UBL former Board Chairman, Japheth Katto (R) toasts with British High Commissioner and Minister David Bahati
Uganda Breweries Limited (UBL), on 7th September 2023 officially bid farewell to Japheth Katto, commonly known as “Chief”, the former Board Chairman, who has been at the helm of the organisation since 2018.
At the farewell dinner that took at Kampala Serena Hotel, Katto also passed the mantle of UBL Board Chairman to Jimmy Mugerwa, the new chairman. Mugerwa applauded Katto’s leadership and the wise counsel he brought to the organization.
“I had the privilege to sit with you on the East African Breweries and Uganda Breweries boards, and I would like to say that I was amazed by the expertise and the wide counsel you brought. I am confident that whenever you go, you will continue being your best version,” said Mugerwa.
He added: “I am not Japheth & I cannot promise to do what he has done. But we are an organization of values & people. And since these will not be going with Japheth, I can only promise that I will try to be a Japheth of sorts.”
The UBL Managing Director Andrew Kilonzo hailed Katto for making his work easier from the time he rejoined the brewery as MD and on behalf of all staff, wished him the very best in his new endeavors.
“It has been an honor serving under your astute leadership and guidance and I have come to rely heavily on your counsel. Thank you for making my job, a little bit easier every day. On behalf of everyone at Uganda Breweries, we wish you the very best on the next chronicles in your chiefdom,” Kilonzo said.
David Bahati, the State Minister of Trade, Industry, and Cooperatives (Industry) applauded UBL for being among the top three taxpayers in Uganda, contributing hundreds of billions in taxes to the Government.
He cited at last Financial Year in which UBL contributed UGX 430b in taxes.
“Uganda Breweries contributes 430 billion to the treasury. That is equivalent to the budget of the Ministry of ICT, the Ministry of Tourism, and the Department of Minerals combined. On behalf of the Government, I thank you very much.”
He added that the UBL’s Corporate Social Responsibility has extended water to many areas in this country, including Butanda Sub-County in Ndorwa in Kabale District.
Some of UBL milestones under Japheth Katto include;
-UBL has grown investment in farming communities to the tune of Shs. 52b annually from 40b. We now source 95% of our raw materials locally from Uganda, making us one of the largest contributors to the Buy Uganda Build Uganda (BUBU) initiative. UBL sources 95% of raw materials locally from Uganda.
-In the last 4 years, UBL entered a partnership with the Ministry of Water, and other private players like Stanbic Bank and Total Energies to run the Running Out of Trees (ROOTs) program that has seen close to 17 million trees planted in Uganda.
-Oversaw one of the biggest public-private sector partnerships when Uganda Breweries supported the Government to scale up vaccination and fasten the economy reopening process.
