Malaika Honey: Twenty Years of Beekeeping in Uganda

Simon Turner on 7 April 2026 No Comments

Malaika Honey celebrates 20 years of beekeeping in Uganda

By Simon Turner, Malaika Honey

When travellers first arrive in Uganda, they are often struck by the country’s warm equatorial sun, the lush greenery, and the slow hum of life that drifts across rural landscapes. On many farms, that hum comes from bees. For nearly twenty years, Malaika Honey has been part of this story, working with communities across Uganda to build a thriving beekeeping sector that improves livelihoods, protects nature, and produces some of the most distinctive honey on the African continent.

Founded in 2006, Malaika Honey began as a small facility on the edge of Kampala with one goal: to show that beekeeping could be both a source of income for rural households and a driver of biodiversity conservation. Uganda’s natural environment is rich in nectar-producing plants. From the Rift Valleys broad savannah to the rolling highlands, the country offers ideal conditions for beekeeping. For many farmers, bees require a small piece of land, a little water, and complement crops rather than compete with them. What they need most is good training, good equipment, and a reliable market. That is where Malaika Honey found its purpose.

Growing a Beekeeping Movement

Over the past two decades we have trained more than six thousand beekeepers across Uganda.

Our outreach centres in Arua, Gulu, Mbarara, Mitooma and Soroti allow us to reach farmers wherever they are. Every month we work with new groups who are eager to learn. From the youth, refugees, women’s groups, church communities, schools and cooperatives. For many participants, beekeeping becomes their first step into agribusiness. A single beehive can generate income, but a small apiary of 10 to 20 hives becomes a genuine livelihood for the average smallholder farmer in Uganda. Not only from the honey production but from the increased yield of their farm crops through increased pollination. Approximately 30% of global food production comes from bee-pollinated crops contributing to approximately one-third of the total human dietary supply.

One of our most important achievements has been supporting beekeepers in refugee settlements, particularly in Rhino Camp in the West Nile region. Beekeeping provides income without requiring refugees to access large plots of land, which are often limited. The bees themselves help restore the environment by pollinating trees and crops in degraded areas. Helping refugees to handle bees and harvest their first honey is one of the most rewarding experiences.

Ugandan Honey: A Taste of Biodiversity

To taste Ugandan honey is to taste the landscape.

With no winter season and an enormous variety of flowering plants, Uganda produces a diverse range of honeys that are are diverse and rich as the landscape that is rich in enzymes, flavour and natural medicinal qualities. Each region offers something unique from the acacia laden savannah to the dense forested regions.

At Malaika Honey, we carefully collect, process and pack honey to preserve its natural properties. Our facility in Kampala uses stainless-steel cold extraction and filtration process to retain its HMF or medicinal activity. We follow food-safety standards aligned with HACCP principles. Every batch is tested for moisture levels to confirm freshness and purity.

Uganda’s bees also give us an abundance of natural products beyond honey.

Beeswax is purified and used in cosmetics, skincare, candles, furniture polish and natural balms. Its value has increased as buyers look for pure, chemical-free wax.

Propolis has become one of our most exciting areas of development and we are proud to be widely distributed and available throughout Uganda at pharmacies. This resinous substance collected by bees has strong antimicrobial, antiviral and anti-inflammatory properties. Our propolis tinctures and extracts are popular locally and are gaining interest internationally for their natural therapeutic benefits.

Bee venom is harvested using non-lethal methods. It is used in medicine with increasing research and study supporting medical efficacy and high-value cosmetic formulations worldwide,

Honeywine (Mead) has become a signature creation of Malaika Honey. Fermented from pure honey, our honeywine reflects the floral notes of Ugandan nectar and has been warmly received by visitors and local customers alike.

With our product development, we are happy to offer beekeepers an additional income stream.

Innovation: The African Langstroth Hive

While Malaika Honey works with farmers to understand tradition methods, we are also committed to innovation and follow a transitional approach to modern apiculture methods. One of our most successful recent advances has been the development of the Langstroth hive for the African environment (a modified version of the modern beehive designed specifically for Uganda’s climate.) Built from locally sourced hardwood, wax-dipped for durability and reinforced joins, our hives are thicker, stronger and better insulated than imported models. They help bees stay cooler during the hottest months, relieving stress from temperature regulation leading to higher yields of cleaner honeycomb.

By making high-quality equipment locally, we strengthen the value chain and build the industry in Uganda.

Changing Lives, One Hive at a Time

The heart of Malaika Honey’s mission is people.

We have watched farmers use beekeeping income to pay school fees, buy livestock, plant large orchards, build new homes and escape cycles of poverty. Women’s groups have used beekeeping to gain independence, confidence and financial footing. Youth have found a sense of purpose and entry into the business world. Beekeeping is quiet but transformative return to nature.

Tourists visiting our farm and training facility just north of Kampala often express surprise at how accessible beekeeping really is. We welcome school groups, families and travellers who want to come and learn the finer details of how the colony works and how bees make honey. Many leave our farm with a deeper appreciation of the tiny creatures that sustain our world and a broader appreciation of nature

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The Next Twenty Years

As we celebrate two decades of beekeeping in Uganda, Malaika Honey is looking ahead. Our goals are clear. We want to continue improving access to quality training and equipment. We want to expand our support for women, refugees and vulnerable farmers. We want to promote tree planting and climate-smart agriculture that helps both bees and communities thrive. And we want to share Uganda’s extraordinary honey and hive products with consumers around the world.

We believe that when you invest in bees, you invest in people and in the planet. Uganda has the potential to become one of Africa’s leading producers of natural bee products. With continued innovation, strong partnerships and the dedication of the many farmers we work with, we are confident that the future of beekeeping will continue to shine brightly.