From a job in a spare parts shop in Mbarara to owner of KyaKulya Leen Meal’s Q, our ambitious first food vendor has an amazing story and is just getting started. Read her inspirational story below:
“My first job was at a spare parts shop owned by my uncle in Mbarara. When I moved to Kampala, I opened up my first restaurant in Kitezi where my brother used to work and mostly served people who used to load and offload garbage.
When my brother was transferred to Gayaza, I moved along with him and let that business go because transport to and fro was too much. In Gayaza, I opened a vegetable stall where I sold things like tomatoes, onions, greens, curry powder and roadside dishes like muchomo, kachumbali, avocado.
It was my friend from church, Aggie, who first told me about SafeBoda and told me that they needed someone. I wrapped my mudaala and went to Kanyanya where the offices were located where I was interviewed by Ricky. I got the job and started the following day as a cook.
It’s been 3 years now and when KyaKulya started in March last year, I started cooking for them with a colleague. Later, I was asked by Brenda, my colleague and Head of Marketing for Food, to become a vendor on the app. She explained what it meant and I loved the idea. That is how I got to the SafeBoda App as Leen Meal’s.
Since I started this journey, it hasn’t been a bad one.There are good days and bad days just like any other business. I’d say the problems I have faced are sometimes over estimating when cooking hence leading to losses. Packaging is quite expensive as well and also the commission percentage taken is quiet on the high end hence affecting me meeting my other needs.
The benefit I have gotten from this business is the experience I am gaining in this field of work and getting more clients through online food delivery and being known out there. I thank safeboda so much for that.
I would advise SafeBoda to train the SafeBoda riders on how to handle and deliver customers’ food and the urgency of food delivery and also to be clean. Presentation is very important especially in the food industry and also provide them with carrier bags for proper transportation of the food. Other than that I see myself having my own Serena in the future.”
