Othman Semakula

Kampala

Sub-Editor at Daily Monitor

Media | PR | Content Curator | Marketing & Activations | Events & Social Media Management

Featured in: Favicon

monitor.co.ug Favicon

allafrica.com Favicon

thecitizen.co.tz Favicon

htsyndication.com Favicon

ethiopianmonitor.com Favicon

ceo.co.ug

Articles

The Mobile Phone @30: The Ascent of a Titan; How MTN built one of Uganda's Most Valuable Companies

4 days ago | ceo.co.ug | Othman Semakula

Skip to content It’s been 30 years since the first mobile phone was launched in Uganda.
The Umeme buyout enters arbitration: It will be long before this eventually ends

5 days ago | monitor.co.ug | Othman Semakula

What had initially passed off as threats is now real – the Umeme concession termination has refused to end silently. Talks on talks have yielded no end, with both Umeme and government refusing to cede positions. They both believe they have valid reasons for the hardened stance, and thus, the impasse can only be resolved in London through an arbitral process.
Umeme wants Shs1 trillion from govt in London court

5 days ago | monitor.co.ug | Othman Semakula

What had initially passed off as threats is now real – the Umeme concession termination has refused to end silently. Talks on talks have yielded no end, with both Umeme and government refusing to cede positions. They both believe they have valid reasons for the hardened stance, and thus, the impasse can only be resolved in London through an arbitral process.
Threeways vs MTN: A 13-year dispute that won't leave court

1 month ago | monitor.co.ug | Othman Semakula

On September 10, 2012, MTN filed a complaint of theft, embezzlement, and causing financial loss against some of its staff at the Directorate of Criminal Investigations and Intelligence. A case file was subsequently opened, but also included investigations on possible collusion and fraud in which Threeways Shipping Services was accused of defrauding MTN of about $3.827m (Shs13.98b).
Foreign engineers must be certified, says regulator

Feb 22, 2025 | monitor.co.ug | Othman Semakula

What you need to know:To date, the Board has registered 1,915 national engineers and 229 temporary (foreign) engineers across various engineering disciplines, the majority of which are civil, electrical and mechanical engineers. Male engineers still dominate the engineering spaces, of which out of the 1,915 registered local engineers at least 1,725 are male, while just 190 are female.
The digital shift sealing tax leakages

Jan 21, 2025 | monitor.co.ug | Othman Semakula

In June 2019, government started implementing the Domestic Resource Mobilisation Strategy, which had been under development for over three years. Through the strategy, government sought to foster collaboration among key stakeholders - Uganda Revenue Authority (URA), development partners, and civil society - to improve revenue collection, enhance the tax-to-gross domestic product ratio to between 16 and 18 percent by June 2025, broaden the tax base, and close revenue leakages.
Pricing headache that MultiChoice finds itself in

Oct 10, 2024 | monitor.co.ug | Othman Semakula

When Doreen Anyijukire received a GOtv message on September 16, she thought it was another random text. Yet, in there, was an unusual notice of a price adjustment - another in just months. She had only received a similar text in March, informing her of a price adjustment upwards of her GOtv Supa package from Shs65,000 to Shs69,000 effective April 1. Therefore, she wondered why within a space of only seven months there would be another increment.
Increasing access to piped water needs everyone to be involved

Sep 14, 2024 | monitor.co.ug | Othman Semakula

Across Uganda, access to piped water remains a distant dream for most of the population, especially in rural areas. According to a 2023 report by Twaweza, the highest concentration of piped water users is in Greater Kampala, with over 70 percent of residents having access. Western and central Uganda follow with 27 percent and 17 percent of residents using piped water, respectively.
A bitter fight over a multi-billion shilling MTN marketing contract

Sep 8, 2024 | monitor.co.ug | Othman Semakula

In 2023, M&C Saatchi Abel approached CTA Space with a proposal. The South African-based marketing, advertising and communications company was seeking an affiliate marketing agency that would be part of a multi-billion shilling five-year contract. The deal, spread across 21 markets in Africa and Middle East, was too good to provoke large episodes of excitement in all the right places.
The leadership wars at UIA that never end

Jul 17, 2024 | monitor.co.ug | Othman Semakula |Dorothy Nakaweesi

It has been 13 years since Maggie Kigozi left Uganda Investment Authority (UIA). In between the 13 years, UIA has had seven executive directors (director general) – three substantive and four in acting capacity. Maggie, as she is popularly known, left UIA after serving out her contract in June 2011.