I used church equipment to shoot my first videos - Uncle Mo

Moses Kiboneka aka Uncle Mo is today on the list of Avance Media's top 100 most influential young Africans 2023. He is also one of Uganda's top content creators with shining numbers of viewership on his social media platforms and a heavy load of endorsement from top companies in the country, a professional mechanic as well as an Event MC. The genesis of his ascent to the summit bears significance too profound to overlook as he recounts it.

Uncle Mo on the start confesses that his AKA name was a result of a nickname that stuck. It stemmed from the fact that while on campus at University, he used to pull the leg of his colleagues to make them feel older by calling them auntie and uncle, madam, so they referred to him as the uncle guy, to mean the guy who calls people uncle and auntie thus Uncle Moses which was later shortened to Uncle Mo.

..." I have been a mechanic more than I have been a creative which is about ten years. Uncle Mo's content started in 2020 when he did his first video..."

He confesses that his Mum did not take this very well to the extent, that she had to go to her pastor and make a case with him given the direction his son had taken. She asked why God was God was punishing her. Quite hilarious!

This revelation, his mum made recently to him. He says that she earnestly made a prayer to God for him to stop doing those videos.

Uncle Mo jokes about it and says that his mum must have gone further to fast about it because, honestly his first videos struggled to take off. "When the mother's pastor told his mum to release him, people started watching my videos."

Uncle Mo further shares that starting out, he thanks God he didn't have a huge followership that could turn him away early. In a way, it allowed him to grow through the process with less criticism than it is these days. He adds that taking the focus off the money largely allows you to create quality content.

Society has branded me a comedian but I call myself a social commentator. I like to tell stories about things maybe just my style makes people laugh. It is also my side hustle, one which is earned from doing the main hustle well. He tips content creators to go crazy with their content until they cannot be ignored.

"The principles that run my digital content are derived from the principles that run my garage."

Still, on the YouTube business show, 'Business Garage', Uncle Mo tips that three things stand out key for him, he believes in working for other people. You are not as good as you think when alone. There is no shortcut to hard work and thirdly, my mother, Maureen Sserwanga, who among many roles is his campus and anchor. He reveals that one has got to earn their stripes regardless of the trade and industry they are in.

When I first began creating content, I faced challenges due to limited resources. The equipment I used to shoot my first videos was church equipment which I borrowed. The head of the production in church assisted me shoot the videos.

Future prospects, Uncle Mo looks to grow even more and be able to influence more people. He shares it is intentional that my content is in English to speak, tell the Ugandan story, and reach out to people even outside Uganda.

Uncle Mo emphasizes the importance of scaling considering the fluctuating consumer behavior. Factoring in other markets helps mitigate the negative impact of concentrating on one market such as the Ugandan market.