Legal team size: Seven

Major legal advisers/ external counsel: Shonubi Musoke and Company Advocates (Litigation and Co. Secretarial), S&L Advocates (employment and corporate advisory), Kampala Associated Advocates (Tax advisory and debt collection)

What are the most significant cases and transactions that your legal team has recently been involved in?

In the 2020 decision given in Umeme and UEDCL vs URA, the Tax Appeals Tribunal decided that UMEME was the right party and not UEDCL, entitled to claim Capital/Depreciation and initial allowances for assets placed in the distribution network after the concession date under S. 27(1), 27A and 52 of the Income Tax Act. This resulted in a clarification of IFRIC 12 and the avoidance of a tariff increase that would have made electricity more expensive for Ugandan consumers.

Umeme is an implementing partner of the World Bank Funded Electricity Access Scale Up Project, which seeks to accelerate electricity on grid connections, to attain the targets of SDG7 and Uganda’s National Development Plan (NDP) III. The acceleration of new connections has immense benefits, including economic development, provision of clean energy by enabling households to avoid biomass as a fuel source, and increase units sold to reduce the cost of electricity. This will lead to growth for Uganda’s electricity service industry and Uganda’s economy.

Which recent political, economic or regulatory changes have impacted your work the most in recent years?

In 2022, the Government of Uganda informed Umeme that the 20-year concession which will run until the end of March 2025, would not be renewed. This will result in great changes in the electricity distribution sector which will see Umeme, which held the dual role of investment company and utility, hand over its concession to UEDCL, which is a government owned utility. Umeme is also listed on both the Uganda Securities Exchange and Nairobi Securities Exchange and the end of the concession could see one of the most active listed companies delisted.

Are there any causes, business or otherwise, that you are passionate about?

I am passionate about energy. Uganda is working towards attaining SDG7, which calls for “affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all” by 2030. Uganda recently attained two million connections and crossed the 1,000 MW generation capacity. While we still have energy poverty, being involved in projects that accelerate connections, give Ugandans access to clean energy, improve the environment and bring tariffs down is very satisfying.

I am passionate about mentoring and growing in-house counsel in Uganda. I have been actively involved in African Corporate and Government Counsel Forum, a regional community that has been influential in bringing in-house and government counsel all over Africa together to network, share ideas, and increase the visibility of in-house counsel regionally and globally.