Hamis Kiggundu to Youth: You Are Capital Start with What You Have

Businessman and author Hamis Kiggundu has urged Ugandan youth to stop undervaluing themselves and small beginnings, stressing that personal belief and mindset are the true foundations of wealth creation.

Speaking while reflecting on lessons from his book Success and Failure. Based on Reason and Reality, Kiggundu said many young people waste years waiting for large sums of money to start enterprises instead of making the most of what is already within their reach.

“You yourself are capital. The day you begin seeing yourself as capital is the day you begin your steps out of poverty,” Kiggundu remarked.

He challenged the common mindset where a youth dismisses UGX 1 million as “too little” yet desperately searches for UGX 30 million to begin a business. According to him, this dependency syndrome is one of the biggest barriers to progress.

Kiggundu, who began business at just 19 and grew into one of Uganda’s most prominent entrepreneurs, said success is not a miracle but a product of reason, reality, and discipline.

“Poverty is a temporary state, but failure is 95 percent in the brain. The inability to think progressively towards success is what holds many people back,” he writes in his book.

He also cautioned against Uganda’s overreliance on employment, urging young people to treat jobs as a stepping stone rather than an end goal.

“Employment should be temporary. By the age of 35, someone should have started his own business towards success, not merely survival,” he advised.

Kiggundu further criticized the country’s education system for producing graduates without practical skills, arguing that schools send young people “to war with a gun without bullets.”

Despite these challenges, he believes Uganda’s youth can change their fortunes if they shift their focus from envy and excuses to self belief and gradual growth.

“Instead of hating those who succeed, approach them, learn from them, and apply the lessons. Success is about systems, not shortcuts,” he said.

Kiggundu, who has built an empire spanning real estate, banking, and trade, continues to inspire youth across the country with his writings and mentorship, reminding them that their journey to wealth starts not with millions in hand, but with the conviction that they themselves are capital.