Okol of Pader District Sells “President Museveni Shoes” for His Campaigns

By Male Solomon Grace, @GCICUganda

Okol Jonathan, a determined youth from Pader District, is one of the beneficiaries of the Gulu Presidential Industrial Hub. He completed a six-month training course in shoemaking just two months ago and has already turned his new skills into a growing business.

Okol currently makes and sells both gentlemen’s shoes (UGX 70,000 each) and open sandals (UGX 20,000 each). In his first month after graduation, he sold six pairs of gentlemen’s shoes, earning a profit of UGX 45,000 per pair, and ten pairs of sandals, each giving him UGX 11,000 in profit.

He personally designs his footwear and takes the materials to local artisans with machines for stitching—costing him UGX 3,500 for each closed shoe and UGX 1,000 for each sandal. He currently displays his products in front of a friend’s shop free of charge, though he plans to rent his own space to expand production.

Okol’s main challenges are the high cost of materials—a metre of leather costs UGX 12,000 (enough for three pairs of shoes) and a pair of rubber soles goes for UGX 20,000—and the lack of affordable shoemaking machines, which cost around UGX 2 million.

Having dropped out of school after Primary Seven due to financial constraints, Okol’s life changed when his uncle, Mr. Okello Simon, introduced him to the Presidential Industrial Hubs initiative. The programme, established by President Yoweri Museveni, aims to equip Ugandan youth with practical technical and vocational (TVET) skills for self-employment.

Today, Okol proudly says he has sold a pair of shoes to President Museveni himself for UGX 500,000, as part of the President’s campaign to encourage youth to join the Presidential Skilling Hubs and embrace hands-on skills for a better livelihood.

Read more on : mrupdates.com

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