BUY UGANDA, BUILD UGANDA: FUSMI President Edison Kirabira Hails Union Transport Alliance for Restoring Public Confidence in Local Brands

By Brian Mugenyi

KAMPALA, UGANDA — The President of the Federation of Uganda Social Media Influencers (FUSMI), Edison Kirabira, has praised the Uganda Transport Alliance (UTA) for what he describes as a significant contribution to rebuilding public confidence in locally owned Ugandan brands.

At a time when many African consumers continue to associate quality with imported goods and foreign-owned companies, Kirabira believes Uganda is witnessing a quiet but important shift in consumer attitudes, with more people embracing homegrown enterprises.

Kirabira, who also serves as the Civil Coordinator for Operation Wealth Creation in the Greater Kampala Region under Gen. Caleb Akandwanaho, commonly known as Gen. Salim Saleh, said the growing popularity of products and services under the Union Transport Alliance ecosystem demonstrates that Ugandan businesses can successfully compete while earning the trust of consumers.

“The Uganda Transport Alliance has given people a reason to believe in local enterprises. Today, Ugandans proudly use Union Transport Alliance services, Union Oil, Union Water and Union Jerry because they trust these brands and the vision behind them,” Kirabira said.

His remarks come as Uganda continues to promote local content, industrialization and value addition as key pillars of the country’s economic transformation agenda.

Economists have consistently argued that consumer confidence is one of the strongest drivers of sustainable economic growth. When citizens deliberately support locally owned businesses, they help stimulate job creation, increase tax revenues, strengthen domestic industries and retain wealth within the national economy.

According to Kirabira, the success of the Union-branded businesses illustrates that Ugandan entrepreneurs are capable of building competitive enterprises that not only meet market demands but also create opportunities for thousands of citizens.

At the centre of the growing ecosystem is entrepreneur Fred Ssenoga, whose investments span transportation, energy, cooperative development and community empowerment. Through initiatives such as Union Oil and the Uganda Transport Alliance, Ssenoga has promoted a business model that seeks to combine commercial success with broad-based community participation.

Kirabira believes the strength of the model lies in its wider social and economic impact.

“When people buy local products, they are supporting local jobs, local families and local economic development. Every shilling spent on a Ugandan product has the potential to create opportunities for another Ugandan,” he said.

He noted that countries which achieve sustainable economic growth are often those that nurture strong domestic enterprises capable of competing effectively while keeping investment and profits within their own economies.

Kirabira urged Ugandans to deliberately support locally manufactured and locally managed products, arguing that government policies alone cannot deliver economic transformation without active participation from consumers.

“The future of Uganda’s economy depends on the confidence we place in our own people, our own businesses and our own products. We must support what is made in Uganda because that is how we build wealth, create jobs and strengthen our economy,” he said.

As Uganda advances its industrialization agenda and private-sector-led development strategy, advocates of local content believe that indigenous enterprises such as those within the Uganda Transport Alliance ecosystem could provide a practical model of how entrepreneurship, innovation and patriotism can work together to accelerate national development.

For Kirabira, the message is straightforward: Uganda’s journey to economic prosperity begins with citizens choosing to believe in—and invest in—Ugandan-made solutions.

If that confidence continues to grow, supporters argue, it could become one of the country’s greatest economic assets.

The post BUY UGANDA, BUILD UGANDA: FUSMI President Edison Kirabira Hails Union Transport Alliance for Restoring Public Confidence in Local Brands appeared first on Watchdog Uganda.