Pure magic

There's a heartening story about a Ugandan beekeeper in allAfrica.com. Now 68, Edward Tinkamanyire learnt the craft from Benon Kakwavu, a Rwandan refugee, 20 years ago. Today Tinkamayire tends 200 hives — with an air of magic:

"Residents believed the 40 years Kakwavu had spent in the beekeeping industry had something to do with magic from Rwanda," Tinkamayire says. The two having spent sometime together, Tinkamayire says, he proved that the secret was not magic at all but only love for the bees and determination to do the work.

"I started with a few beehives but now my project runs to about 200 locally made beehives from where I raise an annual income of not less than sh2 million," he says.

He recalls that once he harvested 27 jerricans of honey in a year.

Beekeeping has been fostered through a Government project and, from his beekeeping, Tinkamayire has been able to build a house and pay the school fees of his children.