There are those kinds of people whom you talk to and they instantly make you feel welcome. Joweria is one such person.

The purpose of the call? We wanted to write the Baby and Kids Expo story.

She promised to discuss our proposition with her team and get back to us. Then, that moment of waiting started. There is always that part in the process. You have done what you had to do; now you have to sit back and wait.

On February 5th, 2026, Joweria got back to us for an introductory meeting. Here, we got to share more with a section of the Baby and Kids Expo team about Lapatutu and the vision we had to write about the Expo, ensuring that all through the year, information about the platform remains alive.

The meeting ended with her team asking for more time to analyze our proposition.

There was a profound need to trust the process. Mikel Arteta’s journey at Arsenal stands as a living testament to this very truth—that greatness takes time, and the foundation must be laid in silence before the victories come to light. You have to trust the process. More than that, you have to trust in the divine timing of God. It is the unwavering belief that something monumental is being orchestrated behind the scenes, provided you have diligently done everything within your power.

On March 14th, 2026, at about 10:30 AM, a call came through.

It was Joweria.

“We want to work with you.”

Exactly 67 days after that first call, the connection was made. And it was a strong connection. It was here that Joweria asked us to come on board as official Partners of the Expo—a deeper partnership. And Lapatutu is exceptionally keen on partnerships.

From this point on, it was time to get right to work—understanding the Baby and Kids Expo, the partners, the sponsors, and the exhibitors during the buildup.

One conversation that truly stood out for us was with Kid’s Nook founder, Diana Kajumba. She shared how she started in Downtown Kampala back in 2010 with a small shop that was incidentally in a corner (the name Nook means corner) and had over the years grown that vision into two major outlets in Kajjansi and Ntinda, alongside a powerful e-commerce website.

The next highlight of our journey was the Media Briefing that happened on April 14th, 2026, at Ten11 Café, a perfect gem along Kyambogo Road. (And it is absolutely worth mentioning that the breakfast here—especially their potato wedges—is incredibly memorable!)

Here, the power of partnerships continued to take over. It is evident that platforms like the Baby and Kids Expo are a rare opportunity to meet people whom you would otherwise never have crossed paths with. The onus is on you, therefore, to utilize such an opportunity to the absolute highest.

Meeting people like Nicholas Mugerwa from Solace Graphix Limited was deeply inspirational. He founded Solace Graphix over a decade ago with a vision to be a center of excellence on Nasser Road, anchoring his business on quality and a guarantee of peace of mind for the client (the name Solace, after all, means peace).

The culmination of the pre-events was the Exhibitor’s Briefing, which took place at Haandi Restaurant on May 4th, 2026. It is worth noting that at all these engagements, the Baby and Kids Expo team proved that timekeeping is a core virtue for them. For this particular briefing, we were almost dead certain we had arrived first, but to our amazement, the team was already there, completely set up!

Here, the exhibitors were briefed on how best to maximize their stalls on the big day. Again, it was the Baby and Kids Expo team laboring to give their partners full value. Rhoda Musiima of Phos Creatives did absolute justice in her masterclass, where she reminded everyone in the room about the critical basics of a good stall experience.

May 16th and 17th brought the ultimate culmination of the journey. Or maybe we should say, the culmination of this phase of the journey. For us as Lapatutu, the pure joy was in listening, learning, and experiencing brands and individuals who have gone completely out of their way to create quality goods and services for children.

One such moment that stood out exceptionally was our interaction with Smart Porridge. Co-founded by Christine Mbalyowere, they have gone ahead to create incredible milk alternatives for people who are lactose intolerant. What we learned from her is that some children are actually born lactose intolerant, meaning they cannot digest breast milk. To solve this, the team developed a specialized Soya Milk alternative that has been tested and approved by highly distinguished medical professionals, including Dr. Grace Nambatya and Dr. Sabrina Kitaka, to bring vital nutritional value to children.

Standing here today, looking back on that January 7th phone call, we are overly thankful to Joweria and the team at Kiara Events—the event management company that organizes the Expo—for allowing us the opportunity to be a part of such a great undertaking.

For us, the Expo did far more than we could have asked or imagined. It went beyond a two-day exhibition and became a gathering of hearts and minds. It brought us friends, visionary partners we can build with, and leaders whose journeys we can deeply learn from.

This is the true essence of such a platform. It doesn’t just gather people under one roof; it bridges gaps, sparks collaborations, and births lifelong legacies.

Our part in this journey is just getting started. As the writing partners, we shall continue documenting the stories and preserving the legacy of the Baby and Kids Expo—ensuring that the impact made here remains vibrant, visible, and alive for years to come.

This is our Baby and Kids Expo 2026 story and we are already writing our way into 2027.