Aikomo earns handsomely from his jet skiing venture

For many, jet skiing is a fun water-based activity usually enjoyed by foreign tourists or people who are widely travelled.

This, too, is what Eddy Aikomo who was at university in 2016, thought.

“I saw a friend jet skiing in at Spenah beach in Entebbe in the waters of Lake Victoria and I fell in love which what he was doing,” Aikomo, a student for tourism at Makerere University then, says of his journey.

He says that having fallen in love with jet skiing, he realized that his knowledge of tourism would come in handy if he added extra skills in marketing and service delivery.

“I realized I would be making more money from this unique activity on the waters that no one knew about. While in my last year at campus I did a lot of research on jet-skiing and realized it is a unique tourism recreational service that if marketed well would be a hot cake that everyone would wish to have. I learned how it works and basic maintenance skills on YouTube,” he says.

Aikomo says that despite having learnt how jet skiing works and the basic maintenance skills, this was not enough for him to start.

It required some money to purchase a jet ski.

He shared this beautiful idea with his elder brother in South Africa who contributed some money but also advised him to purchase the jet ski from abroad and import it into the country.

This is what he did exactly.

“My first machine was a Yamaha Wave runner 800GP and that is where the name Eddy Wave Runner came from. I started operating at Aero Beach in Entebbe targeting beach lovers that come to have fun and since Ugandans love unique things, majority came to try out the new water ride,” he says.

He says that before he knew it, many people had fallen in love with the water bike but on the other hand, he gained more experience and expanded his market.

 Aikomo specifically says that Ssese islands that boast of over 500 tourists every week, Ggaba and Entebbe came in handy here.

The Bachelor of Tourism graduate says he uses his social media platforms including Twitter, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Tiktok to market his services to potential clients all over the world.

“I also cooperate with beach owners that I pay a percentage commission for the guests I get from their facilities,” he says.

Since 2016 when he started out, he has injected in over ssh40 million which he says goes towards new jet skis and maintenance.

“I now own 3 jet-skis, I am  self-employed, and I employ six other people,” he boasts.

Aikomo says he is proud of his job that apart from earning a living out of it, it gives him time to enjoy himself on water.

Challenges

 Just like any other job, Aikomo says his job has challenges including the high costs he incurs to maintain the jet skis.

“Spares are very expensive and the machines are so delicate to handle. I spend over Shs 6 million each year. The fuel consumption rate of the jet skis is also high. Each litre of petrol lasts only three to five minutes while on water. This means I have to have a lot of fuel yet it is expensive,” he says.

Nevertheless, Aikomo says the future is bright and he is optimistic.

“My future plan is to meet more responsible tourism bodies in Uganda and sell them the idea that this experience can become a tourism water sport,” he says.

He says he has a plan to organize Jet Ski races where Ugandans can participate but also represent the country in regional, continental and world competition.

“This is a very unique activity that most people think is done by only whites who come here but that is not true. It can also be enjoyed by Ugandans. I invite all Ugandans to come try it out because of its adrenaline quenching and aqua-phobia relieving ability,” he says.