Making her ends meet selling jackfruit on the street

A wooden wheelbarrow houses Peace Nagitta’s jackfruit business at Martin Road near the New Taxi Park. Although this kind of work seems tiresome as it requires a lot of persistence and courage, Nagitta, 30, has beaten the odds to ensure the wellbeing of her children.
The wheelbarrow provides space where she cuts the jackfruit and then displays it for the customers to buy and to also deposit the jackfruit peelings. While doing her work, Nagitta does not stand the entire day; she has a small wooden chair she sits on as she serves her customers.
Before she started selling jackfruit, Nagitta worked as a receptionist at Stanbic Bank before it was demolished (in the New Taxi Park).
She says after the demolition, she was posted to the Kalerwe branch, which she found a bit challenging because of the transport from her place in Bulenga which was approximately Sh5,000 on a daily basis.
“I had to use close to Sh6,000 every day for transport to Kalerwe which seemed expensive for me hence resorting to starting something of my own,” she says.
She then thought of selling jackfruit near the Taxi Park a place she was fond of with the urge of getting a daily income.
“I got the idea of selling jackfruit from a young lady I had watched for a long time doing the same near the bank and reaping a lot from it,” she says. When the bank job was no more, selling jackfruit was the first thing that came to mind and she went ahead to try it out.

Starting out
Nagitta worked at Stanbic Bank for close to five years before she set out to start her business of selling jackfruit in 2008.
In late 2008, she conceived the idea herself and with Sh100, 000 as capital (60,000 for the wheelbarrow and 40,000 for the jackfruit), Nagitta started her business in December 2008 amid criticism from her friends who she had worked with in the bank as they couldn’t imagine her selling jack fruit on the street.
“When Stanbic branch in the New Taxi Park was demolished, it affected me because I had no other job. So, even if the job I was doing was way better than this one, I am the kind of person who does not undermine jobs,” she shares.
The soft spoken, dark-skinned Senior Four dropout says she has no problem with people’s perception of her job because she must take care of her children.
Wahab Kabunga, a boda boda rider at a stage where Nagitta sells her jackfruit says, “I have seen her for close to seven years now. She brings three sacks of jackfruit that are all consumed by the end of the day.
People like her a lot here and her jackfruit became breakfast and lunch to most people here; boda bodas, taxis and people of different calibrer park here to have a taste of her jackfruit as she is good at convincing customers and she is flexible too.”

In the business for eight years
Nagitta has run her business for the last eight years. “I wanted to have a daily income so as I could provide for my family without waiting for the end of the month,” she says.
According to the people around, Nagitta is a humble woman who knows what she wants, and how to get it. She is not scared of engaging in the kind of work that most people tend to despise.Taking care of her children Nagitta’s five children who are studying at Bulenga Junior School, pay a total sum of Shs450, 000 as school fees every term.
“This money is usually hard for me to raise in a term because I have to get all of it from the jackfruit yet I also have some other expense to cover,” she explains.
Nagitta believes that her children will go very far with their studies as she is not willing to give up on them despite the hardships.

Market
Naggita buys jackfruit from the market at Sh5,000 to Sh15,000 depending on the size and season.
In the dry season, the prices are a bit low as there is a lot of ripe jackfruit on the market which is not the case with the wet season where it is scarce which makes the prices to be hiked in most cases.
She then sells between Sh500 to Sh2000 a piece. At the end of a day, she makes a profit ranging between Shs6,000 and Shs8,000.

Future plans
Nagitta plans to acquire a plot of land before the end of this year, where she intends to build a home and do away with renting which she says is too costly. She also hopes to do her best and lead her children through school through providing them with all the necessary assistance they need to pursue their dreams.

Success tips
Nagitta says she puts God at the forefront in everything. She spares time every Sunday to worship Him. “I am also a down to earth, trustworthy and a sociable person, which has enabled me to make friends around my workplace who help me in one way or another,” she says.

Challenges
“There are a number in this business but one just needs to be strong and patient. KCCA confiscates our goods and also arrests us. The market is also not favoruable for us as prices are always fluctuating and some customers take on credit and fail to pay,” she says.

Benefits
“I have been able to sustain my family by taking care of their basic needs, I pay fees for my children, rent of Shs100,000 per month where we live. I am also financially independent as I do not depend on anyone,” she says.
Nagitta’s husband is a taxi driver who does not own a taxi but is always in search for a taxi to drive and in most cases he gets little or no money at all to provide for the family.

Advice to women
Every woman should create something solely to get money so that they do not rely on the men. Even if the man gives you money, do not rely on them so much as it can go away with time. Fending for the family is a collective responsibility. Stop begging for money all the time. You can do any job and get something good out of it, start small and earn big.

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