On a Tuesday afternoon, I meet Paula Uwayo for an interview. It is evident that she is keeping tabs on her clients, confirming orders and deliveries.
She has been running a passion fruit business for two years. Uwayo’s start in agribusiness was quiet and steady, with no defining crisis. Though unplanned, it has gradually become integral to her life. When she finished the demanding road through law school in 2022, she joined Law Development Centre (LDC) and completed it in 2023. She then started her application process for enrolment. But while she waited, she refused to sit still. She had first played with the idea of selling passion fruits during the lockdown in 2020. It never became serious then, but the spark stayed.
‘I got interested in things people consume and ended up choosing passion fruits,’ she recalls. In 2023, fresh out of LDC with no clear timeline for enrolment, Uwayo decided to try again. She asked a friend for Shs100, 000, ordered 50 kilograms of passion fruits from Kabale District, and posted the stock on X. By evening, all the stock was gone. ‘More people were still calling, and I had nothing left to sell. It was a small moment, but it showed me that demand existed, and that my online community could become my first market,’ she recalls.
The beginning
Uwayo began by sourcing passion fruits from Kabale and selling them to corporate clients who preferred delivery. Her early days in the business were filled with experimentation. When she started, deliveries were the hardest part. Orders came in at different times and from different directions, yet she had no reliable delivery riders. With time, she built a system. ‘I have a team of three people at the store and four dependable riders. When I am in the field, orders are still delivered on time,’ she explains.
A day in her life
Uwayo’s workday starts before dawn. By 5am, she is already awake, and by 5.30am, she is at her store on Kafumbe Mukasa Road. Morning is the busiest window. That is when bulk buyers arrive, looking for fresh stock from the market. Some days, even before she leaves home, her phone is ringing, buyers asking for prices, already certain of what they want before she reaches her store. ‘Sales move differently each day. There are mornings when everything goes quickly, and others when the market drags,’ she explains. Still, Uwayo rarely struggles to move stock.
She sells both wholesale and retail, sacks for the big buyers, and smaller portions for those who prefer 40 or 50 fruits for Shs10, 000. Prices shift often. A sack of passion fruits from Kabale can go for Shs650,000 to Shs700,000 depending on the quality, while one from Masaka which are often longer and neatly packaged, fetch around Shs1.2 million to Shs1.7million. Once the morning rush settles, the day is far from done. Retail orders come in steadily, sometimes all the way to evening. She packs, organises, dispatches the passion fruits, and follows up. On a good day, she closes at 6pm, though it is common for someone to call at 7pm or 8pm asking for next-day delivery.
‘The business is a blend of early mornings, long days, constant movement, and a digital community that turned into my first customers,’ she says. She has learnt that corporate clients value the convenience of having the fruits delivered, a service that sets her apart. She also pays close attention to feedback, even when it stings. ‘The negative comments help more than the praise, because they push me to improve my sourcing and packaging, ‘she explains.
Growing
Two years later, the same business that began with 50 kilogrammes of passion fruits now moves up to 10 sacks a day. Her deliveries stretch beyond Kampala, reaching Lira, Soroti, Arua, and Gulu. Some customers buy in bulk, others in small amounts, and she sends them all on buses headed upcountry. Uwayo explains that quality control begins long before the market. She prefers to go to the field herself, meeting farmers, inspecting fruits, and understanding how each batch is grown. ‘Good produce comes from good manure, proper pesticide use, and attentive care. Paying farmers fairly is part of securing top quality. You cannot give someone a very low price and expect them to hand over their best harvest,’ she says. As her business grows, Uwayo has built deeper relationships along the agricultural value chain.
She understands the farmers who supply her produce and the challenges they face like lack of manure and costly pesticides. She sees potential in strengthening these connections not just for her business, but for the communities involved. ‘Every fruit has a story behind it and a set of hands that worked hard to produce it,’ she notes. Of all her expenses, deliveries weigh the heaviest. But they also make the work exciting. Clients are scattered across different parts of the city, each with a preferred time and place. ‘Some orders must arrive by 9: am. That means waking up early, packing promptly, and ensuring the delivery team is ready,’ she explains. Her online presence has propelled the business even further, with X as the main platform she uses to market the fruits.
Consistency regardless
Uwayo says she faced no stigma for being a law graduate selling passion fruits. She was too busy, and she received more support than judgment. ‘If it was there, I never noticed it. People encouraged me and appreciated my work. I credit my early network of clients,’ she shares. Supply shortages happen and prices rise and quantities must be reduced, for example dropping from 50 pieces to 35 pieces for Shs10,000. Some clients step back, while others understand and keep buying. She stays afloat until prices normalise.
‘Hard days are inevitable. But passion fruits are perishable, so the stock itself forces discipline,’ she says. She jokes that you must choose between your bed and the ‘millions’ sitting in the store. She also thinks about the farmers she buys from. If she does not work, their harvest suffers too. Serving both sides, farmers and clients, keeps her going. Uwayo has learnt that she is resilient. She has discovered she is good at marketing, something she is now considering exploring more seriously.
The lawyer in her
Uwayo’s legal background still plays a role in how she thinks and operates. She is deliberate with her communication, cautious with agreements, and careful with commitments. Some customers have legal problems, and she helps them through the law firm she works with. ‘I am not yet enrolled but I handle legal work under Litmus Advocates,’ she shares. She balances both worlds by relying on her team. When legal deadlines come up, she prioritises them. The business continues because she has support at the store.
While Uwayo is still waiting for her name to be picked for enrolment, she is no longer waiting for life to start. Even though she sometimes practices law, this is mostly remote and most of her time is spent running her business. ‘Having a team at the store gives me a degree of flexibility that allows me to explore agribusiness without walking away from my profession,’ she shares.