If there are any Ugandan CEOs in the hot seat, then it is Uganda Airlines’ Jennifer Bamuturaki and Uganda Electricity Distribution Limited’s Paul Mwesigwa. They run two strategic state enterprises, and both are under intense pressure at exactly the moment when politics, performance, and public frustration are converging. Some of the problems they face are inherited. Others stem from decisions made on their watch. But in state enterprises, where accountability is often as political as it is managerial, leaders can be sacrificed, sometimes not because they caused the crisis, but because they are the most visible symbol of it. A…
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When UMEME’s concession ended in March last year, the market assumed finality. Power lines would keep running, but value, many believed, had gone with the concession. The share price, according to an analysis from Crested Capital, at UGX142, told that story clearly of a company at the end of its road. But then came an arbitration, which perse, is not an epilogue, but opened a second chapter. In June last year, Umeme escalated a $292m compensation claim against the government of Uganda in a London arbitration. Weeks of talks had failed to end the stalemate over compensation for unrecovered assets…
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The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development has instructed the Board of the Uganda Electricity Distribution Company Limited (UEDCL) to carry out a comprehensive investigation into the performance and conduct of the UEDCL’s top management, following major issues raised in a recent audit and performance assessment by the Electricity Regulatory Authority (ERA). The directive follows a wave of public interest triggered by a letter from Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja, who stepped in to halt the immediate dismissal of several senior UEDCL managers. Energy Minister Ruth Nankabirwa had reportedly initiated the terminations, prompting the Prime Minister to call for a more…
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Energy Ministry Permanent Secretary Irene Batebe has confirmed that the Auditor General’s report on Umeme’s buyout amount will be released next week, just a few days to the expiry of the power distributor’s 20-year concession. “Please note that Umeme is a going concern and till the last day of the concession, they [Umeme] could make an intervention on the network. The Auditor General is largely done but must factor all this in the final report expected by 28th, March,” Batebe told the CEO East Africa Magazine. According to the Investopedia website, the term ‘going concern’ in accounting refers to a…
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Government, through Ministry of Finance is seeking about $ 50 million (UGX 183 billion) from Absa Bank as capital investment into the Uganda Electricity Distribution Company Limited (UEDCL) to fully take up power distribution operations from Umeme by April 1, 2025. Paul Mwesigwa, the UEDCL Managing Director confirmed the details of securing funds from Absa Bank which will cover a year of operations. The Ministry of Energy and Minerals Development on Wednesday dismissed fears that its transmission agency would not be able to take over operations from Umeme in time due to unavailability of the said funds that were recently…
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Uganda’s petroleum geoscientist, Dozith Abeinomugisha, who passed on yesterday aged 59 has been described by industry experts as, “a towering figure in his field, and a true expert whose vast knowledge and dedication shaped Uganda’s oil and gas sector.” At the time of his death, Abeinomugisha was the Director of Midstream at the Petroleum Authority of Uganda. Kampala Associated Advocates partner, Elison Karuhanga eulogised Abeinomugisha’s passing as the loss of a true titan—an encyclopedia of Uganda’s geology. “Dozith’s immense knowledge and contributions have left an indelible mark on the sector, and his legacy will be remembered for generations,” Karuhanga wrote. “What…
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Ms. Irene Batebe is a chemical/ process engineer and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Chemical and Process Engineering from the University of Dar es Salaam (Tanzania), a Master’s in Advanced Chemical Engineering majoring in Refinery Design and Operations from the University of Manchester, United Kingdom and a Master’s in Mechanical Engineering specializing in Sustainable Energy Engineering from the Royal Institute of Technology – KTH, Sweden. Having worked at the Energy Ministry for close to two decades in the areas of Energy and Petroleum, Batebe remains a crucial asset with her vast experience in leading negotiations for key oil agreements, and…
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Ugandans will not see the relief on the money they pay for electricity as Electricity Regulatory Authority (ERA), the industry regulator, has decided not to change the tariff for the period to the end of September 2020.ERA yesterday announced that between July and September 2020, ordinary Ugandans classified as domestic users will pay 750.9 Shillings per unit of electricity they use. This is the same price as what Ugandans paid between April and June 2020.This effectively means that for six months from April 2020 to September 2020, Ugandans have only seen just UGX0.8 reduction in what they pay for electricity. …
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