A John Lewis worker is spending his annual bonus on cow and oxen for his family in Uganda.

Anton Owinly-Dollo has been working for the department store for 13 years and has decided to help his family’s farm in the northern part of the African country.

The 34-year-old said: “At home they use oxen for ploughing and I thought I would invest to improve their life.

“They are really grateful because it is bettering their life and giving them scope to do more with their land.

“It will be priceless to them. They are poor people who do not have the scope to raise that sort of money.

“They will take good care of them.”

Mr Owinly-Dollo explained how a cow would cost about £130 and he planned to buy two oxen and a cow for the farm, which has about 25 households working on it.

The cows and oxen will be used for cultivation of land as well as milk.

Each John Lewis worker owns a stake in the business and is eligible for a dividend of the company’s profits.

This year, each employee received 14 per cent of their salary as a bonus – the equivalent to seven weeks’ pay.

Mr Owinly-Dollo said the bonus was a huge incentive to ensure the company did well.

He added: “I would not work for anyone else. The incentive is enormous – you give it your all and know your hard work will reflect in the contribution.”

In April he will fly out to Uganda to see his family and will be able to see his investment and the impact it has made.

Charlie Mayfield, chairman of John Lewis Partnership, said: "We have achieved a good sales performance in a tough year for the economy.

"Profits are lower than last year, but better than expected and I'm delighted to announce that all 81,000 Partners will be receiving a bonus equivalent to over seven weeks' pay."