Navio: Collaborate. Especially in Hip hop.

​Some stories can be so simple and yet carry such a heavy lesson. The other day I was told such a story by Ugandan rapper GNL Zamba.
 
Lately GNL and I have been getting into long conversations over social media, reflecting on his experience in the Ugandan music industry. The other day, we were chatting about the image that rappers project to earn respect (for my previous blog), and he told me the following story:
 
“When I was performing in Mbarara 2012, I met a fan backstage after the show. I was autographing my Baboon Forest posters, which had me in a white vest with tattoos on my arm. The fan showed me my name permanently tattooed on his fore arm. He was emulating the ''tough gangsta look," something I did to promote my Nyo Nyo single. Little did he know that my tattoos had been drawn on me by an artist with a marker, which I washed off after the shoot, and that I don't have tattoos on my body to this day. 17 years old and he will have to wear a long sleeve shirt to the rest of his job interviews! Probably he will get to 40 and ask why the hell he has a permanent GNL tattoo on his arm! My aim was to entertain, but then I saw these results. I stepped back from doing things like that, because young people take it seriously. It made me grow into a more responsible artist whose role is to inspire and give the young better things to aspire to. That’s why I participate in youth and mentorship programs, to send a positive message to the young and impressionable.”
 
When I heard this story, it made me think about the power of celebrity and media. The human mind is so easily swayed by “cool.” When we – especially young and impressionable minds – believe that a person is cool, we more easily accept all of their traits and begin to emulate them. If a character on a TV show is funny, smart and skilful, good looking, charming and often victorious, then we may come to believe that all aspects of their personality are now cool too, including drug use and sexuality and whatever else is presented alongside that handsome smile. This is the power brands are buying when they sign on a celebrity ‘ambassador’ for a commercial endorsement deal.
 
Celebrities: be mindful of what you put out there, because there are people who really take it all to heart.

Lately I was thinking that Kampala professionals can be a lot like rappers sometimes with their big talk and bravado. I first thought about this when I read Nada Anderson’s blog about “the self-proclaimed advertising guru” and, on the same day, I was motivated to consider an alternative approach by  Simon Kaheru’s blog describing the late General Aronda as the definition of gentility: ‘social superiority as demonstrated by polite and respectable manners, behaviour, or appearances.’
 
That was about a month ago, but rather than immediately writing about it, I started a series of conversations with my rapper friends (of which I have many more than makes sense for nice young professional muzungu – until you consider my days working at Crystalklear studio).
 
The question lingering in my mind was: how do you earn respect as a professional in Kampala? Do you aggrandize yourself, or be humble and show your skills? I would prefer to let my work promote itself, promising less and delivering more, but according to what Nada Anderson described of the common Kampala marketing man and what I have seen myself, it seems like a lot of Kampala professionals are acting more like rappers.

Enygma is one of the smartest rappers I know, and he explained to me that there is a code to hip hop. One of the rules is that you have to believe you’re bringing greatness to the stage – that you’re the best – or else you shouldn’t even pick up the microphone. Arrogance is like your ticket into the game. But I noticed that he is also smart enough to be selective in his claims. Enygma told me that he is the best at word play in Uganda, which I think is a title he can honestly defend.
 
Abramz Tekya agreed that there is a code to hip hop, but sometimes the basic tenants can seem contradictory. Another important rule of hip hop is to be real. But how can realness coexist with claiming “I am the best rapper on the planet”?

​“For me, being assertive is not about lying,” said Abramz, “that is two different things. Take pride in what is yours, but don’t claim titles that are not rightfully yours.” (Note: he still allows a poetic license for metaphorical self-description.)
 
I had a long chat with GNL Zamba over Facebook about this (which I’ll turn into a blog of its own) and he said: “hip hop artists get trapped by the monster that they perpetuate, and the image they project becomes pressure. I love the pressure when am working, it is motivation, but I hate that it makes you a target. You attract the good and bad.”

​Indeed.
 
Isn’t it inherently dangerous to make claims about your own value that can be disproven? For example, Babaluku calls himself the God Father of (Luganda) Hip Hop in Uganda, frequently suggesting that he was the first to rap in his mother tongue, and yet anyone who listens to Philly Lutaaya’s Nakuzaana knows that Philly did it first. Sorry, Babaluku, but why rewrite history? Why not just claim your part in it and let everyone else be awesome too?

​I’ve seen the downside of rappers in Uganda allowing their bravado to take over. In mainstream interviews, one will call himself the best rapper of them all. Other rappers will then see this, knowing that there are other talented but unrecognized MCs who are truly much better than the guy whom the mainstream is celebrating that day, and people will start working against the star to expose his lie. Beef is born. Stars then start protecting themselves, even refusing to collaborate with more talented rappers on the same tracks out of fear that they will be beaten in the game they claim to have won.

​I have seen this happen in the professional world as well, where quietly talented collaborators are pushed out by the self-proclaimed Mr. Amazing, so that they can’t have a chance to disprove his claim of superiority. I am big on collaboration, so it’s tragic for me when people see each other as competitors and don’t notice the opportunities. We all have strengths and weaknesses. There is comparative advantage to be leveraged when people of similar interests work together. But it sure is hard to work with somebody when they insist on being the best, especially when it’s all talk and no results.
 
*drops the mic* (Rappers: if I got this wrong, please let me know)

​Dear Ugandan Public Relations compatriots: what are we doing when we organize “press conferences” in Kampala? What does a “press conference” mean anyway? Who are “the press” in this time and place, and why do we call it a “conference”? Are we really appreciating the media people we invite? Are we producing quality stories? I think we can do a lot better.
 
Let us consider our objective: to get clear, accurate and positive stories from our print journalists, TV and radio producers/presenters, bloggers and tweeters, etc. What does it take to achieve this?
 
Can we really expect much from the media when we hastily select a time and place, give them less than a day’s notice, then make them wait to start? So often we don’t prepare meaningful/engaging messages or give-aways, or even provide a press release with all the needed information to properly fill out the story. And how often do we take a record of who was in attendance to follow up?
 
The physical set-up of these “press conferences” alone tells me that we do not have the media’s interests in mind. Why do we seat speakers at a wedding-like high table facing a crowd of media? It creates a literal separation between us, which I do not believe is conducive to relationship-building. Surely our precious media guests do not find the tightly packed hoard of plastic chairs very comfortable. And oh, the tragedy of empty chairs!
 
I dream of back-to-back media meetings in a circle of comfy couches, where (well prepared) spokespeople can sit side-by-side a small number of media people at a time, engaging in conversation based on newsworthy messages, demonstrations, product samples, etc. Media can be informed well in advance, book a time that is convenient for them, and really have a chance to care about what is being said, to ask follow up questions, to have a celebrity learn their name and offer them a cup of tea. With adequate preparation and thoughtful selection of invitees, I believe that so much more value could be offered to the media, resulting in higher value coverage.
 
It seems to me that people in Kampala are often copying things they see on American TV without fully considering its underlying purpose and genesis, and whether or not it makes sense transplanted into the Ugandan context. We should consider the evolution of media, for that matter, and whether all modern media makers in Kampala are best served by the traditional “press conference” format. Let’s think about the real aim of “press conferences,” and whether there may be a better way to collaborate with our friends in the media to tell stories that are valuable and interesting to them. I believe that if PR people do a better job of respecting media people’s time and interests, ultimately better stories will be told.

I am happy to announce that The Sound Cup café (3rd floor Garden City Mall, Kampala) will be donating 1000 UGX from every coffee sold in the month of October to support the Uganda Women’s Cancer Support Organization’s outreach and patient support activities.
 
Credit is due to Maurice Kirya for opening his heart – and dedicating a portion of the profits of his café - to this cause during International Breast Cancer Awareness Month 2015. Maurice has personal experience with the disease, as his mother was diagnosed with breast cancer, which unfortunately metastasized and turned into a years-long fight for her life. Maurice and his siblings were there for their mother, navigating through the challenges typically faced by Ugandans who are seeking cancer care in Uganda: from stigma and common misunderstandings, to poorly equipped hospitals and tough treatment side effects, to reclaiming an enjoyable life after being worn out by exhausting and expensive treatment cycles. Unfortunately, Maurice’s mother lost her life to cancer only a few weeks ago. Strong and compassionate as ever, Maurice Kirya is moving on with his life and giving back to other Ugandans who are still fighting cancer, so that with the right help, they can survive.
 
For us, this campaign is so personal. In addition to Maurice’s experience as a cancer caregiver, I have also been through cancer. I met Maurice in 2009 when I was managing Crystalklear studio in Kololo, and in 2010 I opened up to him about my own diagnosis. I had to leave Kampala suddenly to return to Canada for surgery and chemotherapy, and it would be years until I returned to Kampala, a survivor. When I saw Maurice again in 2014, he asked me about my experience and shared with me what he was going through.

It is not easy to talk about cancer, especially when it hits the reproductive system - which was the case for me and is overall most common, with cervical cancer now about half of all Ugandan cancer cases - but talking about my experience with my old friend Maurice helped. If we can talk about it, then we can encourage others to get tested for cancer, we can support the afflicted and lobby for more investment in Uganda’s medical system.
 
Together, we planned to do something about cancer care in Uganda. That promise is being kept this month as Maurice Kirya’s café The Sound Cup, Kampala - on the 3rd floor of Garden City Mall - will be donating 1000 shillings from each cup of coffee sold toward the cancer support group UWOCASO.
 
The Uganda Women’s Cancer Support Organization (UWOCASO) is a voluntary NGO made up of Ugandan female cancer survivors who go into hospitals and communities to spread information about cancer, dispel myths, encourage cervical and prostate testing, teach breast self-examination, navigate patients through the medical system and provide knowledge and support to address the challenges that come with treatment and survival. You can find out more about UWOCASO at www.uwocaso.org.ug
 
Please go to The Sound Cup this month, buy a coffee, and help us help others who are fighting to survive this disease.
 
Many thanks and wishing you well,
 
Anne Whitehead
[email protected]
 

Recently, a new client came to me with a common communication challenge: he had to deliver bad news, and was nervous about the outcome. As the head of human resources for a large company, Ahmed* was tasked with visiting a regional branch to inform all employees of its closure and their resulting unemployment.

 
Together we wrote a speech, along with a collection of useful messages for Q&A and a public notice, and we discussed how staff and stakeholders could be approached to maximize respect and compassion, and to minimize vulnerability, defensiveness and hardship.


Ahmed agreed to let me share our strategy to deliver bad news:


Put yourself in the recipient's position

Before planning what you are going to say, it is important to recognize the hardship you are inflicting, to be truly empathetic. This consideration led us, for example, to speak to managers in private before addressing the rest of the staff, because managers had more to lose, and would appreciate being more informed, respected and less vulnerable when their subordinates found out and came to them for answers. We also thought about what all the recipients’ most likely concerns would be, and made sure to prepare for them by organizing severance packages and shutdown procedures.


Set the right tone

When it comes time to speak up, make sure to set a softer tone that is calm, clear, honest, open and compassionate. Acknowledge that the situation must be hard for the receiver, and create a safe space for them to react naturally. Before communicating, it helps to first settle your mind through whatever activity brings you peace (listening to music, sports, exercise, etc.). Then remember to take a couple of deep breaths throughout the process, whenever things get heated, to encourage your own listening and patience, and reduce your hostility or nerves. I was lucky to find out that Ahmed had recently learned how to meditate, so I suggested that he practice meditation for half an hour before delivering the bad news.
 

Address the matter head on

People appreciate when you don’t beat around the bush, so you’re going to have to be direct. Tell the person what you need to tell them, straight. Then provide some context to answer any questions they are likely to have bouncing around their head, like: why? And what next? During Ahmed’s speech, I recommended that he pause before and after the most important parts, in order to give the audience time to digest the information (this is particularly important when you are not speaking in the listener’s first language).
 

Open up a dialogue

I have learned that asking questions is so powerful. As the Dalai Lama said, “when you talk you are only repeating what you already know, but when you listen you may learn something new.” It can help, especially in a one-on-one conversation, to ask a question up front to get the receiver’s perspective on the subject, and to help set a tone that is open to dialogue (asking a question only after asserting your opinion can make it seem like your position is already fixed). Being more open and asking questions can help you connect, and show that you care about someone’s views, which may also help people be more receptive to yours. However, despite being open to listen, one must still be resolute. Once the company has already decided to close the branch, for example, listening won’t change that fact. You have to prepare your message and stick to it. If anything comes up that you are not ready for, just take note of the question and plan to get back to the person in a couple of days.


Avoid defensiveness

It is easy for people to get defensive when they feel that things are going wrong and it might be their fault. That is a hostile spiral you don’t want to get into. Rather, identify the problems objectively when explaining what went wrong and how, without  pointing fingers. When you want someone to focus on something positive, be specific, but when you want to draw less attention to a negative point, keep it general. Do not back people into a corner with antagonistic implications or unanswerable questions. If you do find that the recipient is becoming defensive, just let them express themselves and keep calm, breathe, and acknowledge that you hear their grievances, then get back on topic.


Give direction

Written communications always end with a “call to action,” so that people know what to do with the information they received, and the same strategy can be applied in verbal communication. After hearing bad news, people can often feel lost and disoriented, so it helps to give useful direction. Explain what will happen next: whether you are planning to ease the burden somehow, or if there is some action requiring their participation. Also, this is another opportunity to ask after their needs: what direction can they give you to alleviate their suffering? In the professional setting, it is useful to provide a contact number or make yourself available for another meeting to follow up on whatever cannot me resolved at that moment.


Respect yourself

Finally, give yourself a little credit (don't be so guilty). So many people avoid confrontation and never deliver the bad news when they really should, but just let the situation deteriorate further. I really admire my client for seeking out professional advice in order to deliver his bad news in the best possible way, to make it easier on his employees. I admire you too for getting to the end of this article, and I hope you find these tips useful! 


If you have any ideas on this topic, please drop them in the comments below.

* The client’s name has been changed to protect his confidentiality.

A street preacher positions himself between the cars as they line up praying to God to let them move.  He holds the bible in one hand and throws around the other like a judge’s mallet, preaching with great enthusiasm in Luganda. In the distance, a cloud hangs over Kamwokya looking about 9 months pregnant and ready to break water over the ghetto republic. The wind begins to pick up, banana leaves flutter and dust blows against sweaty skin where it sticks.

Bodas honk as they weave between matatus and cars toward the intersection, having learned that they can take up more space when making noise. They make their way to the front of the pack, by the electoral commission, with their noses pushed against the flow of traffic. Revving their engines with the anticipation of an elastic pulled back, they are ready to spring forward into free road. We all ignore the lights and wait for traffic police to decide when to redirect the flow.

The boda beside me has two chickens hanging upside down from each handlebar, presumably having the worst day ever. A tall boy pushes an old woman in her wheelchair along the zebra crossing, followed by two adult men holding hands (this is definitely not a gay thing).

Advertising claims the higher ground here, with a billboard high above promising “Mama washes cleaner than clean.” A Capitol Outdoor screen displays “Welcome to the Vodaphone world” through missing panels, followed by a video of multi-cultural students happily learning together at an international school.

Just as the first raindrop falls, long after the lights changed and changed again, the traffic police blow their whistles and bodas and cars start whizzing right past their toes the very moment they begin to suggest “go.”

My approach to Public Relations is pretty simple: just try to be a good person. Treat people with respect, be clear and honest, and do the right thing. I think we all know the difference between right and wrong, creation and destruction. Even where sense is not common, that gut intuition will tell us what to do.
 
This blog is not about all the best ways to communicate, but rather, what are we communicating? Behind the spin, we must offer real value to the public.
 
I believe in contributing to the betterment of the communities in which we live. Being real, compassionate and responsible – trying our best to balance our own needs with those of others – is how we earn respect and loyalty. It’s the golden rule. Whether my client is an organization or an individual, I advise them to be thoughtful and do good.
 
I cannot force my views on anyone (since I respect people’s freedom to choose). I cannot control all my clients’ social media accounts, spy on or direct all their activities, but I can advise. If a business wants to improve their reputation, I check whether the aspiration matches what is really going on inside. I also lead some public personas in meditation to help clarify the mind and spirit. I do my best to sensitize my clients to what the public wants from them. That is the hardest part of the job – to inspire real change – and most people resist, obfuscate and waver. So, my clients aren't always perfect, but who is? The important thing is that we make an effort to be better.
 
In my work, I contribute what I know to create a little more good in the world. Most people I work with want the same thing, so we bring out the best in each other, and learn as much as we teach. I've learned that good intentions and actions come first, and then a good reputation follows. 

If you want to get something done – to raise funds, attract a business partner or sell a product or idea – you will need to develop proposals. All the proposals that I have written and orally delivered had these fundamental steps in common: research, approach, explanation and value assessment.

To illustrate these basic steps in the proposal development process, let’s imagine the case of a non-governmental, non-profit organization (NGO) run by a British idealist who is looking for one million pounds (£1,000,000) to build a playground for wild Ugandan monkeys, including fancy bouncing castles, climbers and exercise equipment, to be installed in the forest and staffed by monkey scientists. I have heard worse ideas… So, how would I develop this proposal?

Step One: Research

Who would want to pay for this project, honestly? Has anything like this been done before? Are monkeys demonstrating a great need for bouncy castles? What elements are involved, and how do they match up with donors that exist out there? No matter if we are proposing for an NGO donation or a business investment, we must understand the goals of the person or organization that we are proposing to, and the market we are serving with our proposition.

Perhaps there is a PhD student out there with a grant to study the ways that monkeys interact with things made for humans. Maybe there is a (human) tourism angle in here too, and we could look for a zoo or wildlife reserve with the budget to invest in a unique monkey entertainment complex to attract more tourists. Maybe the local wildlife authority has some funds for monkey development. Do the research. Usually I develop an excel document listing all the potential targets of any given proposal, and one column is for notes on each one’s special interests, which I then tailor each proposal to emphasize.

Step Two: Approach

There are many ways to approach a potential funder, partner or buyer, but I have found that a warm referral or personal connection is the most likely to result in a deal. You can uncover large support organizations in your research and submit proposals online, and you should do this, but understand that you will be competing with hundreds of other projects for support, and it is very easy to weed out a written document when detached from the people and passion behind it. In my experience, people are most likely to buy into a project when meeting in person, after being introduced by someone they trust and respect.

Maybe my cousin knows an American reality TV star who has recently become obsessed with monkeys and would enthusiastically invest the profits from her latest reality show on a monkey playground. I can meet her at a place she enjoys, bring a monkey for her to play with, write the proposal in her manner of speech and make it look and feel her style.

Other communication signals like eye contact, body language, dress, personal stories and the warmth of one’s personality can win someone over when the project itself is quite ordinary (or absurd). An in-person meeting is an opportunity to feel this person out and take their lead on social cues and business process. You should have your basic concept written up by the time of the first meeting, but a final proposal will likely be informed by this meeting, as it should be tailored to exactly what its audience needs to close the deal.

Step Three: The Written Proposal

The written proposal serves as a credibility check. It is important in more formal cultures – Canada is notorious for requiring a mountain of paperwork to get anything done – but in other contexts, the informal conversation matters more. In either case, the written proposal is something that your contact can bring back to other decision makers to review the details and decide whether to make the deal.

In the beginning, it is important to gather all the content you have to explain your project: past proposals, write ups, websites and social media, photos and videos, media articles, etc. Select the best stuff – don’t miss the chance to share a Youtube video of a monkey using a slide – and organize it so that you have a clear and concise proposal to suit the special interests of your audience. Keep the language simple and to the point, and add engaging visuals and specific examples of success.  One happy monkey’s success story can serve your pitch better than facts and figures showing how many monkeys will benefit in general.

Start by explaining what you plan to accomplish, what problem your project solves and why it is good for the reader. That’s the introduction, or executive summary, and one good paragraph should do. Then give some background information about the problem you are solving and the mission and operations of your organization. You can include brief profiles of your team, and make sure to explain what is special about your product or strategy. All this can be said in under two pages. The rest of the proposal can vary in length depending on the requirements of your audience, but it should include more details about your plan, your schedule and budget, and offer more credibility by listing other respectable partners, past funders and media coverage, relevant facts and figures. By the end, your reader should know exactly how you plan to spend their money and why it is worth the expense: because it best meets their goals.

Finally: Value Assessment

This is the make or break moment. Is the project itself really valuable? I am concluding this article with value assessment, but really this should be done first. If I were to meet a hypothetical client wanting to build a playground for monkeys, I would probably say: “but sir, are the monkeys not better served for free by trees?” We could get lucky. Maybe a reality TV star / monkey enthusiast would agree to support the project. It would be in the mutual interest of the client and funder, and we could build a high quality monkey playground. And yet, would the world be a better place? Could the million pounds perhaps be spent on more pressing issues, like the education and health care of Uganda’s young human population? Now we are getting into the philosophical, but funders will give your proposal the value test, so it is better that you do so first and save yourself wasted effort. It may be better to let the monkeys play in their trees and focus on forest conservation, don’t you think?

I hope this was useful. If you need help with a proposal, please contact me at [email protected]

Buy local. It’s the 100 mile diet. Support your community. It makes economic sense, or in this case, shillings. I have heard this message so many times in Canada, and it is what Simon Kaheru was teaching his kids and some confounded shopkeeper in this brilliant article, which ran in Sunday’s New Vision.

Simon’s article had me jumping for joy (which was appropriate because I was at a football match - mbogo 1 : mamba 2 - though I cannot say definitively if any goal was being scored at the time)! I am joining Simon’s campaign to promote buying local. Today in the supermarket, I was checking the labels for “made in Uganda” before choosing what to buy. Rather than subsidizing the lush lifestyles of American, German or Chinese business executives when I shop, my shillings are staying here, paying Ugandans for their good work, and maybe helping someone afford school fees in Jinja or Mbale. There is certainly no shortage of made in Uganda products. Personally, I am passionate about passion fruit juice and avocados as big as my face. 

This past weekend, I attended a fantastic event organized by Gloria Wavamunno called Kampala Fashion Week. Among the designers showcasing their connections were: Kwesh, Kas Wear, Eguana, Martha Jabo, Sylvia Owori, J & Kainembabazi, Gloria Wavamunno , Zanaa, Catherine & Sons, and Jose Hendo. The fashion show was sold out, socialites were standing at the back of the tent to get a peak of Kamapala-made clothes, and they were not disappointed. I hereby call on all Ugandan celebrities and corporate folk to buy from the above designers and show Ugandans and the world what talent we have here! Of course, most other Ugandans wouldn’t be able to afford these clothes.


I’m not going to lie to you. Sometimes buying local means spending more money on similar products. A Ugandan businessman recently told me about a local company that was making socks. It cost them 1200UGX to make each pair and they topped up the price to 1500UGX to make a profit. Chinese companies were selling socks for 700UGX, so Ugandans chose the cheaper Chinese socks and the Ugandan company failed to prosper. This is because of economies of scale. Over the past decades, China has invested in building massive factories the size of Central Kampala and Kisenyi combined. So when the Chinese produce such a large quantity with facilities that have already been paid for, their cost of production is much less. Nevertheless, the retail price difference makes it difficult for average Ugandans to justify paying more than double for local socks to warm their toes in the rainy season.

However, there are other products produced in Uganda that are actually cheaper than imported alternatives, like honey. I am not sure how this is possible, because I have harvested honey myself, and it is quite a labour intensive process, especially for the bees! But surely we can all get behind buying local honey, when it both saves money and invests in the local economy.