He savours those moments. This is his pass-time, ever since he retired from a high-flying corporate life among multinationals. We thus added BSN to our appellation of him. We call him Mzaai BSN. BSN is Been there…Seen it all…Nothing new…exciting…to prove.

His favourite moments are the hours he spends mentoring corporate leaders, with a preferred focus these days on second-generation managers of family-founded businesses. He argues this is an area where indigenous African businesses are yet to firm roots (with most family businesses dying with their founders). And this was indeed the subject of his weekend visit to Kampala, at the invitation of his corporate alumni in a pan-African multinational.

The two have run successful businesses in Uganda, one of them with a regional reach, and both are set to pass the baton to their offspring’s. So it was that we fluked his mentoring session in response to the compulsory greeting we have to do every time he is in town. And in the course of the merries, somehow #Uganda Airlines dropped in.

All of us being civilians and amateurs this sector delicate in all its dimensions, we were all ears as Mzaai relished his sweet moment: the day his airline hit break-even and shot into profitability. ‘…it was to me a personal moment, a moment of company breakthrough and national pride….’, he says in-between bites of his favourite Ugandan delicacy: steamed gonja.

He calls the company breakthrough a personal feat because he joined the airline company at its worst moment, literally on its knees, from a totally different industry: fast-moving consumer goods. He tells of his heart jumping when, moments after his introduction to top management, as Commercial Manager, he overhead two guys sneering at his experience in ‘self-selling goods’, which would have no relevance in the airline. ‘Our firmament that pushed us to break-even and profits was a compromise portfolio, where we have to agree with travel agencies on a reduced commission but assured accounts’, he says. Using his contacts and experience in the global corporate world, Mzaai negotiated long time fixed fares with frequent flyer multinational companies on four key routes.

His formula (slightly varying according to the power of each company), was 5:1, which meant one economy ticket upgraded to business class for every five business class tickets in a given month. And this was fixed, regardless of peak or low hours, peak or low seasons, he says, adding that air ticket pricing is never fixed…’we will sit on neighbouring seats on the same flight to the same destination, but pay different fares’, he chuckles.

To compensate the travel agencies that hitherto handled the corporates he ‘took over’, he offered them a slightly higher commission on ‘walk-in’ tickets to compensate for the compromised commission on the key accounts.

Adding the cash-cow of air cargo (especially fresh produce), all the portfolios combined to see the airline breakthrough, riding on a renewed government policy where all government officials had to travel by the national carrier as a priority, and their tickets paid for in advance like any other passenger.

‘But in this era of dwindling multinational business in countries like Uganda where we see big companies closing shop, what can work for us here’?  Milly asked. Mzee says Uganda has it all. Passenger revenue on long routes can be boosted by investment in 4 cargo planes, for long haul and emerging regional markets. ‘this food we waste here, can fetch more dollars than the oil we all are bent on…fresh organic food’, he concludes as we exchange guilty glances.

You can also read more writings of http://ben kahunga matsiko

Parish Development Model-Prosperity for Posterity

EAC Integration. NTB has not Shepherded Today

UDB TO LEND OR UDC TO MANUFACTURE?

Sorority Club Restores Dignity to Generations

And more and more …Blogs