Whenever the term economic transformation is bandied about, the key players in this effort that we normally think about are government technocrats, politicians and the private sector.
Rarely do we think of the role of the army in this endeavor. And more specifically, hardly do we give a thought to the National Enterprise Corporation (NEC), which serves as the business arm of the army.
NEC was established in 1989 by an Act of Parliament to serve as a commercial arm of the Ministry of Defence /Uganda Defence Forces and to produce goods and services that are beneficial to the defence forces and the general public. Its commercial ventures are undertaken through its subsidiaries and joint ventures.
NEC manufactures armoured vehicles and spare parts for military equipment and repairs rifles.
Some of the armoured vehicles from NEC were used to patrol the streets during the recently concluded Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) summit in Kampala.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, NEC opened a surgical medical masks production facility, oxygen and nitrogen production plant.
It also has a Veba wood working machinery for making machine tools.
Over the years, it is accurate to say that NEC has performed these roles well most especially under the stewardship of Lt Gen James Mugira, its managing director.
Lt Gen Mugira, who made 60 years today, has been described as a humble giant by many who have closely worked with him.
“He is intelligent and passionate about whatever he does. No wonder NEC under his leadership has registered so many successes,” said a journalist who has reported about security issues for a long time and has interacted with Mugira.
Due to NEC’s stellar performance, at least 17 military delegations have toured NEC factories in Nakasongola in the last eight years, seeking to copy best practices.
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They have included delegations from Italy, Russia, Kenya, Egypt, Somalia, Turkey, Central African Republic, DR Congo among many others.
In July 2022 when President Museveni commissioned an armourded vehicle assembly plant at Luwero Industries, a subsidiary of NEC, he lauded Mugira and his team for the good work.
“I can see NEC is serious about leading the industrialization journey in Uganda. This is commendable,” Museveni said.
Lt Gen Mugira became managing director of NEC in 2015. Before that he served as the head of Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (CMI).
He studied law at Makerere University in the 1980s, graduating with a Bachelor of Laws degree. He then obtained a Diploma in Legal Practice from the Law Development Centre.
He later pursued a Master of Laws degree from the University of Manchester. He also holds a Master of Arts in international affairs from the University of Ghana.