Ronald Atuhumwize and the making of a footwear business in Kampala

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | In Kampala’s crowded trading spaces, where hundreds of small businesses compete for customers every day, building a name can take years.

For Ronald Atuhumwize, the journey began not with a shop or a large investment, but with the informal trade around Qualicel Bus Terminal and Nabugabo Street.

Today, he runs Salongo House of Shoes from Mukwano Arcade on Ben Kiwanuka Street, serving customers looking for footwear for men, women and children. The business also serves wholesale buyers.

The distance between the two points tells a familiar story about entrepreneurship in Uganda: businesses are often built slowly, through small transactions, repeated customer interactions and the ability to keep going through difficult periods.

Atuhumwize was born on February 5, 1991, in Isingiro District and later moved to Kampala in search of better opportunities.

Like many young people who come to the capital to make a living, he entered a city where opportunity and competition exist side by side.

Learning business on the streets

His first years in Kampala were spent in the informal economy, where there was little separation between the trader and the business.

He sold different goods before eventually concentrating on shoes.

The work offered no guaranteed income. A slow day meant less money to take home. Rain could affect sales, while theft, changing trading conditions and other uncertainties were part of the everyday reality.

But the informal market also gave Atuhumwize an education that could not easily be acquired in a classroom.

He learned how to negotiate with customers, manage limited capital and understand what people were willing to pay for.

More importantly, he learned the value of repeat customers.

In a business where many traders compete on price, customer relationships can determine whether someone returns or moves to another seller.

Finding a place in Mukwano

A major change came when Atuhumwize moved his operations to the Mukwano trading area.

The location, opposite Gazaland and close to the Old Taxi Park, offered access to a larger pool of customers but also placed the business among more established traders.

Rather than relying entirely on price competition, Atuhumwize focused on product quality and customer service.

He spent time explaining the differences between products, helping customers consider size, quality and durability.

The approach was gradual.

A customer who bought a pair could return for another. Others recommended the business to relatives, friends and colleagues.

That word-of-mouth marketing became important in building Salongo House of Shoes.

For small businesses operating without large advertising budgets, personal recommendations can be one of the most effective ways of attracting new customers.

But they also come with a risk.

A business built around trust can be damaged quickly when customers feel they have been misled or sold poor-quality products.

Atuhumwize therefore remained closely involved in selecting stock and interacting with customers as the business expanded.

When the phone became a shop window

For years, the physical shop was the main point of contact between the business and its customers.

Then social media began changing that relationship.

Atuhumwize started using TikTok to showcase footwear and give potential customers a glimpse into the business.

The content was not built around expensive production. It featured products, new arrivals, comparisons and the everyday experience of running a footwear business in Kampala.

The videos began reaching people who were not necessarily walking through Mukwano Arcade.

Customers started making inquiries online, while some travelled to the shop after discovering the business on social media.

The development illustrates how digital platforms are changing the way small businesses find customers.

A trader who previously depended largely on people physically passing through the market can now put products in front of potential buyers across Kampala and beyond using a smartphone.

But social media did not create Salongo House of Shoes from nothing.

It amplified a business that had already spent years building a customer base offline.

That distinction matters.

Digital platforms can create visibility quickly, but they do not automatically create trust. For many small businesses, online growth works best when it is built on a reputation developed through physical interactions.

The changing face of small business

Atuhumwize’s experience reflects a broader transformation taking place in Uganda’s small-business economy.

The informal sector remains an important source of employment and income, particularly for people who may not have access to large amounts of capital or formal employment.

For many entrepreneurs, however, the traditional market is no longer the only place where business happens.

Social media has created another marketplace.

Platforms such as TikTok allow traders to demonstrate products, interact with customers and build recognisable identities without spending heavily on conventional advertising.

The result is a new relationship between informal commerce and technology.

A trader can operate from an arcade in downtown Kampala while simultaneously reaching customers through a global digital platform.

But the basic challenges of business remain.

Stock still has to be purchased. Rent and other costs have to be paid. Customers have to be satisfied. And profits have to be managed carefully if a business is to grow.

For Atuhumwize, the years of informal trading appear to have provided the foundation for navigating those challenges.

Beyond the shop

Salongo House of Shoes has grown from Atuhumwize’s early trading activities into a footwear business serving both retail and wholesale customers.

Its products now target men, women and children, while its online presence provides another route to potential buyers.

Atuhumwize is also looking towards further expansion, including additional branches, improving online ordering and helping younger traders learn about customer service and digital branding.

Those ambitions come with a different set of challenges from those he faced when he first arrived in Kampala.

Starting small is one thing. Maintaining quality and customer trust while expanding is another.

For entrepreneurs whose businesses are closely associated with their personal reputation, growth can make that balance harder to maintain.

One customer at a time

The story of Salongo House of Shoes is ultimately less about footwear than it is about how small businesses are built in Kampala.

There was no single moment when Atuhumwize moved from struggling trader to established entrepreneur.

The transition happened gradually — through daily sales, returning customers, reinvested profits, difficult periods and eventually a decision to take the business into the digital space.

His journey also shows how the meaning of a marketplace is changing.

The streets and arcades remain important, but the smartphone has become another shop window.

For a new generation of Ugandan entrepreneurs, the physical and digital marketplaces are increasingly becoming part of the same business.

Atuhumwize’s story began on Kampala’s streets. His next phase is being shaped partly online.

But the principle that helped build the business has remained unchanged: earn a customer’s trust, give them a reason to return and build from there.