How Ugandan Cattle Farmer Became A Successful Entrepreneur In South Africa

One of the businesses owned by Kakuru

Philip Kakuru,43, is a successful entrepreneur in South Africa whose inspirational story offers vital lessons to those who could have lost hope towards success.

Born in Mbarara, western Uganda in 1979, Kakuru is a citizen of South Africa and runs a chain of businesses in education and real estate sectors. He’s also owns businesses in Uganda.

Kakuru is a teacher by profession.

“My parents are Mr. Edward Bwahika and Mary Bwahika Katukuru village, Nyakayojo Division , Mbarara City. I studied at Kyambogo University -Uganda and the University of South Africa. To raise tuition fees, we  sold cows and income from rentals from our late dad’s commercial property in Mbarara Town then,” Kakuru says, adding that things having not moved on well in his field of specialization (education) in his home country  (Uganda), he moved to South Africa in early 2000s which had just gained independence and there he had been tipped off that there were several  slots  available in the country’s  education sector.

“The job I got there was to teach Geography and Economics in Pretoria, South Africa  which I did very well before joining the entrepreneurship sector,” he says.

As one of the means of boosting his income, he  invested in a small retail business shop with a Ugandan friend whom he met there and they used to import merchandise with some Ethiopian and Senegalese businessmen.

He says he started business with about US$15,000.

Some of his added advantages was that he was able to easily learn some  additional languages like Zulu, Sepedi, Sesotho, Setswana among other native languages which eased communication with various key stakeholders in the country.

“Later on after good returns from retail business and savings from earnings from teaching, I was able to embark on a business of hiring weekend venues to conduct private teaching in specific subjects of Maths and physics (Physical Science at grades 10-12 ( in Uganda context S4-S6). So I invested one thousand United States dollars  US$100,000 in the business which later on  brought in some good money,” Kakuru says. 

He insisted on carrying on Saturday class tutoring project which became a success after getting a good number of students. In a single day, he says, he could earn money  four times higher  than his full time employment salary.

On how he adopted this idea, Kakuru revealed that he copied the  concept way back from Caltec Academy Uganda , which became a success and thereby concentrating on recruiting and giving it more publicity through advertisement.

“In 2004, we opened the first campus in Johannesburg Central Business District   on Market Street because we knew we would tap into the 2 millions which flocked Johannesburg daily. We chose programmes that addressed industry needs like electrical engineering, Mechanical /Motor /Diesel, Chemical engineering, Boiler Makers, Civil engineering and business courses like Financial Accounting, Laboratory Technicians etc. After a better pay off ,in 2005 we opened another campus in Braamfontein next to Witwatersrand University to tap into  the University overflow or rejects or those who had been denied entry and needed to improve the marks mad qualifying the following semester intakes,” he says. 

Married with three children, Kakuru is the Patron of National Resistance Movement (NRM) in South Africa which he contends that doesn’t make him political but it’s out of love for his party just like any other individual.

His role model is Elon Musk.

He urges all Ugandans undermining themselves to continue working hard and smart because one day,  they will make it regardless of their family background.