When Susan Namirimu was 12 years old, curiosity led her to a sewing machine that only her mother used-and not very often. She had no idea that this curiosity would ignite a passion that would eventually touch the lives of young women many kilometres away from her home in central Uganda.
Despite her enthusiasm, her mother often dismissed her requests to learn. ‘You’re still too young for this,’ Namirimu recalls.
With the help of a woman who frequently visited their home to do cleaning, Namirimu finally learned the basics.
‘She taught me how to use the machine,’ she says. ‘In about ten minutes she showed me where to put the thread, where to step, and I was good to go.’
From there, the young girl began practising using old curtains and bedsheets to create makeshift dresses-unaware that this early curiosity was setting her on a path that would later transform the lives of female youth in Northern Uganda.
The journey to her new home, Gulu
In 2010, Namirimu moved to Gulu to study Quantitative Economics at Gulu University. Even there, miles from home, her passion for fashion followed her.
‘All throughout university, I still thought it was just a hobby,’ she says.
After completing her degree in 2014, she returned home and seriously considered turning her interest into a business-specifically, a fashion shop in Gulu. Her mother was hesitant, but her father gave her full support.
‘I told my father I was going back to Gulu to start a business in tailoring and design,’ she recalls with a smile.
No real skills, little confidence
When she launched her tailoring and fashion business, she quickly hit a major challenge: a shortage of skilled labour.
They reached out to vocational institutions hoping to take on interns who could later be recruited. But the tailoring graduates who came in were, in her words, ‘half-baked’ and lacked confidence. Many required a year or more of additional training before they could produce quality work.
A Uganda Bureau of Statistics labour force survey reflects this issue, showing that nearly 30 percent of institutionally trained youth remain unemployed due to inadequate practical skills.
Faced with this gap, Namirimu realised she needed to go beyond simply running a fashion shop-she needed to build an academy.
The birth of Mtindo Academy
Together with co-founder Morgan Ginn, she established Mtindo Academy, designed to close the skills gap and provide employment opportunities for young women. Their model allows learners to learn while they earn, overturning the long-standing norm in which students graduate from tailoring schools with basic theory but almost no confidence or market-ready skills.
Namirimu also saw an urgent need for a major uplift in Northern Uganda’s apparel industry.
Mtindo embraced an experiential, hands-on approach from day one-an approach that was later accredited by the Directorate of Industrial Training (DIT).
From kitenge fashion to industrial apparel
In its early days, Mtindo focused on colourful Kitenge fashion-bold, African-inspired designs sold through their Made in Uganda shop on Awich Road in Gulu City.
But to create jobs at scale, Namirimu recognised the need to diversify.
‘We realised that uniforms, because of their constant demand, could offer sustainable employment while maintaining quality craftsmanship,’ she explains.
This shift led to the establishment of Mtindo’s industrial production unit, now comprising sweater knitting, embroidery and large-scale tailoring
The facility now produces hundreds of garments each month and employs over 40 staff, most of them graduates of Mtindo Academy.
Mtindo Design Studio produces high-quality school and corporate uniforms, sweaters, and branded apparel for reputable institutions such as Ocer Campion Jesuit College, Sacred Heart Girls School and Lacor Seminary
For years, many schools in the region relied on suppliers from Kampala or even neighbouring Kenya. Mtindo is reversing that trend.
‘It shows that ‘Made in Gulu’ can meet national quality standards,’ Namirimu says-underscoring the broader benefits of developing a local apparel industry.
‘Every order placed here means more jobs created for young women and more money staying within the local economy of Gulu.’
Mtindo thrives on
Above the Cynibel Supermarket in Gulu City, visitors are greeted by the hum of sewing machines and the lively chatter of young women working with precision and confidence. These sights and sounds give Namirimu-a founder, CEO, and mentor-a deep sense of purpose.
Students learn not only in the classroom but through hands-on participation in real production during their internship.
Mtindo Academy and the studio share the same floor with professional tailors, embroidery specialists, and knitting technicians.
‘It’s a dynamic learning environment where training and production flow together,’ she explained to Monitor in early November 2025.
This setup gives students both technical expertise and confidence, and it allows Mtindo to immediately employ the top graduates-creating a sustainable cycle of empowerment.
A vision beyond fabric and thread
Mtindo’s mission is about more than garments-it is about restoring dignity and expanding possibility. With more than 38 students enrolled last year in its one-year programme, the academy is providing new pathways out of poverty, especially in post-conflict Northern Uganda where opportunities remain scarce.
‘Each job we create represents a family that can afford school fees, healthcare, and a better future,’ says Namirimu, adding: ‘That’s what drives us every day.’
As Mtindo continues to grow, its strategy remains rooted in community empowerment: creating more jobs, expanding training opportunities, and fostering a culture that values Ugandan-made products.