East Africa Breweries Limited last week released its results for the first six months of its FY2024, showing that it registered an impressive 16% growth in net sales revenue from KShs57.3 billion to KShs66.5 billion.
FY2024 runs from July 2023 to June 2024.
63% of this revenue (KShs41.9 billion) came from Kenya; 22% from Uganda (KShs14.63 billion) and 15% (KShs9.98 billion) from Tanzania.
More importantly for Uganda Breweries Limited, the EABL subsidiary in Uganda, the results show that of all EABL country operations, Uganda registered the strongest net sales revenue growth in the 6 months to December 2023.
Uganda’s net sales revenue grew by 31%, pushing Uganda’s contribution to the entire EABl portfolio, by a 1 percentage point, from 21% at the end of FY2023 to 22% at the end of the first 6 months of FY2024 which ended on December 31, 2023.
Kenya’s grew by 10% while Tanzania’s grew by 9%.
The results are yet another endorsement of Andrew Kilonzo, the Uganda Breweries’ Managing Director, since April 2022, and a continuation to what has been a great start of his tenure as Uganda Breweries’ boss.
Having arrived in April 2022, at the tail end of FY2022, his first full year was FY2023, a period in which he pushed a +17% growth in net sales revenue, pushing the contribution of Uganda to the entire EABL portfolio from the 18% that he inherited to 21%. Kenya’s net revenue shrunk by 4% while Tanzania’s grew by just 1%.
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Before being appointed the Uganda Breweries Managing Director, Kilonzo held several Executive roles across Diageo, his most immediate being Managing Director of the Meta Abo Brewery in Ethiopia. Before that he was the Commercial Director at EABL for nearly 6 years; and the Sales Director at EABL’s Kenya Breweries Limited, in charge of Premium Trade between August 2013 and April 2016. In that role, he is remembered for having led the transformation of the spirits’ performance by driving a robust International Premium Spirit (IPS) and reserve brands’ consumer participation.
Kilonzo wasn’t a stranger to the Ugandan market, having served as the Sales Director from 2010 to 2013.
Kilonzo builds on the foundation left by his predecessor, Alvin Mbugua⏤ a +33% growth in net sales revenue in FY2021 and +22% in FY2022.
Such has been Mr. Kilonzo’s brilliant execution in the marketplace that several Uganda Breweries’ brands have recognition and awards during the 2023 Silverback Awards and Uganda Marketing Excellency Awards UMEAs). Both awards recognise marketing execution excellence.
Uganda Breweries took home 7 awards at the 2023 Silverback Awards, a brainchild of the Uganda Advertising Association (UAA) and the Uganda Marketing Society (UMS). The brands that won, including their respective communications agencies are:
| Category | Campaign | Partnering Advertising Agency | Uganda Breweries Brand | |
| Film & Film Crafts | Turn On Your Lite | Maad Advertising | Tusker Lite | |
| Live Events & Sponsorship | Tusker Lite Rwenzori Marathon | Saladin | Tusker Lite | |
| Partnerships by Brand | Comedy | Zeus The Agency | Uganda Waragi | |
| Product Launch of the Year | Smirnoff Flavours Week | Smirnoff | ||
| Out of Home Crafts | Johnnie Walker | Saladin | Johnnie Walker | |
| Integrated Marketing Campaign of the Year | Turn On Your Lite | Saladin | Tusker Lite | |
| PR-MEdia Relations | Tusker Lite Rwenzori Marathon | Pivot Media | Tusker Lite | |
| 18 |
At the Uganda Marketing Excellency Awards (UMEAs), Uganda Breweries won the Best Advertising Campaign by Johnnie Walker; Best Use of Experiential Marketing (Smirnoff) and Marketing Campaign of the Year (Smirnoff) awards.
