Pharma boss Emmanuel Katongole quits Uganda tax board

Emmanuel Katongole, the Ugandan businessman who co-founded HIV and malaria drug maker Quality Chemical Industries, has resigned as chairman of the board of the Uganda Revenue Authority, about six months after taking the job.

Katongole, who became chairman on April 1, said he had sent his resignation to the Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, PML Daily reported. He said the decision was driven mainly by the growing demands of his other roles, particularly at Quality Chemical Industries, where he is executive chairman, and his leadership work with Rotary International.

His departure comes as the tax authority faces scrutiny over disciplinary proceedings involving some of its senior officials. Katongole has rejected suggestions that internal disagreements at the authority led to his resignation.

A difficult moment for Uganda’s tax collector

The resignation leaves the government looking for a new chairman at a time when the tax authority is under pressure to raise far more money. In July, the Finance Ministry said Uganda was aiming to lift its tax-to-GDP ratio from about 14.2% to 20% by the 2029/30 financial year, a goal it said would require stronger compliance, a wider tax base and better revenue administration.

Katongole had taken part in talks between the ministry and the authority on a revenue strategy covering the 2026/27 to 2029/30 financial years.

He replaced banker Juma Kisaame, who had chaired the board since 2020. Kisaame, a former managing director of dfcu Bank, is one of the defendants in the Crane Bank case brought by Ugandan billionaire Sudhir Ruparelia’s family, which opens in London on Monday.

The man behind Uganda’s ARV factory

Katongole, who was born on April 27, 1962, built his name in business through pharmaceuticals. He was the founding managing director and a shareholder of Quality Chemicals Limited from 1997 to 2007.

In 2003, Quality Chemicals’ owners learned through India’s high commissioner in Uganda that Indian drug maker Cipla was looking for a serious pharmaceutical partner in the country. The two companies formed Quality Chemical Industries in 2005, with each holding an equal stake. Katongole and his partners, Frederick Mutebi Kitaka and George Baguma, were the local sponsors.

The plant in Luzira, on the outskirts of Kampala, was at one point the only factory in Africa making triple-combination antiretroviral drugs used to treat HIV. It also makes antimalarial and hepatitis B medicines, mostly sold to governments and public health buyers.

Cipla took control in 2014, and the company was renamed Cipla Quality Chemical Industries. It listed on the Uganda Securities Exchange in 2018. Cipla later agreed to sell its entire 51.18% stake to Africa Capitalworks SSA, a South Africa-based private equity fund, and the company returned to the name Quality Chemical Industries in February 2024.

Katongole has remained executive chairman throughout and still holds about 2.79% of the company, the same stake as each of his two co-founders. Africa Capitalworks controls the company through its 51.18% holding, and Uganda’s two largest pension funds, the Government Employees Pension Fund and the National Social Security Fund, together own almost 16%.

A long public career

Katongole’s career has crossed regularly between business and public service. He chaired the board of the Uganda National Oil Company, which manages the state’s commercial interests in oil and gas, for several years. He has said in the past that his work with Rotary International helped him get that role.

He also founded Vero Food Industries, a food and beverage maker, and chairs its board. He has served on the boards of Mulago National Referral Hospital and the Uganda Manufacturers Association, chaired the council of Muteesa I Royal University, and is chancellor of Nkumba University.

The Finance Ministry has not said when it will name his successor at the tax authority.