Nanyonga displays smoked fish, the work that helped her and her siblings attain their education. Grace Nanyonga's childhood was one full of trials and tribulations. Her parents died when she was just 13. And, being the eldest of her six siblings, she had to take care of the family. For a start, life seemed bearable until the unbelievable happened: her half-brother sold their house. Then, Nanyonga, the breadwinner was only in Primary Seven at Our Lady of Consolata Primary School, Kireka.
"Our parents left a bungalow, the only asset we had then. We lived in our home until 2005 and before we knew it, our half-brother had sold it. This was double jeopardy," Nanyonga recalls.
"One Saturday night in February 2005, our elder step-brother evicted us from our family house in Mbuya, a city suburb. It was terrible. The agony I went through gave me courage to work hard for survival," she narrates amidst sobs. Meanwhile, she rented a room and started roasting chicken near a bar in Bbanda, to raise school fees for herself and her siblings.
"I desperately wanted to complete P.7. My fellow pupils nicknamed me 'chicken'. This annoyed me, but that was my only source of livelihood. Revellers rebuked me and called me all sorts of names. Others would eat my chicken and refuse to pay."
It was this background that gave her "maturity" at a young age and opened her eyes to a wider entrepreneurship horizon. She diversified her chicken business to include fish. Nanyonga was thus able to transform her sh150,000 business into an enterprise that has seen all her siblings get formal education.
"With proceeds from fish, I was able to pay tuition of sh650,000 per semester." Nanyonga, 25, one of the youngest entrepreneurs presented a paper on the role of Members of Parliament in investment promotion, at Imperial Royale Hotel Kampala recently. The European Parliamentarians for Africa (AWEPA) sponsored the symposium, which attracted the Ugandan business community.
Dr Maggie Kigozi applauded Nanyonga for her hardwork and innovativeness despite the problems she faced in her childhood. Nanyonga's determination and hard-work have yielded profits. I call upon all Ugandans to emulate her," Kigozi said. Nanyonga now runs a private company, Grana Supplies, which deals in smoked fish at Stanbic Bank village Nama in Mukono district. Kalangala Woman MP Ruth Kavuma, in conjunction with Forum for African Women Educationalist, sponsored my secondary education at Our Lady of Good Counsel Gayaza in 1998.
"Spices keep the tilapia fresh for at least one week. When refrigerated, the fish can last for at least one month," Nanyonga explains. "I don't add any cooking oil. I put the fish on a wire mesh and use firewood to provide constant heat. The dried fish may be mixed in groundnut or simsim paste, or any other vegetables or it can be eaten without adding anything else."
Nayonga sells her fish depending on the size. Medium size costs sh5,000, large sh8,000 while extra large costs sh10,000. However, delivering the products to her customers is a problem. "I need a delivery van to transport the products. Using commuter taxis is cumbersome. I also need another fridge to preserve the fish.
Nanyonga sells her product to Rotary clubs of Kampala Central, Kololo, Ntinda, Kyambogo, Ssese Island, and Muyenga. She also sells to Stanbic Bank staff and MPs. "I take the products to my customers. Sometimes they make orders," she adds. Nanyonga also prepares silver fish (mukene). This one can stay fresh for at least a month.
In 2005, Habitant for Humanity, a non-governmental organisation, in conjunction with Stanbic Bank built a three-bedroom house for the family at Stanbic Bank village in Mukono, where Nanyonga and her siblings now stay.
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