Najib Kayiira, one of the CEOs of Dalaus Juice in Wandegeya, and Sumaya Lubowa Sentamu known to many as Glam by Sue, a makeup artist and entrepreneur, held their traditional wedding (Kwanjula) in January 2020 just before the pandemic. They had held their Nikkah and pre-visit in August 2019.
Business
Besides makeup, what else do you do?
Sue: I mostly concentrate on makeup. However, if a client wants me to veil them, I do. So I do offer a veiling package for the Muslima brides on request and also sell babies’ clothes.
And Najib?
Najib: We don’t just make juice for events but for home consumption too, though functions take the centre stage. We make small quantities for daily consumption at work or mini celebrations at home. We also make health juices to help people who want to detoxify.
Dalaus Juice is such a big success story. What inspired the business?
Najib: We started making juice in 2013 for my partner’s late dad to help relieve his cancer. When he passed on, we pivoted to making juice for people in Wandegeya to help us with our campus upkeep. We were still at university students at the time. After campus, we felt like the business could be bigger and take us to another level of development in our lives. We expanded our area of operations and started to vend juice at Nasser road as my partner vended in wandegeya. Over time, Dr Kin Kariisa who used to buy clothes from the shop we had our freezer, had an anniversary celebration and asked us to make 60 litres of juice for his guests. That was our debut! From then we have gone ahead to innovate our products and improve our services each day. We also hold our head high for inspiring lots of Ugandans to embrace this field. A wedding ceremony is incomplete with a juice service provider.
How has the pandemic affected your businesses?
Sue: Well business is very down my dear. It’s been quite slow but it’s peaking up now. Let’s say that clients are adjusting.
Najib: It’s slower than usual. There are fewer events and the events are attended by limited guests. Also, fewer people are working and making celebrations. We are however using this time to reflect more on how we can operate better and the public should expect us to be back stronger. Orders from 18th march were affected. Some were completely cancelled others adjourned and for many the quantities went down.
How did you meet?
Sue: We met at his office. I met an old friend who works with him after Juma prayers at the Wandegeya Mosque who invited me for lunch at their office.
Was it love at first sight?
Not really, haha. I had gone to eat my pilao and I wasn’t thinking about anything at the time. When we met, he said hullo, my friend introduced us and that was it. Then later that night I got a message from him at about 10pm.
Najib: She met an old friend after prayers at Wandegeya mosque. This friend happened to be my employee, who asked her to come see where he worked and she agreed. Immediately I set my eyes on her when she walked in, I whispered to my partner “that is the lady I will marry”. Even without knowing anything about her! He shrugged it off lamenting that it was one of those hyperbolic statements men make when they see beautiful women. She greeted me and I requested for her number that I may get in touch later. She was abit scared because of how serious and composed I always appeared but agreed.
Sue: We became friends. It was always hard for me to relate with men but I don’t know why with him it was easy. Maybe because he wasn’t irritating. He was not the kind of guy you meet for the first time and they’re already making over 20 calls a day to say nothing and chat all the time. He really understood me from the beginning and that’s what attracted me most about him. He took his time, we were friends for almost a year.
He must have taken notes from your OB
Surprisingly, my OB wasn’t even a close friend back in school. But you know when God wants something to happen, he makes a way.
The proposal
Sue: My husband always told me that he wanted to marry me. When we were still friends, he always told me that he wanted to marry a woman like me. When we began to date, he kept saying he wanted to marry me. So one time while we were having a date night, he told me that I should talk to my parents about our NIkkah and let him know what they think about it. My parents approved when I told them. That was it.
(Hee this kind of focus. No dilly-darling)
Najib: We went on several dates between 2017 and 2019 and attempts to make her my girlfriend were futile. She always advised me to go back and think about what I really wanted from her and let her know. She has never been the type to waste time with things that won’t benefit her. In June 2018 on Eid day, I told her my intentions for marriage. I think she already liked me from her body language and expression which suggested she was pleased. She however didn’t want to date so everything stayed the same. I should have married her instantly but could never do it without my mum’s presence who was in Milan at the time. We had to wait on her for her next holiday then we chose Aug 2019. The proposal was a series of events and dates that helped us know what we intended to be. Not a fancy event with friends and cameras waiting that I kneel down and her crying before saying yes (haha).
The Nikkah
Sue: We held the event at my parents’ home in Kawempe. We had two multiflex tents one for 300 guests and another for 100. We had planned for 500 guests but many people came with their families so we had close to 700 guests. Décor was by Lala events. I chose a black, white and gold theme because Black is my best colour and it always looks effortlessly classy.
The Nikkah was merged with the Kukyala (pre-visit) in August the other year. So by the time we held our traditional marriage we were already legally married.
We loved the ball gown, who put your outfits together?
Sue: Kushona designs. I told her I wanted something unique so when she travelled she got me the gomesi I wanted. The gown, I didn’t even think it would look that good when she recommended it. She insisted I should take it and because I trusted her, I took it. For the other outfits, my maids and I were dressed by Ankara designs and Veel Makeup.
Najib: A friend of mine Mushin Kasozi of Gents square at Namaganda plaza dressed my best man and I.
Being a makeup artist, didn’t you have a hard time deciding who would beat your face?
Not really, I am a person that knows what I want. I am also a picky so I wanted to work with a MUA that won’t get pissed when I ask them to rub off the eyebrows, so I chose my friend.
Nerves?
Sue: Not at all. Haha. I am a very prayerful person. I somehow had faith that everything would go as planned and it did. Najib is never on pressure. That’s his nature. Nothing puts him on pressure, I wonder how he does it haha.
Do you plan to have your white wedding soon?
Sue: Yes, but not soon
Najib: The traditional wedding and Nikkah were the most important. She loves the white wedding and I do not rule it out, but I believe there are other things to enjoy than a wedding. For example I look forward to the day we shall be in Mecca together, or when I take her to the Emirates stadium so that she can fall in love with Arsenal and start to watch the matches with me at home. That could help her start to celebrate with me when my favourite team wins. Not to just sit and laugh at me (haha). Anyway, I am just not really excited about the white wedding. I have other things I plan to do to make us happy. But who knows what life has in plan, you could see us having one soon.
Challenges
Sue: Somehow my dad always insisted on somethings yet I wanted other things and it was always hard to convince him otherwise but at last he let us be.
Najib: Nothing really, everyone cooperated and was excited. Our friends made sure our wishes were fulfilled. Maybe my mum who kept thinking the gifts weren’t enough even when we had a 40 ft truck full of gifts for Sue’s parents.
What attracted you to her?
She is beautiful and knows how to make money. She is from a good family, learned, religious, assertive and benevolent.
Entertainment
We had performances from Rema, Stabua Natooro and David Lutalo.
Credits
Lala events – Décor
Real sounds – music
Dalaus juice – Juice
Hans’s tea and coffee – Tea
Fotogenix – Tent
Gowns – Kushona designs
Makeup – Her makeup ug
Veils – Jns veil touch
Changing gowns – Ankara designs
Makeup – Veel makeup
Ushers – Dupree ushers
weddings@satisfashionug.com
