Musa Body Katende, the son of renowned Ugandan innovator and industrialist Musa Body Wakibi, has defied expectations by choosing a career path different from his father’s machinery and metal fabrication business to establish a company focused on career development, education and travel advisory.
Katende, born on June 20, 1995, is the founder of Musa Body Careers and Advisory Company, which provides immigration and migration advisory services, study-abroad guidance, visa supporting-document preparation and other travel-related assistance.
His decision to venture into the service industry marks a departure from the family’s established business, Musa Body Machinery Ltd, a prominent industrial and metal fabrication company based in Katwe, Kampala, known for producing machinery and equipment for different uses.
Despite acquiring practical skills and formal education in engineering and machinery, Katende says his international exposure and experience working abroad opened his eyes to opportunities beyond the family business.
“As I grew up, I started travelling across the globe, studying and doing different jobs. I also got an opportunity to work at Oracle, where I learnt a couple of skills before deciding to venture away from my father’s company, Musa Body Machinery, to start my own company, Musa Body Careers Group, with the aim of helping Ugandans travel to other parts of the world,” Musa Body Katende said.
He holds a Master of Business Administration from Sunny Lone University in California, United States, as well as two bachelor’s degrees that is in Mechanical Engineering—Machinery and Fittings, and Construction and Engineering, which he says he obtained from Cambridge University in United Kingdom.
Katende’s decision to pursue a different business path was not without challenges, particularly given the expectations that he would follow in his father’s footsteps in machinery innovation and manufacturing.
He recalls that while growing up in Katwe, some residents questioned his knowledge of his father’s trade, prompting his mother to encourage him to spend more time at the family factory, where he acquired practical engineering skills.
“I remember my daddy, Musa Body Wakibi, used to say I was one of the cleverest children he had. When I was about 11 years old, some residents of Katwe used to mock me, saying I knew nothing about my father’s job. This prompted my mother to start sending me to my father’s factory, where I learnt how to make machines,” he said.
Among the equipment he learnt to make were brick-making machines, charcoal stoves, maize mills and generators, experiences that gave him an early foundation in technical work and entrepreneurship.
His mother later took him abroad for further studies and exposure, with his travels taking him to countries including Luxembourg, Germany, Sweden, Norway, the United States, the United Kingdom, Dubai and Qatar.
Katende says these experiences helped him appreciate the wide range of opportunities available to Ugandans internationally and challenged the belief that children must necessarily continue running their parents’ businesses.
“Leaving my father’s business was not an easy decision because I had learnt everything at a very young age. However, when I went abroad, I discovered that there were many opportunities Ugandans could utilise instead of having the mentality of only working in or running family businesses. That inspired me to venture out on my own,” he said.
He says the experience he gained from his father’s company, combined with his international exposure and time at Oracle, helped him develop the confidence to establish his own enterprise.
Through Musa Body Careers and Advisory Company, Katende says he seeks to connect Ugandans with legitimate education and travel opportunities abroad, particularly those interested in pursuing studies, visiting other countries or joining family members overseas.
The company assists clients seeking student admissions and visas, spouse visas and visit visas, while also providing guidance on navigating procedures and settling in destination countries.
Musa Body Katende emphasises that the company does not recruit people for employment abroad but instead provides advisory and documentation support, acting as a link between clients, service providers and relevant institutions.
He says the services are intended to help clients understand application requirements and make informed decisions before committing their money to international travel or education plans.
However, he identifies fraud as one of the major challenges facing the migration and travel advisory sector, warning that unscrupulous individuals have taken advantage of unsuspecting Ugandans by promising opportunities abroad and stealing their money.
To address the challenge, Katende says his company requires clients to provide genuine and authentic documents before applications are processed.
He adds that the company has embraced digital systems for its operations, including agreements, policies and memoranda of understanding with clients, to improve transparency, maintain records and minimise the risk of forgery, deception and disputes.
For Katende, the journey from learning how to make machines in his father’s factory to establishing a career and travel advisory company demonstrates the value of combining practical experience, education and exposure to new opportunities.
Although he chose a different industry from his father, he says the entrepreneurial foundation he acquired growing up in a family business remains an important part of his journey.
His story highlights how the next generation of Ugandan entrepreneurs can build on family legacies while pursuing independent ventures that respond to emerging needs in education, travel and international mobility.
Musa Body Katende is visible and accessible via his website: www,musabodycareers.com , on TikTok Musa Body Katende, Facebook Sir Musa Body Katende, Instagram Musa Body Katende and X Sir Musa Body
