A 29-year-old entrepreneur from Fort Portal City has turned a difficult start into a fast-growing manufacturing business now serving 11 districts across western Uganda.
Abel Byamukama, the founder of Klean Star Products, today runs a three-branch enterprise that produces liquid soap, Jik, lotions, jellies, shampoo, candles, bar soap, and raw materials for other soap makers. But his journey began in hardship eight years ago with only Shs40,000 in his pocket.
Byamukama moved from Ntungamo to Fort Portal shortly after completing Senior Six to help his uncle start a business. When the plan collapsed, he found himself stranded until a friend offered him temporary shelter in an abandoned house. That friend was making liquid soap and encouraged him to learn the skill as a survival path.
Using his remaining savings, Byamukama bought basic ingredients and started producing liquid soap, packaging it in used mineral water bottles and selling it door-to-door across Fort Portal. Attempts to secure bank financing initially failed due to strict requirements, forcing him to settle for a small microfinance loan of Shs480,000—far below what he needed.
A major breakthrough came when he was introduced to Equity Bank’s Youth Loan. The bank guided him through financial literacy training, formed a guarantor group, and approved his first youth loan of Shs2.5 million.
“That loan changed everything,” Byamukama says. “It enabled me to increase production, improve branding, and supply bigger clients.”
His profile grew further when the Tooro Women’s Group invited him to train their members in soap making. As orders increased, he began supplying hotels, supermarkets, bakeries, and businesses as far as Kabarole, Kamwenge, Kasese, Ibanda, Bushenyi, and Kagadi. He hired his first employee, later expanding to a team of eight full-time workers.
After repaying his first loan, he secured a second loan of Shs4.5 million. Since then, he has received six youth loans (ranging from Shs2.5m to Shs5m) and six digital loans (Shs1m–3m), growing his working capital from Shs1.5 million to Shs40 million.
Klean Star Products now operates branches in Fort Portal, Kyenjojo, and Mbarara, with plans for further expansion. Beyond business, Byamukama has invested in 10 cows, bought land near the highway, and acquired a car and motorbike for distribution. He has also moved from an abandoned structure into a comfortable home.
He credits Equity Bank for believing in him at a critical moment.
“The Youth Loan programme solved my biggest challenge—capital. It turned my dreams into reality,” he says.
Byamukama now hopes to transform Klean Star Products into a fully-fledged factory that will create more jobs and serve markets across Uganda and the region.
“I want young people to know that you can start small and grow,” he says. “I am living proof.”
