One Graduate’s Journey From Social Sector to Animal Feeds Business

Written by: 
Crystal Bulungi

 

A 28 year old man says he has no regrets after abandoning his profession and venturing into animal feeds business.

Dan Mukungu, a resident of Wakiso town council, graduated from Makerere University in 2016 with a degree in Social Sciences. While his colleagues moved on to look for jobs after their studies, however, Mukungu went back home for what he calls important meeting with his parents. And from this meeting, Mukungu made decision to venture into business.

“My friends couldn’t imagine I would end up in animal and poultry feeds business; what they always referred to as dirty jobs that they thought were meant for old people not for the youth,” he says.

Mukungu adds that his business pays him handsomely. “A mentality most youth have towards agriculture but I now earn even more than what my colleagues earn from their office jobs and some are not even employed,” he said.

Mukungu was born to Kisuzi Gerald and Margret Katusiime, both farmers and residents in Wakiso town. Growing up from a family that was depending on agriculture for a living, he got experience and this experience was a game-changer when it came to choosing his career after school. After graduation in 2016, he talked to his parents about his business idea.

Mukungu says that after making a plan for his business and discussing it with his parents, they gave him contacts of a businessman, Mukwaya Bonifance, who they trusted could assist their son financially. Mukungu says he had a chat with Mukwaya who agreed to give him a loan of three million Uganda shillings, from which he bought a machine to help with the work, pay three labourers and rent a place. And Basenene Quality Feeds was born.

“I have been able to pay back the loan I got from Mukwaya, buy a plot of land and to create jobs and I currently have 15 employees,” he says.

Mukungu admits finding some challenges with the business like price fluctuation and clients that fail to pay after taking goods on credit.

He adds that he has learnt to handle customers because, with business, one relates with people and by this he has been able to deal with the problem of losses.

Mpanga Emmanuel, an employee at Basenene Quality Animal and Poultry Feeds, is all praises for Mukungu. “Iam proud of him because despite being a graduate, he relates with his workers like he was a worker himself,” he said.

He adds that he too is a graduate from YMCA with a diploma in electronic engineering but he failed to get a job. “Luckily I got one at Mukungu’s feeds store,” he says, adding: “Graduates and those soon graduating should take advantage of what they are familiar with regardless of their fields of study. They should also look at agriculture as a potential business and stop despising jobs and look at how for instance they can add value to agricultural products because Uganda’s backbone is agriculture.