Uganics Repellents Ltd was founded in 2016 by Joan Rukundo Nalubega, who was driven by a deeply personal connection to the fight against malaria. As a young girl living in an orphanage, Joan frequently suffered from malaria. She missed school almost every week, endured bullying and discrimination, and was often labeled as HIV-positive by her peers because of her frail health and small stature. These experiences left a profound impact on her, shaping her determination to make a difference.

After high school, Joan sought to find meaning in her life. The loss of a friend’s baby girl to malaria brought back the painful memories of her own childhood struggles. This tragedy brought back her childhood traumas, but it also sparked an incredible intrinsic motivation to create a Malaria-Free World, ensuring that other children and parents would not have to suffer as she did.

Joan’s vision was clear: to develop a solution for the communities most affected by malaria—those who could not afford synthetic solutions, either due to financial constraints or health concerns. With this in mind, Uganics was founded on the pillars of social impact, women’s empowerment, environmental sustainability, and economic development.

What sets Uganics apart is our unique social business model. We sell our mosquito-repellent products with high margins to resorts, lodges, and high-end hotels, targeting tourists who seek a natural way to prevent mosquito bites during their trips. This approach allows us to cross-finance and subsidize our products for rural mothers, offering them at the same price as ordinary soap. By leveraging an everyday consumer product to fight malaria, we empower mothers to protect themselves and their children from one of the deadliest diseases in Uganda.

We hope you enjoy our products as much as we enjoy offering them to you and contributing to the fight against malaria. If you have any questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact us.