(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.
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.’
