Fight looms over takeover of UTL

UTL Milestones

• 1988- Government establishes Uganda Posts and Telecommunications Company Limited (UPTCL)
• 1998- Unbundles UPTCL into four companies – UTL, Posta Uganda, Post Bank and Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) during privatization period.
• 2000- UTL privatized with UCOM (a consortium formed by Detecon of Germany, Telecel International of Switzerland, and Orascom Telecom Holding of Egypt) owning 51 % shares and the Uganda government owning 49 %
• 2006-UCOM, increases its sharing to 69% and the Uganda Government retains the remaining shares
• 2007- Libya’s telecom investment arm, LAP Green acquires UCOM
• 2010- UTL unveils M-sente
• 2009-UTL introduces solar powered hand-held mobile phone called Kasana
• 2011-the Ugandan government seizes LAP Green’s 69% shareholding in UTL over UN sanctions due to political turmoil in Libya
• 2012- Government’s returns UTL’s shareholding to LAP Green
• 2012- Ali Amir appointed UTL MD
• 2015- Mark Shoebridge appointed UTL MD
• 2015- The Libyan Post Telecommunications and Information Technology Company (LPTIC) consolidates Libyan-owned telecom firms (UTL, GreenN Cote d’Ivoire, and South Sudan-based Gemtel) previously managed under LAP Green Network.
• March 1, 2017- Government reposes UTL

How the Uganda government took over UTL

• November 16, 2016-Nandala Mafabi, Budadiri West MP tables a report on UTL’s mismanagement in parliament
• November 18, 2016-Parliament slaps travel ban on UTL management
• December 01, 2016-Speaker Rebecca Kadaga constitutes a 7-member select committee to investigate the mismanagement of UTL
• December 15, 2016-Parliament begins probe into alleged UTL mismanagement
• December, 20, 2016-Parliament halts UTL financial transactions
• Jan 30, 2017-Airtel Uganda threatens to block calls to and from UTL over interconnection fees
• Feb 20, 2017- Uganda Parliament probe meets LIPTIC officials in Dubai
• Feb 25, 2017-LIPTIC Board stops further funding of UTL
• March 01, 2017 – Uganda government takes over UTL

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editor@independent.co.ug