Edison Akankwatsa, the pancake vendor that loves neckties

If you have used Mawanda road, you have probably seen the well-groomed gentleman sometimes in a full suit with shining shoes, standing under a tree by the roadside selling pancakes [kabalagala]. Meet EDISON AKANKWATSA. Definitely not your usual vendor. Quick Talk found him for a chat.

Edison, could you tell Quick Talk about yourself?

[Quick Talk finds him at his two-room rental house in Kyebando, with his wife and children seated in a neatly organized living room. The wife steps out to do laundry as the children are instructed to go outside and play.]

My name is Edison Akankwatsa, 30 years old and a resident of Kyebando, Nsooba zone. I sell kabalagala along Mawanda road. It is the job I have chosen to do and I have managed to take care of my family from the little I earn from it.

How big is your family?

I have a wife and three children; a 10-year-old son and two daughters aged nine and three.

How did you meet your wife?

We met at school in Mbarara, but then I left and came to Kampala for university, which failed and I started working in Owino market. When I went back to Mbarara after a while, I saw her again and this time became serious about pursuing her, won her heart and returned to Kampala together. We have been together for 11 years.

How long have you been doing this job?

I started in 2013. I started it from Owino market where I was working for a man who used to make pancakes and would give them to us to go vend them all over the city.

He would pay us between Shs 10,000 and Shs 15,000 at the end of the day which to me looked like good business. It is from him that I learnt how to make the pancakes but I shortly moved to Kalerwe to stay with some relatives and since I had nothing to do, I decided to try out making pancakes to sell.

With capital of just Shs 7,000, I bought cassava flour, sweet bananas and cooking oil to make pancakes from which I earned Shs 15,000 after my first day of work. I decided to make it my daily job.

How did you start selling from the roadside?

I realized early that when you station in one place, you actually sell more than someone who moves around because while I was working for that man in Owino, I would get the pancakes and go stand along Nasser road and I would make more money than my colleagues who moved around the city.

I chose the place along Mawanda road because it has a good shade and space, although it had a lot of garbage around it which I first had to clean up and then set up my stand.

You may take Quick Talk through your day…

I wake up at 3am to make the pancakes; by 5am, I am done. I pack them, clean myself up and get dressed and at 6am, I leave for the road. I usually get off around 2pm or 3pm, depending on how the day has gone.

You dress so smartly for an odd job like this….

I view my workplace as my office, which I should accord respect. I derived that from two people: first from Bobi Wine’s song Akalimu where he encourages one to respect and be smart at their job because no job is bad. And then from Pastor Aloysious Bugingo who once preached about loving your job however basic it may be. So, I decided that if this is the job I am earning a living from, I should dress up smartly for it like I am going to office.

How has your dress code helped your business?

[The children return and watch as their father narrates his story.] So much. Most people stop to buy from me because of my smartness. They always ask me why I dress the way I do. Some stop by, not to buy pancakes but, to appreciate how much I love my job [the last born daughter interjects to ask for drinking water and Akankwatsa delegates that to the elder daughter.]

So, who styles you?

I style myself. But there is one time two years ago a lady stopped by and appreciated my work. The next day she came back when she had bought me shoes; she then put me in her car, took me to a boutique and bought me a new suit.

How much do you spend on clothes?

If I am to buy new clothes, I spend between Shs 200,000 and Shs 250,000. I like changing my wardrobe after some time because it also becomes boring when the customers see you wearing the same clothes for a long time.

Isn’t that too much wardrobe money for the business?

It is not; I usually buy new clothes when I have had huge orders for the pancakes come in. I can get an order of up to Shs 1m. I have customers who request to be supplied pancakes at their parties, schools and even those who want to export them abroad.

So, if I am going to attend an event, out of what I have been paid, I can go to Wandegeya and buy a suit at Shs 170,000 so that I look smart at my customer’s function. It is from there that I attract other customers.

Tell Quick Talk about your experiences with customers…

Some people have called me a government spy, because they think according to the job I do, I cannot afford to dress the way I do.

How much do you make a day?

I make between Shs 120,000 and Shs 150,000 these days but a while back I would even make above Shs 200,000 a day but I think the economy is affecting everyone these days. That is after putting in capital of about Shs 70,000. I sell four pancakes at Shs 1,000, which means each pancake goes for Shs 250.

What have you gained from your job?

I have bought a plot of land and very soon I will no longer be a tenant. I am able to take my children to school and cater for other needs of my family. I had even bought a car a while back from which I had started transporting my pancakes and it had increased my earnings, but it was stolen by the driver.

Doesn’t KCCA disturb you?

I am always working on tension because of fear of KCCA men coming anytime and confiscating my merchandise. We are literally always on the run; so, if I end the day without being disturbed by them, I thank God. I have been advised to get a permanent kiosk I can sell from such that I can pay tax and run business smoothly and legally. I am working towards that, though it is still hard getting space within the same location.

How far did you go with education?

I went up to Kyambogo University where I was doing a course in civil engineering but dropped out after the first year because I could no longer raise the tuition.

How was life growing up?

I grew up in Bushenyi but it wasn’t an easy life. My parents died when I was just eight years old so I was raised by other relatives who would pay school fees, though they were also not financially well.

What did you want to be, growing up?

I wanted to be a teacher. But after my A-level, those who were paying my school fees discouraged me from applying for education, and since I had done sciences, I was told to apply for engineering instead, which I also liked.

What are you up to when not selling pancakes?

I am a born-again Christian; so, I go and preach the Gospel on the roadside, in church, prisons or hospitals. We also carry out charity outreaches for patients in hospitals and prisoners where we help them with some necessities.

jjingoernest1@gmail.com