Isaac Mulindwa

Isaac Mulindwa comes across as a successful man even before you talk to him. He is one of those people who look like they had a silver spoon in their mouth at birth. It is all in the gestures, the cultured intonation in his voice and the smoothness with which he diffuses a situation when he sees it coming to an explosive head. He also reminds me of Michael Colione in Mario Puzzo’s The Godfather.

Sitting at his desk smack in the middle of One 2 Net, he exudes confidence as he picks up a phone here then another one there and then almost at the same time, answers a question from a girl who has come up with a question about work. It is like second nature for Mulindwa because he handles all these ‘problems’ as they come up. Isaac Mulindwa is the head honcho at communications company, One 2 Net but he is also the name behind a number of entertainment setups in Kampala. Of late, though, his tentacles seem to be growing even across the border. He has settled in well at East Africa TV as one of the partners. He is the force behind the Ugandanisation of the hitherto mostly Tanzanian TV.

He is wearing a light blue shirt with shinny cuff links and even though I cannot see the pants he has on, I suspect they are as cool as his usual demeanour dictates. When he sees me, he puts aside all he is doing and as the seasoned businessman that he is, he gives me his undivided attention or he makes me feel like I have it. He wants to know how I like my coffee and when we have gotten that out of the way, he says he is ready to answer my questions.

Mulindwa, 32, studied in Uganda for his early education but later moved to the United Kingdom, where he studied banking. “I am a qualified banker,” he stresses. He however has never practiced banking. Probably, he does not feel that it is his real calling. He completed his university education and actually started on his career while still there. His parents were an integral part of his life. He speaks of them with a different kind of warmth, his brown eyes brightening somewhat, “My parents were my role models and still are. They inspired me in many ways. Because of them, I have always been a leader.” After his education, Mulindwa moved not to Uganda but to the USA where he started a construction company. “The company is still operational even now. After setting it up, I realised I could do a lot more with my life other than sit and direct a construction company.” This is seen in the various projects that bare his signature in the city. Mulindwa eventually returned to Uganda to “give back to his country” some of the good things it had enabled him to attain. He returned in the year 2000.

When I ask him how he got involved in entertainment, he settles back as though this is the one question he will relish answering. It is clear that this is a subject close to his heart.

“Entertainment is wide,” he says. “ I have been involved in something to do with entertainment since forever. I have been involved in radio, television, disco…I have even done things that would seen to be totally unrelated to entertainment; like microfinace.” “Entertainment needs stars. But you see, these stars many times do not know that they are stars. When one does not know how to harness the power that they posses, they could lose that power. So that is where the investors come in. I am an investor and I am focusing on entertainment,” he goes on. He is onto something here and I am not going to stop him. “Our stars need someone who will help them channel their talents into something that will help them get paid for their efforts,” he stresses.

Mulindwa is involved in Club Silk, an urban club in central Kampala where many people will definitely stop when they visit Kampala. He is involved in Selas and he is the Chairman of the Pearl of Africa Music Awards. As already mentioned, he has also added the title of shareholder of East Africa TV and this is not the end. He is also a shareholder in Radio Simba, one of the most popular radio stations in Uganda. The station is soon going to have branches in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam. This is one very enterprising young man. He is handling his success very well and to show how serious he is about winning in this game, he shows how he is all for the welfare of the artistes. “We have the potential to make good money out of music but we seem to be missing the point on how to get there,” he laments. “It is so disheartening to see the efforts of young people going to waste just because they don’t know how to invest and they don’t know the power of producing a good product.”

According to him, the most important thing Uganda’s musicians need right now is to get managers who will guide them on investment. “They also need to have someone knowledgeable enough to handle their image and finances. Right now, it is a losing battle for most of them because they end up being exploited and they lose all the money they put into making their songs to pirates on the street.” Enter the Pearl of Africa Music Awards. “The awards gave these musicians a new lease of life because they get the exposure they need without trying hard to get airplay on radio stations that are going to frustrate them. But more than that, we offered to give who ever wins a year of free time in the studio. We record an album and its videos for free. We distribute the music which we try to package to international standards. On the whole, I think the awards have been a blessing to Uganda,” Mulindwa tells me.

He was one of the few business people who saw the potential that East Africa TV has to bring big business to the region and he is one of the fewer who tried to put these beliefs into action. He believed that every East African country should have an equal stake in it. “It should move from being a predominantly Tanzanian affair,” he says. “Kenya and Uganda must work hard to put their story on the box and that’s how East Africa will find that recognition it wants.” Right now, Kampala Wired is the flagship Ugandan TV show on the station. Although, there are still glitches to overcome with Mathias Ruhweza the presenter, it was designed to be a window into the soul of Kampala.

Right now, he seems to be quiet, seeing as the PAM awards are still a long way off but don’t be fooled. Just when you think he has lost all steam, he will hit you with another one. Mulindwa is married and his wife lives in the United States. He has no children.

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