Othman Semakula

Kampala

Sub-Editor at Daily Monitor

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

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Articles

Foreign engineers must be certified, says regulator

2 months ago | 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.
How Uganda’s oil earnings have been growing before start of commercial production

Jul 7, 2024 | monitor.co.ug | Othman Semakula

What you need to know:Heightened activity in the oil and gas sector has seen revenues under the Petroleum Fund more than double to Shs246.6b as of June 30, 2023 from Shs121.1b in June 2022 Uganda has in the last five years seen earnings from oil and related activities grow substantially. Yet the country is yet to sell a single drop of oil. In fact, commercial oil production, government has indicated, can only be expected in the fourth quarter of 2025.
How increase in paid-up capital has dealt blow to banking sector

Jul 3, 2024 | monitor.co.ug | Othman Semakula

On November 16, 2022, Finance Minister Matia Kasaija signed a statutory instrument, increasing minimum capital requirements for both commercial banks and credit institutions. In the new requirements, banks were expected to increase their paid-up capital six-fold from Shs25b to Shs120b by December 31, 2022, which would then increase further to Shs150b by June 30, 2024. Paid up capital for credit institutions would increase from Shs1b to Shs20b and further to Shs25b in the period.
BoU closes Mercantile Credit Bank

Jun 17, 2024 | monitor.co.ug | Othman Semakula

Bank of Uganda (BoU) has Tuesday announced the closure of Mercantile Credit Bank over poor corporate governance and failure to recapitalise. In a press briefing Tuesday Bank of Uganda deputy governor Michael Atingi-Ego, said the central had revoked the Tier II license of Mercantile and placed it under liquidation.
Those of us who go to borrow are treated like children, says Kasaija

Jun 13, 2024 | monitor.co.ug | Othman Semakula

What you need to know:Mr Kasaija says there was need to mobilise more revenues domestically by closing tax leakages to stop reliance on borrowing and grants Finance Minister Matia Kasaija has said government officials who go abroad to borrow money on behalf of Uganda are treated like children, signaling the challenges that the country goes through to source financing.