On Febeuray23, 2017, Bonney Katatumba, a prominent businessman in Uganda and Honorary Consul of Pakistan in Uganda was pronounced dead. Katatumba succumbed to complications arising from Asthma and Pneumonia after he had undergone a colon cancer operation at International Hospital Kampala (IHK).
But what will he be remembered for?Katatumba was an astute businessman known not only in Uganda, but also other foreign countries.
He was the head of Katatumba Group of Companies, a chain of businesses in education and hospitality. He was known for businesses including Blacklines House, Hotel Diplomat-Muyenga, Katatumba Resort Island, Katatumba Resort Hotel in Mbarara and Katatumba Academy.
Katatumba’s business acumen manifested at the age of seven; at this age, he was already selling banana juice. He carried on with business at Makerere University, where he did car rentals in his University Hall.
He was already a millionaire at the age of 28 and was the youngest East African to buy his own Aircraft.
Born on April 3, 1946 in Mbarara district, he grew up in a family of five brothers and four sisters. He went to school at Nyamitanga Catholic Parish Primary School, Ibanda Junior School and Ntare School.
He joined Old Kampala Secondary School before joining Makerere University in 1969, where he later graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Sociology and Economics in 1971.
He held a number of honorary awards from various institutions in the US and Europe and had served as president of Uganda National Chamber of Commerce and Industries, member of Economic Policy Research Centre and chairman of United Nations G77 Chamber of Commerce and Industry Developing Countries, among others.
In 2015, he launched an inspirational success story book titled; ‘Success is Guaranteed’. The book was about his biograph and how he made it in business despite challenges. By the time of his death, he had written three inspiration books.
