Taxman 6

The Regional
Electronic
Cargo Tracking
System is here
Customs
Airbus
Inside this Issue: INTEGRITY TIPS & SO MUCH MORE.
1

EDITORIAL
EDITORIAL TEAM
Hello Friends,
welcome you to divulge
I into this issue of the
Taxman magazine. The
Taxman is an online
publication; shared every
month on the bridge. I urge
you to be a part of this work
by sharing feedback good
and bad. You can also share
your stories, advertise your
business with us for free by
sending an email to mediadesk@ura.go.ug
I am delighted to share with
Ian. M. Rumanyika
Content Manager
EDITORIAL TEA
Dav
Head o
dmu
Susan Karungi Muyiyi
Editor / Writer
you the various interesting stories that my team and I have put
together for your reading pleasure. There are lessons too. Find
out how one parent’s encouragement to his son propelled him to
excel in the recent Uganda Certificate of Education exams. As I
embark on my new role as the Assistant Commissioner in charge
of Public and Corporate Affairs, I invite you to take this interesting
journey with me.
Immaculate Wanyenze
Editor
Solomon Kimbugwe
Writer
Susa
sm
All of us URA staff have a key role to play in how the public
perceives us and in the kind of service we offer. In short, we are
all brand ambassadors. I implore you to always bear this in mind
as you go about your URA business. We as an institution have
made a promise to cultivate a voluntary taxpaying culture. This
strategic direction is not a one man’s job. It is our job, the URA
staff body in its entirety.
Benon Tugumisirize
Writer & Photographer
Princess Ayebare
Contributor
Imma
iwan
As the Commissioner General has urged us before, let us build
our personal brands. Let our work leave a mark on everyone that
we serve.
We look forward to hearing from and interacting with you fruitfully
on how to make URA greater and stronger.
Samu
Ph
ssemug
Vincent Seruma
Assistant Commissioner
Public and Corporate Affairs Division.
2
Herbert Sempogo
Writer
Samuel Semugooma
Photographer
Jennifer Tugume - Contributor

COMMISSIONER GENERAL’S FOREWORD
Dear team,
As I wrote earlier in my Newyear’s message to
you, each year comes with opportunities. As these
opportunities keep crossing our paths, we ought to
grab them to improve not only the institutions that
employ us, the world, but our lives too. Already, the
second month of the year is coming to an end, hence
the need to ensure that each passing each day adds
value.
Over the past weeks, results for the various levels-
PLE, UCE and UACE were released. We thank God
for those who excelled at the respective levels and
pray that God creates a path that will lead all pupils
and students to success.
On the business side, we have had challenges.
Collections are rather low. We will continue to trust
God and remain strong and steadfast in execution of
our duties and mandate.
Hardships help to refine us into fine people and
institutions. Indeed, this is what we have proved
lately. For this feat, I applaud you and urge you to
keep it up.
That resolve not to be deterred is what will
continuously move this institution forward and
upward.
We have four months to the end of the Financial
Year. If it were a relay, this would be the final lap that
demands increasing speed and collective energy.
I now urge you to do that audit diligently, stop
smugglers, collect those outstanding monies/
revenue and attend to that client with a fresh
smile. Replicated and done over and over again,
“Hardships help to refine us into
fine people and institutions.”
the aforementioned would help us hit our target and
ensure that we can fund the provision of more public
services.
I thank you for the effort thus far and I pray that we
shall not lose focus of the goal to ensure that Uganda
attains financial freedom.
God bless you.
Doris Akol
Your Team Leader
3

NEW MEDIA
The Emerging Force that Social Media is.
By Ian Rumanyika Manager Public and Corporate Affairs Division
Today, every major organisation in the world
considers their websites and mobile sites the
future of their business. New platforms, tools,
channels, gadgets, and apps are being introduced.
The statistics of people on social media and
active internet users in Uganda is about 7 million
according to internetlivestats.com, which provides
us with a platform for wide coverage.
Despite structural challenges, PCA has embraced
social media because of a number of benefits
available. It is a free channel of communication,
drives compliance, real time feedback
management and a tool for quick communication
of breaking stories.
On a daily basis, we receive over 200 inquiries
on Facebook and Twitter. Imagine how many
people we are able to reach.
A swift adoption to new media platforms is
evidenced by the various digital platforms
we have opened up to ease communication
between our clients and us. These include:
• Facebook (URA page).
• Twitter (URAuganda).
• Instagram (ura_ug).
• YouTube, (Uganda Revenue
Authority URA).
• Scribd.
• Storify.
• Flickr, in addition to the website and
the bridge.
4
Our twitter page

NEW MEDIA
Our storify page
The Flickr (URAuganda) account on www.flickr.
com allows for storage of all photographs that are
taken at events and also supports re-use of the
images when the need arises.
YouTube (Uganda Revenue Authority URA),
provides a forum for people to connect, inform,
and inspire others across the globe and acts as a
distribution platform for original content creators.
Storify (URAuganda) is a social network service
that lets the user create stories or timelines using
social media such as Twitter, Facebook and
Instagram. It helps one turn what people post on
social media into compelling story collections of
the best photos, video and tweets.
Scribd (URAuganda) is a digital documents
library that allows users to publish and share.
It is an online storage platform for important
documents that can be easily referred to in
future. It accommodates PDF documents and
MS Word documents.
Soundcloud (URAuganda) is a free audio
digital platform that enables audiences to
listen to audios outside the official radio time.
The audios may be from events, talk shows
and can be stored here.
Instagram (ura_ug) is an online mobile
photo-sharing site that enables its users to
5

NEW MEDIA
Our Instagram page
take pictures and share them either publicly or
privately on the app, as well as through a variety
of other social networking platforms, such as
Facebook, Twitter, and Flickr.
With the advent of new media platforms, we now
boast of faster communication, as the statistics
of our accounts show. For instance, we have a
Facebook following of over 27,452 and a Twitter
following of 69,993 by mid-February 2017.
This implies that we are able to post a public
notice and it is viewed by over 50000 people.
You are assured that your message will get
across to our clients in real time. We have also
tapped into growing younger audiences and
taxpayers using digital media to get quick and
reliable feedback. These channels re enforce
the traditional communication channels like
radio and TV plus email that we use.
However, we need to be cautious because
digital media has presented some pitfalls.
Yes, communication is fast, but so is the
spread of negative news. If flamed by social
media, the results are devastating to our
brand.
People do more than just talk to each other
on social media; they also like to link their
profiles to certain companies. You are our
brand and digital media ambassador. It is
here to stay and to challenge us to make our
relationship with clients more engaging.
6
6

NEW MEDIA
A sample of feed back from a happy client
Follow us and please share these new platforms so that we can reach an even
bigger percentage of our audience in real time. Imagine the social presence 2000
plus staff can have our channels.
7
7

CUSTOMS
IN A 2016 NUTSHELL
By Herbert Ssempogo
have a 10:00am appointment with the
I Commissioner Customs but the parking problem
delays me! As I walk up to Crested Towers’ 8th floor,
Dicksons Kateshumbwa sees me.
“How are you?” towering Kateshumbwa, dressed in
a blue suit and holding a cup of tea, asks. I tell him
I am okay and follow him.
I am called into his office over forty-five minutes
later. The previous night, he tells me, was actionpacked
due to a crackdown on smugglers.
That is the huge responsibility that comes with
heading the Customs Department.
Kateshumbwa became Commissioner over a year
ago. Reflecting on the past months, the Customs
Airbus, as it is sometimes called, continues to soar.
“We have had a very successful year,” he states,
arguing that Customs is the organization’s
“heartbeat.”
Regarding revenue, the department “has performed
relatively well.”
Over the past year, revenue grew by over 12%
from 4318.8bn to 4832bn. The average clearance
time of cargo has gone to roughly 3days down from
about 4 days.
Kateshumbwa attributes the performance to
reforms among them the One Stop Border Post
(OSBP). Under OSBP, goods are only stopped once
at borders. Four OSBPs namely Mutukula, Malaba,
Busia and Mirama Hills have since been launched.
“There is no congestion at borders anywhere,”
Kateshumbwa adds.
Another reform, the Single Customs Territory
(pre-arrival declaration), is credited for
reducing the clearance time, reducing the
cost of doing business and increasing the
institution’s efficiency.
The accredited Authorised Economic
Operators (AEO) have increased from 10 to
28. Under AEO, compliant companies enjoy
privileges like faster clearance at borders and
ports. AEO is beneficial to URA and importers.
The Electronic Single Window, a system,
which offers information and facilitates permit
issuance among others, is another of the
recent successes.
Launched in November 2016, it is easing the
work of URA, Uganda National Bureau of
Standards (UNBS) and the Uganda Coffee
Development Authority and other Government
agencies.
The Electronic Cargo Tracking system, is being
adopted by Kenya. Goods are monitored from
Mombasa. Trademark East Africa has funded
project. Democratic Republic of Congo is also
interested in the system.
Customs, according to Kateshumbwa,
has benefitted from “strategic and bilateral
partnerships” with China, Korea, Dubai, UN
8
8

CUSTOMS
office for drug control and the
UK crime agencies. These have
helped in staff capacity building.
For example, due to collaboration
with the World Customs
Organisation (WCO), five staff
namely Alex Lubanga, Geoffrey
Balamaga, Justine Namusabi,
Dennis Lutaaya and Simon
Tumwesigye are accredited
WCO experts. Kateshumbwa
is a member of WCO’s policy
committee.
Additionally, the department
has signed Memorandums of
Understanding (MOUs) with
UNBS and the International
Atomic Energy Council among
others to create synergies.
Because smuggling still occurs
across the country, anti-smuggling
operations continued throughout
the year. A total of 5595 seizers
from which sh38bn was collected,
were made.
From the enforcement cases,
a total of 72 cases have
been prosecuted, a number
Kateshumbwa pointed out, is
the highest since the institution’s
inception.
Concealed smuggled goods in Fort Portal
9
9

CUSTOMS
Busted- smuggled cosmetics found inside the car
A new marine station in Kasensero on the shores
of Lake Victoria has been opened. The station was
furnished with a speed boat and other equipment
donated by the Japanese Technical Cooperation
Agency.
Audits have been strengthened, ultimately leading
to collection of more revenue.
Asked about transfers, Kateshumbwa attributed
the “three rounds” to requests from staff. According
to him, some people had not moved for years and
were not happy.
Transfers, he argued, over time create efficiency
as staff acquire knowledge about all areas of
operation. There will be more transfers in future,
according to him.
On staff development, a total of 406 staff have
participated in capacity building programs in data
analysis, prosecution and single customs territory
among others.
There were training of trainers’ engagements with
other institutions like Uganda Wildlife Authority
and military training with Kenya. The military
training targeted Customs officers.
However, emphasis has been on-job trainings often
referred to as OJTs, according to Kateshumbwa.
To ensure that taxpayers are informed about
developments, tax education is central to the
department’s activities. A total of 56 talk shows that
discussed several topics, were held in addition to
21 tax clinics for the period 2016.
About the systems, which enable taxpayers to
comply, he said, “They are doing a lot better.
There has been some improvement. We pray that
more can be done.”
There is a lot in the pipeline, Kateshumbwa tells
me when I ask him about the department’s future.
10
10

The control centre of the
Regional Electronic Cargo
tracking system
The monthly performance
measurement of staff,
he adds, will continue.
Feeding into the six
month appraisal, it studies
staff performance like
revenue collected from
each activity. It started in
August 2016.
“The objective is to
ensure that we improve
performance. Every staff
is measured qualitatively
and quantitatively,”
Kateshumbwa states.
Among them is deploying the two large scanners at Malaba and Busia
in Eastern Uganda.
They could not be deployed earlier due to the unfriendly environment-they
are sensitive to dust.
CCTV cameras, he disclosed, are going to be deployed in Malaba, Busia,
Central Document processing Centre and other stations.
The department is intentional in refining the licensing of clearing agents
and bonded warehouses. This involves subjecting agents to tests to
ascertain their competency.
Thanks to relations with
the World Customs
Organisation (WCO),
Uganda will in May 2018,
host the 4th WCO Global
Authorised Economic
Operator Conference.
According
to
Kateshumbwa, it will
provide an opportunity to
learn the successes and
challenges of customs
administrations.
11
11

AskURA
AskURA, a mobile phone application has
eased communication and compliance among
others. In the interview, Manager Software
Engineering, Jolly Joseph Wasswa shares
how the idea was conceived and developed.
By Herbert Ssempogo
1-How was the app idea conceived? And by
who/team?
With the modernisation drive that kicked off
in 2005, URA changed from manual to
full automation. This culminated in the
introduction of systems for example, eTAX,
ASYCUDA World, Electronic Cargo Tracking
System to mention but a few. URA’s
presence online has a far-reaching impact
on taxpayers and clients, who access URA
services.
With URA’s services just a mouse click away,
the demand to take the services closer to the
clients became evident. Clients requested to
12 12

AskURA
have the services on their phones.
Although launched in 2016, efforts to
develop the application started earlier.
However, they were hindered by the limited
technology and resources at the time.
And when the technology became accessible
and the resources available, the then head
of the Software Engineering section – Ms
Rosemary Kisembo, assembled a team of
application and database developers. This
team worked with the Domestic Taxes’
Process Management team to turn the
taxpayers request to reality.
The idea was driven by the reasons below
1. Mobile phone accessibility is greater
than personal computer accessibility
in Uganda due to the growth of mobile
access (about 35 Million active sim
cards) and affordable smart phones.
For this reason, the team thought it wise
to tap into an avenue where people are
more active so as to reach them.
2. Simplicity and convenience: The learning
curve required for mobile apps is not as
complicated as compared to websites.
3. Accessibility: Since people move with
their phones, with the app, they can
access the URA services from anywhere at
any time.
2- What awards has the App won thus far?
AskURA has so far won two awards.
ACIA awards by Uganda Communications
Commission on May 20, 2016.
The African Tax Administration Forum award
in the customer service category which was
handed to the Commissioner General on
October 2016.
3- What skills (academic qualifications/
specialization) has the app team got?
The app development team is mainly made
of Information Technology (IT) personnel
with skills in software development,
database management, IT security and IT
infrastructure.
However, this team works in collaboration
“With the modernisation
drive that kicked off in 2005,
URA changed from manual
to full automation.”
13 13

AskURA
INTERVIEW
with the business teams of Domestic Taxes,
Customs and other URA departments to
collect requirements and suggestions for
further improvement.
4- How has the App eased communication
with clients?
14 14
The App provides functionality to three
categories of users: taxpayers, URA
staff, and the public. There are services
offered without user authentication but for
confidential information, one is required to
login.
This innovation has benefited URA and her
clients in various ways as explained below:
1. Improved access to URA services by the
self-servicing method. AskURA targets
smart phone users whose percentage is
growing worldwide and even in East Africa
as reported by the Sunday Vision of 31st
March, 2015. Using the app has reduced
the cost of accessing URA services that
initially required one to own a computer or
use internet cafes or walk to URA offices.
With AskURA, one can make inquiries,
search taxpayer and motor vehicle details,
make tax payments using their mobile phone
without having to make any movement.
For this reason, the app won the Uganda
Communications Commission organised
ACIA Award 2016 for best e-governance
tool. The public voted the winners.
This is evidence that the public is using it
and they gave it more value compared to
nine other entries from other government
agencies.
2. 24-hour tax payment and real time
reconciliation has been realised by interfacing
with the mobile platforms. This means taxes
can be collected 24 hours compared to the
past when one had to wait for the banks to
open.
3. AskURA App is translated in the commonly
used languages in Uganda e.g. English,
Luganda, Runyakitara and Swahilli, helping
to communicate with illiterate and semi
illiterate taxpayers and extending relevance
beyond the boarders of Uganda.
Availability in several languages is key to
trade facilitation.

5- Is there evidence of “traffic” from
the contact center team of how
many people have been helped via
the app?
AskURA Annual Statistics
Payment Registration Number (PRN)
registration
2015—PRNs: 69 --- Amount: UGX
25,824,323
2016 – PRNs: 717 --- Amount: UGX
764,256,434
Taxpayers sent inquiries and received
responses as seen by the annual statistics
below
2015---269—all responded to
2016--- 1208 all responded to as by
20/11/2016
6- What makes the app team stand
out/tick/special?
Without any formal training on mobile
development, the team managed to
produce an award-winning product.
Since the mobile industry is growing
with new ways of doing things, the
“Using the app has reduced the
cost of accessing URA services
that initially required one to own
a computer or use internet cafes
or walk to URA offices.”
AskURA
team is tasked to engage in continuous
learning, which takes a lot of research work
and personal drive.
7- Is the App now available for other
operating systems? (Initially only
available for Android OS).
The IOS (for I-phones) version is currently
under testing and is expected to be available
soon.
8- What new developments/functionalities
have occurred on the app since its
launch early this year?
Have new languages been added/enabled?
The following additions have been made.
• New languages – Swahili
• Check Customs entry status
• Check Regional Customs Transit
Guarantee status
• Check validity of Customs Agents.
9- What is in the pipeline?
Inclusion of point of sale (POS) Payments by
Payway and straight to Mobile Payment options,
Mobile Returns and Presumptive Tax Assessment
and Payments.
Rolling out the IOS (for I-phones) version.
Enrichment of the app to include a mini bookkeeping
function for small taxpayers.
15 15

PICTORIAL
ACPCA’s INAUGURAL
MEETING WITH BUSINESS
JOURNALISTS
Vincent Seruma addresses
Capital Radio and UBC
Journalists
Executive Assistant to the
Commissioner General addressing the
press at the recent business journalists
engagement.
16 16
Unveiling the new URA
spokesperson Vincent Seruma to
The business journalists

EXCELLENT PODITRA PERFORMANCE
17 17

RBS PICTORIAL
Swearing in of the trustees of the Retirement Benefits Scheme
18 18

TAX EDUCATION
Ura sensitises Kikuubo Traders
19 19

STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP
Signing of MOU with
the Uganda Free Zones
Authority
20 20

TADAT SKILLING
Doris Akol Commissioner General Board Chairman Dr Simon Kagugube
Group Photo of Managers who attended the Tax Adminstration Diagonistic Tool Training for
Government Institutions
21 21

FAREWELL
Joseph Okecho AC
Customs Audit receives
his farewell gift from CIAC
22 22
Vincent Seruma Assistant Commissioner Public and
Corporate Affairs hands over to William Kiganda
Assistant Commissioner Human Resourse
Rose Wangwe Manager
Northern Region Domestic
Taxes department receives her
gift from Begumisa Protazio
Commissioner Internal Audit &
Compliance

PICTORIAL
FAREWELL MR OTONGA AND ALI SSEKATAWA
23 23

PICTORIAL
FAREWELL MR OTONGA AND ALI SSEKATAWA
24 24

PICTORIAL
FAREWELL MR OTONGA AND ALI SSEKATAWA
25 25

PICTORIAL
FAREWELL MR OTONGA AND ALI SSEKATAWA
26 26

INTEGRITY TIP
By Rita Katiti Internal Audit and Compliance Department
RELATIONS WITH THE MEDIA
When dealing with the media the following
principles shall apply:
i. URA employees shall regard themselves
as speaking in the name of URA and
avoid personal references and views;
ii.
In no circumstances shall a member of
staff use the media to further their own
interests, grievances, reveal unauthorized
information or attempt to influence policy
decisions facing URA.
iii.
All communications to the media shall
be done by the Public and Corporate
Affairs Division and those mandated
by the Commissioner General.
BREACH OF CONFIDENCE
URA employees are restricted from
disclosing confidential information where
an obligation of confidentiality is imposed.
27 27

INTEGRITY TIP
Repercussion
In the event that the above is not adhered to,
it will be treated as offence 8(b) of the URA
offence Schedule as amended,2014 “Leakage
of confidential information to an unauthorized
party” and offence 55 Breach of Confidentiality”
which may amount to a penalty of verbal
warning, written warning, suspension and/ or
termination.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
ii.
iii.
relative or carry out an audit where the client
is a close relative or business associate or
close friend.
URA employee is the director or a member
of a family company that may be affected
by policy changes being considered in his
or her work area.
URA employee may be assessing taxes
and /or tenders for procurement from
companies in which they or a relative have
an interest.
One of the objectives for formulation of the
URA code of conduct is “to guide employees
on expected behavioral standards.”
Of which section 3 calls for all URA employees
to avoid being in a position in which their
personal interests conflict with their official
duties by declaring their conflict of interest.
Conflict of interest arises when a URA
employee possesses, directly or indirectly, an
interest which conflicts or might reasonably be
thought to conflict with his public duty.
It is an annual requirement for all employees
to declare their personal interests that may
affect their official duties which may be on a
case by case basis. For example;
i. When called upon to conduct an interview
where one of the candidates is a close
iv.
URA employee who conducts private
training or owns a consultancy firm.
v. An employee is in a position to assess
taxes of a community group to which they
belong;
vi.
Where a selection panel member has a
relationship with an applicant.
No preferential treatment: URA employees
should give all clients equal treatment. There
should be no preferential treatment given to
anybody, by virtue of their office (not even from
Government) save where it is provided for by
Law.
Repercussion: Offence 32 of the URA offence
schedule as amended, 2014 amounting to a
penalty of a written warning, suspension or
termination.
28 28

The Good RPD sees in their Management
By Gloria N Nshekanabo
Recently, the Research Planning
and Business Development
team had a knowledge sharing
session in style. There were
no power point presentations,
no brainstorming, no graphs
and figures but a unique paper
requiring us to jot down just one
attribute of what good we see
in each other. You should have
seen people’s faces…it sounded
a joke. It was the Assistant
Commissioner’s (ACRPD) turn
to make a presentation.
At first I was sure she hadn’t
prepared for the day. But trust
her….this was more than
preparing. Come to think about
it, do you know the people
you spend most the day with?
Do you appreciate their good
attributes?
Let’s find out from Milly why she
chose to tackle it that way and
also sample RPD management
feedback and their responses
about the results.
29 29

Milly Nalukwago ACRPD.
Q1. Where did the idea come from? I am reading
a lot about leadership motivated by a number of
leadership trainings offered at URA such as post
the Fired Up for Effective Leadership (FUEL) and
leadership orientation.
I got this idea specifically from a book, How
to Influence People given to us at the
leadership orientation training carried out by the
Human Resource team and moderated by the
Commissioner General.
I read about seeing the positive in the people you
are given to lead and this intrigued me. I found out
among others that making all the people under
one’s leadership appreciate each other increases
peace and the productivity of a team.
She leads a team that is URA’s
external and internal eye that
facilitates the achievement of
URAs optimal desired future state
through development, streamlining
of new products and spear heading
transformation in URA. The team
also facilitates strategy to execution
framework through providing
management with timely red alerts
on issues that hinder execution of the
strategy.
Q2. Did staff take it in good faith? Yes staff took it
in good faith. This was evidenced by the fact that it
was carried out during a knowledge sharing where
staff were used to just listening and commenting.
It was interesting because some of us were
struggling with identifying the good because we did
not know some of our colleagues. Staff were also
surprised because I always come up with technical
presentations but this time I had something else.
Q3. What are the intended achievements? To
appreciate one another. Discover the good others
see in each other. Staff were so happy to see
what people thought of them. I was also happy
to discover the good that I had not earlier seen in
some of my staff and now appreciate them even
more. We each have different good gifts.
30 30

THE RPD TEAM
The ACRPD is seen as:
a) Assertive.
b) Results oriented.
c) Compassionate.
She was very happy with the responses about
her. What surprised her the most was the part
of being compassionate. “I have been getting a
lot of feedback on the fact that I am too hard
on demanding for output from my immediate
reports. I did not expect that some people were
seeing the compassion in me. I have been
making an effort to show staff that though I may
be very strict on outputs I sincerely care about
all of them, their wellbeing (would like them to
share with me more) and would like them to
grow in their careers.”
1. Stella Nambaziira heads
Enterprise Architecture.
Stella and her team do the architectural
designs of the organization; In this role
they directly support strategy development
through; development and management
of the business model; development
and management of the information
architecture (knowledge management
currently through the URA Bridge);
Mapping out URA technologies ( topology
of URA of systems)
Together with IT develop and align IT
strategy with relevant business goals
She is seen as:
a) Reserved
b) Knowledgeable
c) Articulate
2. Florence is the acting
Manager Business Process
Management
31 31

THE RPD TEAM
In this role Florence and her team support and
guide on how to continuously improve URA’s
respective processes. In doing this they; carry
out a process maturity assessment that informs
URA of the process maturity level; maintain a
process asset library (all documented processes
in URA).
They also analyse and propose improvement in
processes that are cutting across departments.
Florence is available to support at the point of
planning when you have to identify business
process improvement initiatives for the next
period based on risks paused by process gaps
or inefficiencies
She’s seen as:
a) Hopeful
b) Motherly
c) Counsellor
Reaction to feedback
“I was happy about the responses. This
response is helping me understand my divine
calling.”
The team is in charge of the look, feel and
design of the communication strategy of
the division. They work hard to populate
newsletters, list of uploads on URA-Bridge
and website; corporate events and pictures
by the 9th of every quarter. They also upload
periodic stakeholder analysis reports.
She’s seen as:
a) Prophetic.
b) Very optimistic.
c) Knowledgeable.
Response to feedback
“I was pleasantly surprised and humbled
by the responses. It felt good, knowing that
despite my flaws people see a lot of good in
me.
The responses will make me work more on
this good so that am a better person.”
4. Dr Godfrey Okaka
formerly head Enterprise
Risk management currently
works in Customs Audit
3. Myra formerly heading Change
Management is currently in
Domestic Taxes.
32 32 32

THE RPD TEAM
His role was to develop and coordinate the
implementation of risk management in URA and
to prepare periodic risk management reports to
the Board
He’s seen as:
a) Perfect Leader.
b) Candid.
c) Think tank and developer.
Response to feedback
“They were great responses and indeed a true
reflection of me.... about 95%; Surprises, yes;
saying that I am a perfect leader....this is an area
that I am always intentionally growing and each
day I purpose to be a better leader of myself and
others! This whole exercise was good and timely
for me, It happened during the process I was
reflecting on the areas of personal leadership
development and relationship management.”
5. Sheena is head Strategy
Development & Management also
known as Hadijah Namitala
In this role Sheena and her team oversee and
support the corporate planning process– long
term plans (4-5 years). They also streamline
new products through innovations intended to
improve revenue administration in the corporate
planning process. Development of corporate
plan initiatives to be executed in project format
and thus spearhead donor coordination in URA.
She also supports the URA annual planning
process that results into Ministerial Policy
Statements to MOFPED that inform the URA
budget
She is seen as:
a) Someone with high esteem.
b) Networking expert.
c) Mover of things.
6. Tinah Kaidu Byaruhanga
heads Research and Revenue
modelling.
33 33

THE RPD TEAM
Tina and her team specifically focus on
research and generate revenue models
using research methods. Tina provides
the following for decision making; tax gap
analysis and tax burden distribution reports.
Revenue seasonality; revenue collection
targets; projected revenue outturn.
Performance of the economy and its impact
on revenue.
Tina also coordinates research across URA
through call for research papers on topical
issues to empower staff in the research field.
These are either nationally or internationally
published depending on the focus.
7. Ronald Nyenje heads the
Business Intelligence, Policy
analysis and Statistics section
•
She’s seen as:
a) Professional.
b) Insightful .
c) Focused.
Response to feedback
“I was extremely humbled by the special
attributes. I’ll strive to maintain the good
that the team sees in me and continuously
develop professionally.”
Ronald and his team are our numbers
gurus. They support the strategy
development and execution process with
the required statistics to inform decision
making. They prepare;
• URA monthly exchange rates.
• Sector analysis reports.
• Tax policy analysis reports.
Key Performance Indicators
• Policy briefs as and when need
arises.
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THE RPD TEAM
• Periodic business intelligence reports.
• Periodic revenue performance
statistics.
• Periodic import, production and export
statistics.
Ronald’s team also coordinates all
International Monetary Fund (IMF) missions to
URA and supports the required engagements
and reports
He’s seen as:
a) Amicable.
b) Leader, mentor and encourager.
c) Humble and knowledgeable.
Lessons learnt from the exercise
1. Everyone has a positive attribute that we
should capitalise on exploring.
2. If we look at the positive, we create
a pleasant working atmosphere and
appreciate that everyone is valuable.
3. It feels good to know what other people
think about you
4. It feels good to know your contribution and
impact in office. This keeps you in check
with an urge to even do better.
5. It made us think of often demonstrating
a positive attitude that can be seen by
others. I mean who doesn’t want to be
seen as good?
6. This activity offers an opportunity to use
everyday objects to demonstrate this
valuable outlook
In conclusion, as you become more proficient
in finding positive aspects in other people, you
get better at seeing positive aspects of yourself.
Seeing the good in other people is not just
necessary for giving good compliments; it also
substantially improves your own happiness!
Seeing the good in other people is a challenging
pursuit, but worth the effort.
But to truly succeed here you should start
noticing the positive intentions underlying
peoples’ actions and forgive them for these
actions.
When you start putting these ideas into
practice, you will have a much more positive
view of the people around you, and you will
notice more of these positive attributes in
yourself. Undoubtedly, you will be far happier
because of your efforts.
Benchmark is free…
35 35

The Magic of C.G’s
Success Cards
Asiimire Bridget Cynthia (in glasses-S.4-
Scored 29-Division 1).
“I appreciate URA for thinking about me and I
am glad I did not disappoint.”
The Taxman team caught up with some of
the beneficiaries.
Atangaza Cissy Innocent (P.7---Scored
5-Division 1).
“I was excited about the URA card and it
encouraged me to double my effort.”
Mutuwa Scovia, S.4 daughter to Stephen
Mushikoma scored 23 aggregates.
36 36

Simion Joyce Mary, scored 28 aggregates in
p.7 from Malukhu Primary school in Mbale
Success Cards
He also says the card gave him courage to work
and read hard and he wants to work with URA at
some point.
Alfred Baguma Franco
Destiny Trevor Businge Destiny Trevor P.7
from St. Francis primary school, Ntinda
“When I received the URA success card, I felt
that I had people who depended on me, so I
was motivated to read harder and do my best
during PLE.I scored 7 aggregates.”
Alfred Baguma Franco, p.7 from Kabojja Junior
School, Kololo. He got 12 aggregates; 5 Math,
3 English, 2 social studies and 2 science. He
says the URA card gave him strength and he
was surprised that CG knows him by his name.
37 37

Success Cards
Shedrack Mwiine sat S.4 and scored Agg. 22. Special thanks go to URA management for the
success card.
“I remember my son telling me how he was thrilled to have received two success cards from
URA...one was in P.7 where he scored a 5. He promised me he would make sure he gets good
aggregates not to shame me and the people who gave him a cards and he did it. Glory to God,”
an excited Agnes Kyompaire revealed.
38 38

My Son, my pride- Dr David Wanda
By Benon Tugumisirize
David Robert Wanda aka Dr Wanda works as an officer in the Public Sector Office (PSO) under
the Domestic Taxes department.
His son Ronnie Winston Wanda aged 17 was one of the best students from St. Mary’s’ Secondary
School Kitende in the 2016 UCE garnering 10 aggregates in 8 subjects. Ronnie says that he wants
to offer Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics in order to achieve his dream of becoming an electrical
engineer.
39 39

He says that not even his mother’s sickness
during the examination period could deter
him from succeeding. Ronnie attributes his
excellence to paying attention in class, not
giving up even when he failed and above
all encouragement and support from his
parents.
For Wanda, taking care of his ten children is
not a bed of roses.
“I had to first empower my wife Justin Wanda
in Commerce and Finance administration
management so that we can fully cater for
our children’s education together” Wanda
recollects.
He says that on top of benefitting from the
URA SACCO loans, Wanda does some
part time lecturing in Universities over the
weekends coupled with being a consultant
in finance and tax management. A father
of ten children, Wanda always applies for
salary advances and loans.
He is passionate about Godliness and
education. He believes that education is
the greatest weapon a parent will ever give
to their children.
He says he has been blessed with a stable
marriage, is wedded in church and holds
high ethical living standards.
“I do not give room for uncalled for
sicknesses not even HIV/AIDS that’s why
my wife and I do routine medical check-ups
for our children. We are that strict,” he adds.
Wanda says that none of his children is
above the family law. They are subjected to
disciplinary action which gives them security
40 40
Dr.Wanda, his son and Manager PCA.
and chance to live responsible regardless of their age.
Being an educationist, Wanda constantly does research
and networking on the best performing schools right
from primary to higher institutions of learning.
“I personally get involved in seeing the performance
and assignments continuously and reward those
performing better and reprimand those declining. This
has encouraged interfamily competition in regards to
both academics and discipline,” Wanda adds.
He also attributes the good performance of his children
to openness and transparency. His family knows
everything about him even when he gets loans.
Wanda has faith that his children are already emulating
the values he instilled. His first born who is already
working has started paying fees for his siblings.
The Wanda family discourages the spirit of selfishness
encouraging everyone to reach out to another.
Wanda who draws his inspiration from the late Hon
James Francis Wambogo Wapakhabulo, the former
speaker of parliament and Pastor Robert Kayanja.
Wanda joined URA from National Housing and
construction Company in June 1994.

URA KIDS LEAGUE
MATURES
By Jennifer Tugume
As part of employee welfare, Uganda Revenue Authority (URA)
started the kids’ league program as part of a comprehensive
sports platform. The program that is meant to tap the potential and
development of young talent was launched in the 2006.
The kids’ league is facilitated by Edgars Youth Program (EYP) which
is a sports academy currently training children between the ages
of 3 to 17 years. Activities in this program run every Saturday at
various grounds spread across Kampala from 7:30 am to 12 noon.
These include, Uganda Institute of Information and Communication
Technology (UICT)-Nakawa, Africa Bible University-Lubowa, Aga
Khan primary School-Old Kampala and Kiwatule grounds. The
children’s training program ensures that their wellbeing and security
is prioritized and guaranteed at the training grounds. Life-skills
through mentorship sessions are imparted by EYP professionals
and experts in various fields in order to build a holistic sports person.
With a fully packed annual schedule, the children are exposed
to a number of sports opportunities. These include, national and
international sports engagements, adventure tours and sports
competitions/tournaments. Trainings by well-known international
soccer icons are some of the sports benefits the children have had
through sports clinics sponsored by partners like Vodafone, Barclays
in 2015.
As a sound and recognized brand in Uganda, URA seeks to impact
the nations’ citizenry through all possible avenues. These are
potential vehicles of ensuring a nation with a strong, appreciative
41 41

Sports
and compliant tax
culture. As such, part of
the brand visibility tool
in the sports platform
is the URA kids’ league
jersey kit-a symbol of the
organization.
Statistics show that the
number
of children participating
has increased from 50-
150. Currently, soccer is
the only sports activity
undertaken. However,
plans are underway to
bring on board other
sports activities to widen
the field to favor children
with alternative sports
disciplines. Areas that
have been given priority
for inclusion are board
games.
On 21st of January
2017, the URA kids’
league held its maiden
children-parents sports
and fun day. This was
a celebration of the
children and parents’
partnership.
42
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Sports
The sports day saw
children in specific age
groups compete and
display unique skills and
were rewarded at the
climax of the event. It was
a pleasure to watch kids
showcase their football
abilities. The kids dribbled
the ball with energy,
passion and enthusiasm.
This was a manifestation
that many kids in Uganda
have potential in various
fields that remain
untapped.
The success of the URA
kids’ league program can
be a bench mark for other
corporate organizations to
emulate. By tapping and
nurturing young talent,
Uganda can re-gain its
past glory as a sports
powerhouse in Africa
and transform its football
national team into a force
to reckon with.
The event attracted
competing teams from
Edgar’s youth soccer
program which gave the
home team a run for their
money. The teams that
43
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Sports
emerged winners in different age categories were awarded medals as a token of appreciation for
their concerted effort.
Through this program, URA has been able to build stakeholder relationships all over the country.
Children are nurtured into responsible citizens by introducing them to the concept of tax through
sports and other games. This has created significant awareness about URA, what the organization
does and its importance to Ugandans.
However, limited funds to bankroll this grand project for purposes of continuity remains a major point
of concern. This has not been helped by inadequate sporting facilities at the national level. Protracted
effort by URA and other corporate organizations, stakeholders and the Government will help improve
the sports arena immensely.
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