2020 PEOPLE CATEGORY WINNERS
Kuloba Peter Tera
1st Place, People
The Salt Farmer
Hanifah Niwagaba, who is also known as Mukyala, stands next to one of the salt pans from which she harvests salt. Hanifah is a resident of Katwe town, a town named for its neighbouring Lake Katwe, Uganda’s biggest salt lake. Salt farmers tend to their salt pans daily, monitoring and creating the conditions that prepare salt for harvest. A combination of high temperatures and saline water make the lake perfect for salt farming, but because of the water’s salinity the farmers must dress in extra clothing and take care to remain hydrated as they go about their work.
Salt mining, which is the main commercial activity in Katwe, has been an industry in the area for generations. The salt is mined in rock form from the lake’s floor, while the refined salt crystals are farmed from the salt pans. Salt pans are family-owned and can be passed down from generation to generation. The farming employs whole families, although women and children are the main workforce and men help packing, carrying packed salt, refilling the pans with brine or construction and repair of the pans.
Ambrose Watanda
2nd Place, People
Female Leader
Lucy Achaa, one of the leaders of the Luluwiri farmers group, is pictured with other group members as they work with a plough and team of oxen in Omugo Refugee settlement.
Hassan Omar Wamwayi
Honourable Mention, People
Omukyala we Mere (The Food Lady)
Maria, who is more commonly known as ‘Ssenga’ by her clients in Mulago, got into the food business after her sister passed away, leaving a restaurant behind. To protect the legacy of her late sister Maria started working at the restaurant, and she now employs six staff members and feeds about 90 people per day.
Evaline Mudondo
Honourable Mention, People
Just the Two of Us
After getting back from a long day at work, Felista spends a moment with her son inside their house in Buloba on September 10th 2019. The home, which is just a single room, has a curtain down the middle to separate the bed from the living room area. Felista works at a flower farm, and struggles with the low salary. "As a flower farm employee, I am mostly challenged by a constant lack of money as it never quite accumulates”, she says.