(This article was first published in Toto Magazine on September 7, 2022)
By Jovita Mirembe
Thirteen-year-old Derrick Luwemba is a Senior One student at Naalya Secondary School in Namugongo. He runs a hardware store during the holidays.
It is located in Kiwanga in Mukono district, supplying cement, iron bars, nails, paint and other items for construction.
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Luwemba’s father, David Nkayivu, set up the hardware shop during the first lockdown. “My father wanted me to acquire business skills,” Luwemba says.
He says that on a bad day, he earns a profit of sh60,000 and on a good one, between sh100,000 and sh150,000.
Luwemba says that when school starts, his father hires someone to manage the shop.
How I Spend My Day
‘I wake up at 6:00am and say my prayers. I sweep the compound, wash dishes then take a bath. Thereafter, I go to the hardware shop with my books. If there are no customers, I close shop at 8:00pm after balancing the accounts book with my father. We do not open the shop on Sunday because it is a day for praising the Lord.’
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