Hamis Kiggundu commonly known as Ham is one of East Africa’s most revered young entrepreneurs and real estate moguls. One would describe him as Uganda’s Business Magnate and philanthropist.
Through his company, Ham Enterprises, Ham currently owns a property portfolio in the heart of Kampala, that includes landmark shopping centres, office buildings and apartments.
Ham was born to Mr Segawa Haruna and Mrs Nakayiza Jalia on Feb. 10, 1984, and raised in the small village of Kalungu which was part of Masaka by then, but currently, it’s a district.
He went to primary school in Masaka, Kabojja Secondary School and later joined Makerere University where he graduated with a Bachelors of law.
During his school holidays, Ham never stopped helping his father who was a textile trader in his shop, according to him, this helped him to master the game of business at an early age.
Since he had mastered the game, his father Mzee Ssegawa in 2005 during holidays gave him some capital to start a business. According to Ham, the capital from his father gave him the opportunity to test the entrepreneurial waters, which has made him what he is today.
With the small capital from Mzee Ssegawa, Ham started by buying garments, ladies’ bags and other commodities from large importing wholesalers and selling them locally at a profit.
As his business grew, he started buying his commodities directly from international markets. He began importing clothes and commodities from China, Thailand, Hong Kong, and Dubai, and distributing them at wholesale level in Uganda and in neighbouring countries, like Kenya, Tanzania, Burundi, Congo and Sudan.
As he accumulated more capital, he upgraded to real estate and he focused mainly on buying and selling land or properties at a profit. Having realized that real estate was the business to push him into the big league of billionaires, Ham formed a company called Ham Enterprises (U) Ltd, which mainly focused on constructing and managing his commercial properties.
After mastering the real estate business game, Ham again tested the deep waters of owning a block in the city by putting up his own building in the capital of Kampala. He started with Ham Towers, which became his flagship property.
After Ham Towers, in 1.5 years, he made progress and managed to erect another building ‘Ham Shopping Mall’.
Due to the smooth running of his business, currently, Ham Enterprises also has a property portfolio in the United States and the United Kingdom. It owns a commercial property in the UK situated at 375 Moston Ln, Manchester M40 9NB, trading as Ham International UK Ltd.
It also owns a logistics company trading as Ham International Express Logistics LLC based in Euless, Texas, with a number of trucks throughout the United States.
Ham also owns Hamz Link Ltd, a multimedia platform company based in Edmonton Canada.
He built the Ham White House along Entebbe Road which will house the headquarters for all his companies but also serve as a tourist attraction. According to Ham, the same White House will equally stand as an illustration of possibilities for Ugandans and Africans at large. “If the Americans have something so grand over there, we too can have it here,” he said in one of the interviews.
In Uganda, Ham owns one of the most expensive homes in Kampala the Hamis Kiggundu mansion located on the Shores of Lake Victoria which is estimated to be over 4.7 million Dollars with a gorgeous design and outlook.
Currently, according to media reports, Ham Group of Companies has a Capital market value of over 980 million US dollars making it one of the Highest Valued companies in Uganda.
Ham himself has a net worth of over 980 million US dollars which is accounted for by his company Ham Group which owns around 90 per cent of the company. He is also estimated to have an annual income of 100 million US Dollars by 2021 which is his highest annual earning.
According to present media reports, he has two children and one wife whom he is yet to wed officially.
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